Self-care refers to activities and practices that we can engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress and maintain and enhance our short- and longer-term health and well-being. Self-care is necessary for your effectiveness and success in honoring your professional and personal commitments. Additionally, in challenging and disruptive periods such as this self-care is very important to prevent burnout.
Think of it this way: have you noticed that when you’re in an airplane preparing to takeoff the flight attendant demonstrates how to use the oxygen mask? They always say to put your own oxygen mask on first before helping someone else. This is exactly how self-care works. We need to invest in our well-being before we can help others.
NEW For the full life experience, put down all devices and walk
In praise of walking.
NEW Daily Burn - offering a 60-day free trial
This fitness app is committed to 60-days of free access to their collection of over 2000 workouts.
8 Creative Ways to Move Your Body a Little Bit While You’re Stuck at Home (Self Magazine)
How to shelter in place but still move in your space.
Yoga with Adriene (YouTube)
Adriene and her dog will guide you through yoga exercises, or talk you through a meditation.
Take Care of Yourself in Coronavirus Quarantine
NYTimes Health advice and exercises.
NEW Webinar: Putting the Self back in Self-Care: Wellness in the time of COVID-19 (NNLM)
In a profession where the desire to serve the public often subsumes the needs of library workers, our panelists share strategies for self-care as well as tips for overcoming challenges related to (re)creating a work-life balance that can be done for free, remotely or in the building.
NEW Strategies for Coping with Isolation and Loneliness During the Coronavirus Pandemic
This resource from the Counseling Center at Northwestern University identifies common types of isolation and provides tips from students on using coping strategies.
Care for Your Coronavirus Anxiety
Resources for anxiety and your mental health in a global climate of uncertainty.
How to cope with COVID-19 anxiety: Tips from a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang talks about ways to cope with stress and negative emotions, and the importance of staying connected to loved ones while socially distancing.
Tips for How to Stay Happy in Troubling Times
By dwelling less on success and reflecting on the positives, BBC Future’s guide to happiness will help you to feel less overwhelmed by world events.
Free Coloring Pages from Museums, Libraries, and Archives
Each year, museums and libraries participate in the #ColorOurCollections project, creating coloring pages from public domain images. You can find University of Idaho's entry here.
Learning to Deal with the Coronavirus Through Literature
In uncertain times, we search for assurances. The humanities, including stories about coping with past plagues, provide a powerful reference to how things can be made right again.
Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch
Experience the best museums from London to Seoul in the comfort of your own home.
Cherry Blossom Cam
Washington D.C.’s cherry blossoms signal the arrival of spring and symbolize hope, renewal, and friendship. Experience 'peak boom time' virtually from anywhere!
Coronavirus and Parenting: What You Need to Know
Here's a quick rundown of some great questions we've heard from parents and the answers we've been able to explore in our reporting.
The Most Comforting Films for Challenging Times
Cinema has always been a tool for escapism, so in these extremely challenging times, Nicholas Barber selects some cinematic gems to help you feel better.
A Playlist Tracking the Many New Tracks Being Written about the Coronavirus
Like a fast-moving echo of the pandemic itself, music that confronts coronavirus is multiplying rapidly. A playlist created by Spotify "data alchemist" Glenn McDonald has been tracking songs about the ongoing pandemic, and the resulting daily chart is astounding. More than 400 songs have made the list since McDonald created it two weeks ago.
When This World is Uncertain, Return to Game Worlds That Aren't
Games set in vast worlds full of panoramic landscapes and lonely vistas, with craggy mountains and undulating seas, with bustling cities and sun-dappled meadows.
While Waiting Out the Pandemic, It's Worth a Watch of These Classic Films
Film has the power to transport us, for a while at least.
Graphic by @stacieswift
Nightly Met Opera Streams (The Metropolitan Opera)
Free! Live stream at 5:30pm MT (4:30pm PT), with recordings available for 20 hours afterwards.
Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems
​Free! New episodes posted daily at 11am MT (10am PT)
Drawing Webcasts with Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author & illustrator
Free! Drawing webcasts every weekday at 12pm MT (11am PT)
Five Tiny Desk Concerts to Calm Your Mind (NPR Music).
From Concerts to Workouts, Here’s All the Free Online Entertainment You Can Enjoy Right Now (Real Simple)
NEW The Quarantine Playlist (WBUR)
NEW Dancing with Myself: Playlist for a Pandemic (Arlington Public Library)
LiLI is provided by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and assisted with funds from the Library Services and Technologies Act through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
