Practice SELF CARE!

Things To Do/Not To Do Your Break

All staff are required to have daily breaks, as well as a weekend or days off between sessions in most cases. At my camp (a girl scout camp) we get a two hour break every day, and then Friday nights, Saturday, and Sunday morning off. 

When it comes to being a counselor and working with groups of children all day everyday, you only have so much patience and love and time to give. I like to call this ‘counselor juice’. Its your fuel for the day, and as the day goes on you run lower and lower and until you crash, but hopefully that’s not until bed time. This is why we have breaks during the day, to recharge our battery and fill the tank again. With this in mind, the lists begin! 

Things to doo:

start your laundry, eat foods, take a nap, and hydrate <– all the obvious things. these are important to maintain healthy and happy and to stay clothed throughout the week.

color! coloring can be v relaxing and honestly spending an entire break coloring is so peaceful. coloring books are NOT just for kids! 

leave camp. okay so not everyone can leave, some camps have a no leaving policy if the nearest town is an hour away or something cuz people often come back late and that’s not good. but if you’re allowed to leave camp then go thrifting or get ice cream or rent a movie or something fun! just make sure to scrub the dirt tan off first ;D

watch a movie/binge watch a tv show! i like to download a bunch of movies so i have options and don’t have to worry about having wifi. 

hangout with other staff and complain about your kids. it’s okay to complain about your campers. its okay to  eat your feelings in stickers. these things are okay, just make sure you don’t do it within ear shot of any campers. 

have a mini spa! use a smell good foot scrub, exfoliating face mask, and munch of some cucumbers! it’s important to treat yourself and keep your body healthy. 

practice religion/spirituality. this is v important to some people and just because you’re at camp doesn’t mean you have to neglect your faith. take time to pray and worship whatever it is you believe in. not everybody choose to or have the opportunities to work at a spiritual camp, but they still want to feel connected to their faith. and on the same note, DON’T JUDGE PEOPLE FOR PRAYING OR CHANTING OR WHATEVER THIS COUNTRY IS ABOUT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DONT BE A MEANIE. 

eat ice cream/popsicles/other cold summer foods. it’s too hot to live off corndogs and mac n cheese all summer. cool down your body with something sweet and frozen!

write letters like you promised! write to your mommy and tell her you loves her much and you’re not dead yet. she’ll appreciate it :)

go for a walk or hike. i know you’re walking around all day, leading games and going on hikes with your kids, but going by yourself and taking your time can be really relaxing. you don’t have to lead any songs or count your campers every 5 minutes. you can just enjoy the sounds of nature.

Things NOT to do:

hangout with your campers. i know you love them to pieces and you’re probably actually not all that tired or needing space, but you do. please take your break. 

hangout with someone else’s campers. you love kids! that’s great! so do i! but just because they aren’t your assigned kids that week/session/whatever and you don’t technically have to be in charge, it’s still not a good idea. you’ll end up using all your counselor juice (ability to stay calm and cool and not grouchy, you only have so much for a day) on kids who aren’t even yours and then you’ll have not much left for your kids, who need it all! go take your break away from children

call your significant other. if your boo is not keen on you being away as it is, and you are sort of in a fight, don’t call them on your break! there are a few reasons why: you don’t have that much time and you probs have more to do. fighting is stressful and you don’t wanna come back from your break to be more stressed than when you left! you and your kids don’t deserve that! cell reception at camp suuuuuucks and if you get cut off that can makes matters worse. and lastly, fighting with a time limit is no way to fight. 

eat a massive meal. okay sooo if you struggle to eat on the camp’s schedule and you tend to skip meals maybe you should eat your meals differently, and breaks are a good time for that. however, if you DO eat with everyone else, don’t eat big bowls of soup or a whole sammich during your break! eat all the candy you want and drink all the juice you can get your hands on, but if you eat a lot during your breaks you won’t want anything at the next meal and that’s no bueno, plus stomach aches suck!

start your break early/end your break late. this is sooo uncool of you. it does happen on accident, especially if you decide to nap during your break, BUT THIS IF WHY YOU HAVE A WATCH AND PHONE. SET AN ALARM AND DON’T BE LATE CUZ THERE ARE OTHERS WAITING ON YOU. 

make important phone calls. okay so this might sound silly but here’s why i avoid making important phone calls on my breaks and try to save them for the weekend. with importance can come bad news and if your break is only an hour and you get bad news (your pet died/you didn’t get the job/your bf left you) that is NOT enough time to be upset and grieve and then be okay! you need more time! be kind to yourself and leave the Real World stresses right there in the Real World.

