New Year, New YOU!

New year, new you! Winter break is a good time to self reflect and create a happier, healthier you! Taking care of yourself can create that better version of you. Self care is of utmost importance to incorporate into your daily life.

Self care isn't just a fad, it is a must! There are a lot of articles and posts about self care but many are a "one size fits all" approach. That is not what self care is about. Self care is about focusing on YOUrself and YOUr wellness. Self care should be all about YOU and catered to what works best for YOUr life. However, focusing on yourself can be difficult for a teacher. Teachers are selfless. They focus less on themselves and more on others, especially little humans.

Teaching is such an amazing career. When it comes to teaching, no one day is the same. That is one of the many reasons why I love it. You can have an amazing teaching day, where everyone is in class, all your students understand and participate in your new lesson, no one tattles, and no one interrupted your teaching. But then the next day, everything can be quite opposite. You can have your administrator do a walk through while a child breaks down in tears for not understanding a concept, then another child runs out of the classroom upset, and a parent shows up unannounced to discuss their child's progress. There are many ups and downs every day when teaching. It can be a very stressful and demanding job most of the time. Stress can take a toll on you...your mind, body, and soul. This is why having a self care routine on a daily basis is important for your health.

Turning self care into a habit has been shown to improve whole wellness. Self care can have a very positive affect on your life. It can prevent burnouts, reduces negative effects of stress, anxiety, and can help you refocus. Self care can decrease fatigue and illness. It can help you become more motivated and productive.  You can turn anxiety and stress into productive moments of your life.

When you think of whole wellness it can encompass a lot. So lets break it down to 3 areas of focus: body, mind, and soul. I am going to share some self care habits that you can incorporate into your life. Remember, self care is about YOURSELF, so these are just ideas, pick the ones that work for you. 

Body: Lets get physical. You can take care of your body in many ways. but physical fitness is always a good thing for your body. Go outside, get some fresh air and sunshine, and take a walk. Go to the gym before school. Walk laps around your school during lunch with coworkers. Play a simple workout video at home. The importance is to set aside time daily to focus on your physical well being. Let it be 5 minutes every couple hours or 60 minutes in one chunk. Physical activity has crazy benefits to relieve stress. It also has major long term health benefits, such as reducing Alzheimer's, Dementia, heart disease, and diabetes (just to name a few). I know it can be difficult to find the time in a day but the benefits out weigh the risks. Don't forget to save some time to relax your body too. Go get pedicures with a friend. Do some mindful yoga or a massage. This is all about what makes you happy and works best in your life. Personally, I like to do a daily workout with MAPS Fitness program on a daily basis. It only takes me 20-30 minutes. Then I enjoy taking my sons on a walk around the neighborhood. Once a month I enjoy getting pedicures and sushi with my sister and every once in a while I'll go get a massage. This is what works for me, if you don't have the time or ability to incorporate these, that's okay but find something to keep you physically active, as well as relaxed.

Mind: Take care of your brain, you only have one, and it is an incredibly important part of your body. One way to take care of your mind is to provide it with adequate amounts of sleep. Every person needs their own specific amount of sleep every night. Me, I need a good 9 hours of sleep but my husband only needs 7 hours. I love caffeine but it is not a substitute for sleep. Another way to take care of your mind is to become an intellectual person. Someone who is intellectual is a "a person who engages in critical thinking and reading, research, and human self-reflection about society." Many of us already do this. Find something that intrigues you, something you want to learn more about that brings joy to your life. Then read about, research it, discuss it, and reflect on it. It can be learning something new such as a craft or a sport. Maybe you like to read romance novels or travel to various places. For me, it is my teaching pedagogy. I find lots of joy in my own work. That is why I chose this career. I love to read about and research ways of how I can better myself as a teacher. Go to many professional development and take college courses. I discuss the possibilities of what I can do better to reach every student. Then I reflect on what worked for me and what didn't. This happens on a daily basis. But I do my best to not let it stress me out. I understand that I am only human and what may work for others might not work for me. Figure out what you would like your mind to dive in to.

Soul:  Your soul is the emotional and spiritual part that is nonphysical. Taking care of your soul can be difficult to remember because you can't physically see it. It is important to find a realistic balance of happiness. It is not healthy to constantly have self doubt or criticize yourself. This job can easily allow you to be negative about your life. Allow yourself to be happy. Do things that bring you joy and peace of mind, feel good things. Some people like to volunteer and help others who are less fortunate. Others are religious and go to church. Church is a positive place, and positivism can be infectious. I like to sit quietly, every night, before I go to bed, and think of all the things I am grateful for. Sometimes, life can be so overwhelming and sad. It's good to reflect on the positives in your life. Try it, you'll be surprised at how much there is in life to be thankful for.

How can you cope when your stress meets an all time high in the middle of a teaching day? One way to cope with anxiety in the middle of a teaching day is to turn away from the student(s), take deep breaths and hold for 5 seconds, then count down from 10 as you release your breath. Deep breaths release chemicals in the brain that send signals to help relax your mind and body. This will help you regenerate and refocus to help handle the situation.
Also learn when to say no and say yes to things that make you happy. Give compliments to other as well as accept complicates from others. Be less self criticizing and harsh on yourself. Focus on what you can control. You are human.

Self care is about taking care of yourself. Focus on what makes you happy, brings you joy, and helps lower your stress level. Self care is not a "one size fits all," its all about what works best for you to make the best version of yourself.