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What Are Your Five-Minute Self Care Practices?

On July 21, 2022 by Julie Apold

Our last Self Care for Safe Care topic is Mindfulness and Self Care. Mindfulness is a practice and a way of being present in the moment. Being present in the moment can help you to gather the inner resources you need to take better care of yourself and be more efficient.

Practice Self Care by Removing Figurative Masks

On April 21, 2022 by Julie Apold

Humans are wired for genuine social connection. People who are more isolated than they want to be find they are less happy, their health declines earlier in midlife, their brain functioning declines sooner, and they live shorter lives than people who are not lonely. To realize the benefits of our social connections, we need to be our true selves and take off the figurative masks of who we think we need to be and be who we are.

Practice Self Care by Not Chasing Happiness

On April 14, 2022 by Julie Apold

If you ask anyone what they want more than anything for themselves or their loved ones, they will likely say happiness. We all seem to chase happiness throughout our lives. But did you know that the keys to long-lasting happiness, health and longevity come from these three components: being grateful, being content, and having quality relationships.

Practice Self Care through Fostering Social Connections

On April 7, 2022 by Julie Apold

The best predictor of your overall health, happiness and longevity is how good your social relationships are. More than 80 years ago, Harvard researchers set out to answer the question "What makes a good life?" by studying the same group of men year after year and decade after decade.

Strategies for Managing Stress – Free AHRQ Resource

On January 27, 2022 by Julie Apold

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is offering free, five-minute learning modules designed to address the stresses and challenges frontline staff face during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Practice Self Care through Gratitude

On January 6, 2022 by Julie Apold

Have you ever noticed how it warmed your heart when someone appreciates you? Research shows that expressing gratitude to someone who has done something to enrich your life (no matter how big or small) significantly impacts both the giver and the receiver.

Practicing Self Care During the Holidays

On December 16, 2021 by Julie Apold

"Tis the season to be jolly" – but this can be easier said than done.  While the holidays bring many joys, they can also add extra stress.

Experts point to two exercises that are highlighted in Self Care for Safe Care to help us successfully navigate the holidays:

Build Three Good Things into Your Workplace

On November 11, 2021 by Julie Apold

Last week we talked about bringing more joy to your workplace by starting your meetings by sharing one good thing. Another simple way to share good things and boost positive emotions in the workplace is to hang posters on the walls around the campus or in the breakroom to record and share good things visually. Get the list started and encourage others to add their own good things.

Resilience Tip: Avoid Filling the Space

On November 11, 2021 by LeadingAge

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

These days, we have better knowledge and skills about managing big problems that seemed unimaginable before COVID. However, many of us are at the point now when even hearing the word "resilience" has become tiresome. 

Kick-Start Your Meetings with More Joy

On November 4, 2021 by Julie Apold

Do you want to bring more joy to your workplace? One way to start is the way you begin meetings.

Bring Three Good Things to Your Community in November

On October 28, 2021 by Julie Apold

LeadingAge Minnesota has launched the second of six Self Care for Safe Care activities called Three Good Things. We invite you to write down three good things that happened to you each day to practice gratitude and build resilience throughout November and December.

Practice Self Care for Safe Care with Three Good Things

On October 21, 2021 by Julie Apold

The Self Care theme for November and December is "Three Good Things." We naturally tend to focus on what goes wrong in our daily lives and rarely, or only briefly, spend any time dwelling on the good things. Gratitude increases how much positive emotion we feel and decreases negative emotion. The Three Good Things Self Care activity is about taking the time to notice those good things in our daily lives and retrain our brains to focus on the positive.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness by Being Kind to Yourself

On October 7, 2021 by Julie Apold

The greatest act of kindness that you can practice without any cost and minimal effort is being kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for things not in your control. Use kind words when you talk to yourself – do what you can, do not dwell on what you cannot. Practice kindness on yourself and being kind to others will come naturally (Ghate, 2021).

Practice Random Acts of Kindness With Your Words

On September 30, 2021 by Julie Apold

Sharing your Random Acts of Kindness can make others more aware of the many opportunities around them to perform random acts of kindness every day. Self Care for Safe Care Random Acts of Kindness Posters can be printed and placed throughout your community to encourage sharing examples of acts of kindness with others. 

Practice Random Acts of Kindness through Your Words

On September 23, 2021 by Julie Apold

Offering kind words to others doesn’t just make them feel good. It also gives you a rush of good feelings. That positive energy grows and spreads whenever you share it. Mother Theresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”

Be the Bearer of Instant Joy with Random Acts of Kindness

On September 15, 2021 by Julie Apold

When you do a Random Act of Kindness, the hormone oxytocin (the “feel good” hormone) is produced in your body.  Studies show that doing a random act of kindness will:

Promote Random Acts of Kindness for Trauma Resilience

On September 8, 2021 by Julie Apold

Resilience is our ability to bounce back from the stresses of life, and doing Random Acts of Kindness for others is a scientifically proven way to build resilience. Learn more in this 2-minute Self Care for Safe Care video with Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinics of Psychology.

Help Your Team Thrive through COVID-Trauma

On August 4, 2021 by Jenna Kellerman

LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is releasing the latest Safe Care Living the Pledge activity, Self Care for Safe Care, to create an environment where teams can thrive and find joy.

Resilience Tips: Be What You Want to See

On August 4, 2021 by LeadingAge

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

We live in a culture that rewards many things, some positive and some that tax our resilience. As health care workers during an ongoing pandemic, we might be especially prone to burning the candle at both ends to hold it all together at work and home.

Resilience Tips: Post-Traumatic Growth

On July 7, 2021 by LeadingAge

Featuring Dr. Alyson VanAhn from Associated Clinic of Psychology

Undoubtedly, everyone has been impacted by COVID-19. For those of us in senior care facilities, the likelihood that we've experienced trauma is high—the pandemic provided "collective" traumatic experiences.