do only your laundry or shower. so you should do things that make you feel good on your breaks. laundry is great and 110% necessary, but if shouldn’t do it everyday break every day. try to do laundry once, maybe twice a week, and spend the rest of the time doing something more fun and relaxing! same for showering. don’t spend you entire break showering. 

spend your entire break swimming/rock wall/achery/etc. i love camp activities as much as the next dude, HOWEVER kids are most likely gonna be doing those activities and like i’ve mentioned before, you don’t wanna spend your breaks with other children! doing this once a week or every once in a while isn’t terrible, especially if your week is ‘lightweight’ and your kids aren’t as aggressive or whiny. if you’re really itching to go swimming see about going when a small group is going or when the CITs are. CITs are like slightly younger cousins who are actually kind of cool to hang with, and so are their counselors! 

do what’s right for your mind and body. if you’re not well, you aren’t able to give your all to your kids and they miss out. 

do you boo, do you.

-Sulcata

What is your favorite thing to do with campers to pass time?

Ways to teach a skill

Just as there are many ways to learn, there are many ways to teach. Here are some ways to teach skills at camp:

Say it. Tell the kids what the skill is, describe it.

Show it. Show pictures, diagrams, or other visual aids.

Model it. Do the activity yourself, such as tying a knot.

Learn by doing. Have the kids do the skill, alongside you or after you (or both). This is a great way to engage kids on multiple levels, as you often also need to incorporate some of the earlier techniques (say, show, etc) and this engages multiple learning styles.

Learn through play. An example of this is a simulation game, such as that deer game where you simulate resources (called Deer, Deer, Deer in Ultimate Camp Resource). This can be existing games, or one you made up. Another example is that I made up a simulation of holding hands in different formations to explain how colligative properties work in ice cream in a bag.

Engages the senses. This works well in conjunction with other techniques, but basically bringing in as many of the senses as you can, especially touch/kinestetic.

Since kids learn differently, ideally teach with multiple methods. Teaching is a learned skill that you develop as a camp staff, and everyone does it with their own flair. But these are some suggestions to get you started as you develop your own way of teaching.

Camp staff discussion

What strategies do you use to manage your mental health at camp? Reblog with comments/tags or reply to start the discussion.

I like to talk things over with people, have a good cry, take breaks when I need them, and try to relax on days off.

Camp Playlist

Every camp staff knows the struggle of finding camp-appropriate music to jam to. So here’s my playlist of camp-appropriate songs (which I play while driving).

“Best Day of My Life” by American Authors

“Pompeii” by Bastille

“All American Girl” by Carrie Underwood

“Bubbly” by Colbie Calliat

“Bright” by Echosmith

“Immortals” by Fall Out Boy

“On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons

“Don’t Stop Believin’“ by Journey

“Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall

“Ho Hey” by the Lumineers

“Whole Wide World” by Mindy Gledhill

“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

“Home” by Phillip Phillips

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten

“Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts

“Brave” by Sara Bareilles

“Geronimo” by Sheppard

“Anthem” by Superchick

“One Girl Revolution” by Superchick

“Shake it off” by Taylor Swift

“Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon

“Firework” by Katy Perry

“Story of My Life” by One Direction

“Renegades” by X Ambassadors

(various Disney songs)

Alright camp people of Tumblr, add on your favorite camp-appropriate songs.

I have $24 to last me til Friday, what should I buy with it?

How many times can you wear it between washes?

Via

Emotional Labor and Camp

I did a lot of research for this post, mostly because emotional labor is a concept I’ve only heard about in the past 2-3 years, but I’ve heard so many different things. However, a lot of things I’ve heard resonated with my experience working at camp. I also think that it’s a topic we need to talk about.

What is emotional labor?

This needs to be the starting place. Arlie Hochschild originally defined emotional labor in 1983. It has evolved since then in many ways and there are a bazillion tumblr posts and articles on the internet with varying definitions. For this post, we’ll stick to the original definition, which is the additional work required by someone in a paid position that requires regulation of emotions for the benefit of others, both clients and other staff. It is prevalent in “caring” positions and highly applicable in many jobs including waitresses, teachers, retail workers, child care workers, and flight attendants. (Interview with Arlie about evolution of the term here; article with a more thorough/detailed definition here). I will not be arguing about the various definitions of emotional labor.

How does emotional labor apply to camp?

