Summertime is here again!  And with it likely comes the relief of time to recharge, refresh, and renew your mind and spirit for the looming school year ahead.

BUT! It’s not fall just yet. Instead of focusing on launching into the school year (YET!) let’s focus on prioritizing joy in this season of self-care. As I mentioned in a previous article (link to previous article here), self-care is not selfish.  A dear friend told me we should not focus on whether the glass is half empty or half full, but remember that the glass is REFILLABLE!

Below are a few strategies to help you recharge your batteries this summer and prioritize joy – building those habits we need to fall back on during, well, the fall!

• Prioritize the Little Things:  Oftentimes, we think self-care or summer break needs to be filled with grand gestures, big vacations, or monumental milestones. Instead, focus on one small thing you can do for yourself each day.  Perhaps it is a special ten-minute morning stretch or a ritual cup of coffee you get to drink hot and uninterrupted. Maybe it is making a commitment to yourself to put your phone away (email AND social media!) to make time connecting face-to-face. Remember these little things, because they can add up to the big things
• Let yourself feel your feelings: when my son was around 3 years old, he was upset because the baby ducks in our neighborhood had grown up and were no longer the cute little ducklings they once were.  He began to cry and demanded I take a photo of him, telling me “MOM I want you to take a picture of me feeling my feelings.” Let this story be a reminder that you are allowed to feel what you need to during this season–those feelings are a gift from God. Without the everyday stressors or the mental load of working with a group of emotional, small humans, we can give ourselves the space we need to process unresolved feelings we may have. When we give ourselves the space to process those deep feelings we have been ignoring, we can help get our “ducks in a row” for the coming seasons. 
• Practice juggling: I read once that life is a juggling act.  Of course, we all have many things we are juggling at any given point in time. We may not realize that each ball we juggle is made of one of two things: glass or rubber.  Our job is to figure out which balls are glass and will break if we drop them, or which balls are rubber and will bounce if needed.  Think about the glass balls first–our relationship with those close to us, our relationship with God, and our self-care strategies; those become the glass balls we work hard not to drop.  Ultimately, when we acknowledge which ones are glass and rubber, those around us will give us the grace to pick up the rubber balls when we are able to do so.

I am wishing you well this season as you earn some much-needed rest, and begin to dream about the season ahead.  For now, remember to stay anchored in the present, remember the blessings with which you have, and recharge those batteries to power you through.
 

About the Author
Amy S. Kronberg is an early learning consultant and adjunct professor at the University of Dayton. Mrs. Kronberg began her work in early childhood education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn Early Childhood Education Center, where she learned about the Reggio Emilia philosophy, child-centered curriculum, and playful learning environments. She moved to Dayton in 2013 to complete her Masters of Science in Education, studying early childhood leadership and advocacy so she could learn to support children and families in understanding the value of and celebrating play. She is currently all but dissertation in Educational Leadership at the University of Dayton and specializes in early learning consulting for local nonprofits, infant and toddler learning, and social-emotional development.

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