CHaPtEr 14: MINDFUL SELF-CarE • 327General (G)
The general self-care items were designed to provide a broad sense of variety of self-care
strategies utilized, planning of self-care, and creativity and exploration of self-care.
Norcross and Guy (2007) warn that there is no single self-care strategy that alone can
help you or your students manifest well-being. Further, for some individuals, one beloved
hobby or leisure pursuit can be more effective than working to engage in a variety of
self-care strategies (Cook-Cottone, 2015; Norcross & Guy, 2007). For my daughter Chloe,
a long run, and for my daughter Maya, sitting at the piano and singing, make all the dif-
ference. You want to look for a few things that really work, a lot of things that help keep
you steady.
taBLE 14.1 Self-Care General Items
Ask yourself, “This past week how many days did I do the following?” You can give yourself
the following scores: 0 = never (0 days), 1 = rarely (1 day), 2 = sometimes (2–3 days), 3 = often
(4–5 days), and 4 = regularly (6–7 days). Your score for this section can range from 0 to 15.- I engaged in a variety of self-care strategies (e.g., mindfulness, support, exercise, nutrition,
spiritual practice). - I planned my self-care.
- I explored new ways to bring self-care into my life.
Nutrition and Hydration
Norcross and Guy (2007) identify nutrition and hydration as critical aspects of self-care.
A healthy body responds to the unavoidable stress in life better than an unhealthy body
(Davis, Eshelman, & McKay, 2008; Harper, 2013). First, addressing basic nutritional needs can
deeply affect self-regulation (Cook-Cottone, 2015). Addressing nutritional needs includes
both eating a healthy amount of healthy foods, as well as engaging in the planning needed
to make that happen (Cook-Cottone, 2015). Drops in sugar levels, insufficient or excessive
energy intake, nutrient deficits (i.e., low iron intake, low vitamin D and B12 levels) have
all been identified in variations in mood and sense of well-being and can be dysregulating
(Cook-Cottone, 2015). See the American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide
(Duyff, 2011) and The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Sixth Edition (Davis et al.,
2008) for nutritional guidelines and tools for enhancing nutrition.
Second, it is well accepted that water is essential for life, and maintaining recom-
mended levels of hydration is critical to healthy functioning (i.e., 1.2 liters per day or about
6–8 glasses; Benelam & Wyness, 2010; Cook-Cottone, 2015). If water losses are not replaced,
dehydration occurs (Benelam & Wyness, 2010). At extreme levels, dehydration is very seri-
ous and can be fatal. Mild dehydration (i.e., 2% loss of body weight) can result in headaches,
fatigue, and reduced physical and mental performance and too much water can result in
hyponatremia (low levels of sodium in the blood; Benelam & Wyness, 2010). The items fol-
lowing can give you and your students a sense of basic nutrition and hydration self-care
practices.