Hello Educators!
As the people working at the forefront of education, often your students, your school, and your community take up most of your time and energy. Between lesson planning, grading, after school meetings, and in-service workshops, there is only so much time left for you! A lot is demanded of you and it can feel like if you don’t give 150% all the time, you are letting down your students.
But how can you effectively educate if you aren’t keeping yourself healthy and well? Just like your students, you have weeds too and it’s important you water the flowers rather than the weeds. Here are a few tips to staying healthy!
1. Say NO once in a while!
If you feel like you already have a full plate, say no to taking on new responsibilities! You need to have a life outside of your work - you need to have the option to take that weekend trip or that nighttime yoga class.
2. Take advantage of your mental health days
If you are feeling a little burned out, take the day! That’s what they are there for. Use that day to do something fun or something just for you. You’ll return the next day feeling refreshed and much more prepared to teach!
3. SLEEP!
You’ve seen how too little sleep affects your students, do yourself a favor and get at least 6 hours of sleep.
4. Exercise & practice mindfulness
We all make excuses of why we can’t make time to do this, but exercise & mindfulness have such a huge impact on our mood and mental health. Take 5 minutes to meditate in the morning or before school, run for 10 minutes, walk to work - every little bit helps!
5. Journal
There are always those co-workers that are troublesome, frustrating administrative red tape, and students that require extra attention. Vent in a journal, write about your concerns and job complications - do what you need to do to keep the negativity away!
6. Find a hobby that is totally separate from school
Photography, hiking, pilates, baking, woodworking - whatever you need to do to get a little space from school!
These are just a handful of the many self-care activities you can do to relieve stress, maintain positive mental health, and prevent job burn-out. Make time for YOU in your schedule - you deserve it!! Always remember to #PullYourWeeds!