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I am by no means an expert in self-care, in fact, I struggle with it a lot. This is why it is imperative to incorporate self-care tips during a pandemic. Learning to take time to care for ourselves has never been more important.

There is no doubt we are all living in one of the most difficult times any of us have ever known. Now more than ever we have to take care of ourselves, both physically and mentally. When we don’t, it becomes harder to take care of our families.

Think about this…before your flight takes off down the runway, flight attendants walk you through the steps on how to put on your oxygen mask in case of an emergency. It is only after your mask is securely in place that you are advised to begin helping others with theirs.

The same logic should also apply to our everyday lives. We can’t take care of others unless we’re taking care of ourselves.

These five self-care tips I implemented during the pandemic took time to develop. Today I want to share with you what worked for me in hopes that they will help you too.

Tip #1: Limit the News

Beginning March 13th, I became a news junkie all over again. I used to watch the news a lot until I had children. Somehow the headlines felt different once I became a mom and I had to stop. Other than missing Anderson Cooper, I was better off for it.

Once the pandemic started to directly impact our lives in ways we never imagined, the news once again became a habit. I had to know what was going on at every moment. After about two months, I decided I’d had enough.

Turning off the news and avoiding social media coverage of the pandemic on my phone helped to ease my anxiety and cleared my mind from the non-stop circulation of bad news that would keep me up at night. This leads me to my next self-care tip.

Tip #2: Get Plenty of Rest

Turing off the news stopped the wheels from spinning non-stop in my head. This led to a better nights rest and fewer nightmares and bad dreams. Before I turned off the news I was waking up tired and drained before the day even got started.

The irony here is for the first time in a long, long, time, I had nowhere to go. I was home, the kids were home, my husband was home. No more rushing around in the morning trying to get everyone ready and out the door. No more rushing around in the afternoon preparing dinner and driving kids around to practices. For a moment, it felt like a dream.

So why didn’t I feel rested? It comes down to being emotionally drained from having to adjust to so many changes at once and being uncertain about the future. I realize now that I was also consumed trying to learn how to teach my students virtually while helping my own kids keep up with their distance learning. It was exhausting.

I’ve made myself a promise to allow myself at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Since I am no longer falling asleep with the latest headlines rushing through my head, I feel better and ready to take on the day ahead.

Tip #3: Take Some Time to be Alone

Depending on your personality, this may be the most important self-care tip. If you’re familiar with my blog, you know that I am a classic introvert. Teaching is often a hard profession for introverts because we seldom have any time alone (especially those of us that teach early childhood or elementary students).

As difficult as it is to find time alone during the workday, at least I had my ride to/from school to decompress and mentally prepare for the evening activities. Now that I was home and everyone else was at home too, there was no place to go where I could be alone and not hear someone else.

I couldn’t wait for the weather to warm-up so I could at least hang-out on the deck or patio for some peace and quiet. That warm-up took a very long time to get here in the heartland, better late than never though. On a positive note, my desire to get outside gave me an incentive to get the outdoor work completed as quickly as possible.

So whether it’s spending time outside reading a book, going for a walk, taking a bath or picking-up coffee at a drive-thru, finding time to be alone can be a difference-maker.

Tip #4: Get Back to Nature

Nature is cathartic. Planting a garden, tending to flowers, taking a walk, listening to the birds sings, watching the sunset…finding beauty all around fills me with gratitude and a renewed sense of hope.

As a college student, I spent my share of time backpacking and exploring state and national parks. I learned a great deal about myself during that time when I pushed myself beyond my physical comfort zone and found myself totally and completely in my head. It may sound crazy to some, but if you’ve ever experienced it yourself you know what I’m talking about.

Life became crystal clear in those moments and I’ve never forgotten the power that nature has on helping to make those moments happen. If I ever need to clear my head, I know exactly where I need (and honestly want) to be.

Tip #5: Don’t Pressure Yourself

When the pandemic first started, there were many articles written and challenges created on social media to encourage everyone to learn something new during our time at home. The idea being that we now had all this extra time on our hands and there’s no excuse not to try.

The reality is, many of us became busier. Not because we were leaving home to go to work or taking our kids to their activities, but because we now had obligations at home we never had before. As we learned how to support our children through their distance learning we were also learning how to work from home (teaching special needs preschoolers virtually was something I never thought I would have to do). In addition, the kitchen became a short-order cafe and someone was always hungry.

Keeping the house clean was also harder because we were always there. Between laptops, laundry and dishes, my house became a school and an office.

So the idea of dedicating my time to learning something new wasn’t appealing but it made me feel in some ways inadequate. It was at that moment I decided to give myself a break and focus on what I needed to do to get through the pandemic. Simply being the best mom to my kids during this time of uncertainty seemed to be the best choice. That meant being there for them in their time of need to support them emotionally and that was enough.

Actually, in this time of unrest, keeping everyone safe and healthy is enough.

Self-Care Tips During a Pandemic

To wrap-up, consider the following self-care tips during a pandemic:

• Limit the news
• Get plenty of rest
• Take some time to be alone
• Get back to nature
• Don’t pressure yourself