Make the Most of Life

Practicing self-care at every opportunity, including work.

Give to the Self-care Program

It’s easy to forget to take care of yourself, especially for those who juggle work, family, maintaining a home and finances. Finding the time to take a walk, meditate, exercise or eat right may slip to the bottom of a to-do list. Why is it so important to take care of oneself? That’s what Eisner College of Education Dean Shari Tarver-Behring aimed to find out.

After studying faculty and staff self-care programs at universities around the country, Behring found that individuals who practice activities such as mediation or yoga are more productive and satisfied in personal and work settings. In 2015, the Self-Care Initiative (Self-care for U at Northridge, or SUN Program) was launched to motivate and engage Eisner College of Education faculty and staff in a healthy lifestyle, promoting a culture of joyful productivity and providing opportunities for the college and its people to thrive.

Faculty and staff have daily opportunities to practice mindfulness and breathing exercises, learn healthy nutritional habits or order healthy meals, practice light exercise and restorative yoga. Faculty volunteers lead self-care activities that also promote socializing and networking, resulting in an enhanced quality of life in the college. More than 60 percent of faculty and staff have participated in the program and reported an increase in their sense of calm and overall well-being.

Funding from individuals allows the SUN Program to reach further into the community, helping teacher candidates, K-12 teachers, K-12 students and their families practice self-care. Private funding will hire a coordinator to oversee the development of curricula to be integrated into current education programs for teacher candidates in the Eisner College of Education as well as in regional K-12 schools. Your gift also will expand and enhance the current SUN Program website and recruit experts in self-care to offer professional development opportunities.