We’re all aware that self-care is important. We recognize the value of eating healthy, getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly. However, practicing self-care as a solo activity misses a critical aspect of our well-being: that we are social beings and we need social connection for deeper sustenance. In this webinar, we’ll explore ideas for expanding core self-care practices to encompass connections with work colleagues and more broadly with community members. Extending kindness and nurturing outward increases social cohesion and trust. The presenters will share practical examples and you will be encouraged to think about your own unique interests and how they might enhance your social connections.

Presented by: Brenda Hough, librarian, writer, and trainer with 25 years of professional experience working in and supporting libraries by providing training and consulting services, EluciDare Learning; and Betha Gutsche, WebJunction Program Manager, OCLC

Access Recording

• View Webinar Recording (You will be prompted to login to our free Course Catalog.)

Webinar Attachments

• View slides (pdf)
  
• View chat (xls)
• View captions (txt)
• Learner Guide (doc) Use alone or with others to extend your learning.

Related Resources and Links

• Article: Taking Care of Self, Staff, and Community
• Connectedness & Health: The Science of Social Connection, Dr. Emma Seppala, Stanford Medicine, May 8, 2014
• Social Connection Makes a Better Brain, E. E. Smith, The Atlantic, October 29, 2013
• Bowling Alone: the collapse and revival of American community,  Robert Putnam, 2000
• Socially Connected Communities: Solutions for Social Isolation, Healthy Places by Design (see also WebJunction article with recommendations for libraries informed by this research)
  
• We are Not Okay, Infopeople webinar
• 6 Ways to Weave Self-Care into Your Workday
• Palaces for the People: how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life, Eric Klinenberg, 2018. Book Review, The Guardian
• Understanding the Social Wellbeing Impacts of the Nation's Libraries and Museums, IMLS
• Public Libraries Aren’t Essential Services, Bookriot.com
• Additional links shared to chat
• Let's Move in Libraries
• Articles about StoryWalks on WJ: Take a StoryWalk Through Downtown with the Library and Take a Walk, Read a Book, Have an Adventure
• Gina Seymour and nurturing the compassionate maker