As mentioned, emotional labor is often applied to childcare workers, which would include camp staff. Some examples of emotional labor might include:

Managing emotions in front of kids (being fun/energetic, not getting frustrated or disappointed)

Hiding the emotions involved in whatever is going on in your personal life

Not panicking in front of a child when they tell you something intense (abuse, self-harm, parent’s ugly divorce)

Parents - so many things

Now, these duties come fairly standard with being a camp counselor. And I’m not saying that you should be an upbeat counselor who is kind despite challenges. But what you do need to do is to cope with the stress of that emotional labor.

Consequences and coping

A big consequence of emotional labor is burnout. I previously published this post on burnout a few months ago and it summarizes symptoms/warning signs and some suggested coping skills. Large amounts of emotional labor may exacerbate existing mental health conditions or contribute to their development.

While you might be able to reduce your emotional labor somewhat, there will always be some. There was an interesting sounding article exploring whether emotional labor could be fun but it was behind a paywall because academic publishing is a sham (source: I went to grad school). But what I did find suggested some of the following techniques:

Emphasizing authenticity when possible. Obviously you don’t want to have a complete breakdown in front of kids. But perhaps acknowledging to your unit leader or leadership team that you’re struggling or something is going on for you personally would be good. They can either help themselves or refer you to someone such as an EAP or a hotline.

Engage in long-term coping skills. I separate coping skills into two categories: short and long term, which may broadly overlap. Long term coping skills are similar to lifestyle changes. They’re repeated activities that you use to maintain your health. Some examples from me:

Eating healthy. This looks different from person to person, but essentially enough food of a variety that makes you feel good and fuels your body and mind. Also drinking water.

Exercise and activity routines.

Engaging in hobbies.

Taking steps to manage chronic conditions, mental and physical.

Use your break times for whatever kind of rest and relaxation you need. Maybe you need a nap. Maybe you need to snack on something different than camp food. Maybe you need a hug.

Avoiding negative coping skills. I don’t want to trigger anyone so I won’t list them, but this is activities that are harmful to you or others, either physically or mentally. 

For more coping skills, check the Mental Health Queue and Camp Wellness Queue for a variety of self-care ideas.

Additional note for campers/CITs: I know that some of my followers are youth who attend camp as campers or as CITs. This post is in no way saying that you can’t rely on your counselors or other camp staff for emotional support. They are there to support and care for you, and they should want to. This post is meant to emphasize proper self-care for staff so that they are better able to support and care for their campers. 

Sources: x, x, x, x

Tl;dr: Emotional labor is common in being a camp counselor so watch for signs of burnout (a consequence) and practice good self care.

A Complete Guide for Packing for Camp

Step 1: Figure out your camp. At my camp, counselors move cabins every week, so we try not to bring TOO much stuff. If this is similar to your camp, plan on packing in something you are able to carry/roll/etc. 

Step 2: Clear you schedule for at least a couple hours. This is gonna take longer than you thought. You might want to bring a snack and some water to your room too. 

Step 3: Clean up your room and clear some space. You’re gonna have stuff laying around all over as you try to sort through what you are bringing and attempt to organize it all. 

Step 4: Have a organization plan. I personally pack my big backpacking pack with bedding, sleeping bag, cabin junk, shoes, toiletries and other random things. Then I have a duffel bag for clothes, and towels. And I pack my day pack in advance too. (I also keep a backpack with my laptop that will rotate between staff lounge and my car). 

Step 5: Make a list. Not necessarily for specific clothes, but rather for all the other little things that are lying around your room and house that you may have to go searching for. 

Step 6: Pack. 

Step 7: Double check your list. Put everything in a pile or in your car. Don’t leave anything unpacked lying around your room/car so you don’t forget it and not realize it until later. 

TIPS: 

a. Bring lots of tampons/pads. Campers may need them. 

b. If you are going to want a comforting item (blanket, stuffed animal, boyfriend’s sweatshirt, etc.) BRING IT. You will not regret it. Find a way to fit it into your luggage. 

c. I don’t care what your camp’s generic packing list says, bring A BILLION PAIRS OF SOCKS.

d. Bring a cute outfit or two. It’s nice to shower after campers leave and look cute for if only a few hours. 

e. Have a shower/bathhouse bag. 

f. Tie shoes to the straps of bags if you are running out of space. 

g. You’re probably gonna wear the same few pairs of shoes all summer. (I have 2 pairs of sneakers, a pair of chacos (we can’t wear them when campers are here) and my barn boots. Don’t overestimate how many pairs you will wear. 

h. I like to keep my car clean and organized as well, so I can keep extra stuff in there instead of the cabin. 

i. Pack some silly clothes. Pack some big t-shirts. Pack a baggy sweater.