People who take care of others often put their own needs last. Does that sound familiar? Caring for yourself is important for your health and wellness, and it is directly related to your ability to care for others and succeed at work. Although you can’t avoid all stress, too much stress can make it hard to provide care for others, especially infants and toddlers who depend on your physical and emotional availability. Taking care of yourself also protects you against the negative impact stress can have on your own physical and mental health.

The resources below may support you in prioritizing your health and wellness:

• The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation at Georgetown University has created a series of free resources available online to help you learn ways to care for yourself better, reduce stress, and avoid burnout. The following are some of the resources available on this site.

• Taking Care of Ourselves: Stress and Relaxation
  • A free downloadable booklet in English and Spanish, to learn about how to recognize your sources of stress and how to reduce stress.
• Posters to combat stress—colorful posters in English and Spanish with effective ways to reduce stress are available to download and post in different areas of your program or home.
• A series of recorded relaxation exercises in English and Spanish designed for families and Early Head Start and Head Start staff to help reduce stress.
• The Office of Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center also offers resources for Promoting Staff Well-being.

Be sure to recognize the importance of taking care of yourself. The time you invest in your health and happiness will never be wasted. Make yourself a priority. The work you do with infants, toddlers, and their families is priceless, and you deserve every bit of self-care.