Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners

326 • Part IV: MINDFUL SELF-CarE FOr StUDENtS aND tEaCHErS

MINDFUL SELF-CarE: HOW tO USE tHIS CHaPtEr

The Mindful Self-Care process involves four steps: (a) mindful awareness of self-care as
essential to well-being, (b) assessment of self-care domains, (c) assessment-driven self-care
goal setting, and (d) engagement in self-care behaviors (see Figure 14.4; Cook-Cottone,
2015). The four steps are discrete phases of an ongoing process, a continuous mind-
ful awareness of one’s own self-care behaviors, continual assessment, and goal setting
( Cook-Cottone, 2015). Mindful self-care is a process of constant remembering (Cook-
Cottone, 2015). It is easy for school personnel, parents, and students to get pulled away
from their own self-care by external contingencies and the needs of others (see Figure 14.1;
Cook-Cottone, 2015). Accordingly, mindful self-care involves a remembering of the self
(Cook-Cottone, 2015).
This chapter is presented domain-by-domain in order to facilitate a mindful and
intentional review of personal self-care. Each domain is defined and domain-specific ques-
tions follow. Whether you are working with students or exploring your own self-care, work
through the chapter one domain at a time. Read the definition and then carefully answer
the questions. The directions for scoring accompany each set of questions. Please note that
some questions are reversed scored. Once the domain is scored, average the scores across
the domain. Note, averages of 0 to 2 in a domain suggest that that area of self-care can be tar-
geted for improvement (Cook-Cottone, 2015). The specific items are prescriptive in nature.
For example, if you or your students are not hydrating adequately, the item, “I drank 6 to 8
glasses of water” can be easily translated to a goal, “I will drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each
day.” Take the test, set the goals, and get your self-care going.

Mindful

Awareness of

Self-Care as

Essential to

Well-Being

Assessment of

Self-Care

Domains

Continuous Mindful Awareness and Re-Assessment

Assessment-

Driven,

Self-Care Goal

Setting

Engagement

in Self-Care

Behaviors

FIGUrE 14.4 The mindful self-care process.

Source: Cook-Cottone, 2015; used with permission.