College of Education Self-Care

  • Participants at the self-care drum session
  • Sunset over water
  • Blue lens flares
  • Zen garden with rocks
  • Sunset over hills
  • Spiral staircase
  • Path through trees with autumn leaves

SUN Program

Welcome to our College of Education Self-care Initiative, informally called Self-care for U at Northridge, the SUN Program.

It is so wonderful that you are considering self-care as an important way to care for yourself and keep balance and health in your life. Self-care means taking responsibility for yourself to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle at work and in your personal world through individually determined, proactive activities. You are at your best when you attend to yourself in equal measure to others in day-to-day living! 

Self-Care News

Self-care and social support

February 26, 2024

Sun logo

One of the most important ways to ensure our health and wellbeing is by staying connected to others who support us. According to Courtney Beard, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, “Broadly speaking, social support refers to helping behaviors, feelings of comfort, and appreciation shared within a network of individuals. More specifically, social support is defined as the perception that we are loved, cared for, and valued by others, and are part of a network of other individuals we exchange mutual support with” (Wills, 1991). Dr. Beard states that “Strong social support is linked to better physical and mental health, and better response to trauma.” Read more

Self-care and Hope

February 19, 2024

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We can safely say that there are many sources of stress in our world at the moment. One way to reduce stress is to remain optimistic that everything will return to better times in our future. But there is another way to move forward in a more realistic, proactive, and engaged way when facing life’s challenges, and that is to have hope. Read more

Self-care and Joy on Valentine's Day

February 12, 2024

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As we celebrate Valentine’s Day this week, we may think about joy and happiness with others, but what does this really mean and how do we know we have it?  Joy is “an enduring and underlying sense of something that is deeper than the emotion of happiness,” according to researcher Dr. Pamela King, Associate Professor of Applied Developmental Science at the Thrive Center for Human Development in the School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Read more

Self-care and the Lunar New Year of the Dragon

February 5, 2024

The University Library

This Saturday, we enter a new Lunar Year, the Year of the Dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of strength and power and is associated with good fortune, wisdom, success, and protection. 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon – a year of transformation, growth, and abundance. According to Chinese legend, vibrant Yang Wood energy in this year needs to be balanced with inner harmony practices, such as meditation, to maintain self-care and health for us all. Now is also an auspicious time to be aware of culturally informed self-care resources for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Read more

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