It’s no secret that the pandemic continues to put stress on educators everywhere, making it more important than ever to focus on your self-care. How do you plan to have a classroom that thrives and is successful if you don’t take care of yourself first?
Gallopade believes in all educators, and that's why we want to help you by providing self-care tips that can be used throughout the school year.
Get to Know Yourself
Before we get into our heaping bowl of self-care tips, the truth is only you can decide what type of self-care is going to work the best for you. Here are some questions to ask yourself to zero in on the best self-care possible.
How might taking better care of myself benefit others?
What does 'self-care' mean to me?
Does it feel selfish, self-empowering, or self-nurturing?
Am I worn out because I feel like I'm 'on' all the time?
It’s important to be as honest as possible when answering these questions.
Find Time to Do the Things You Love
You spend so much of your time in the classroom, which means there might not be enough time to do what you love. Have you ever heard the saying, “Leave work at work?” This is one of those situations.
When possible, ensure you leave the work at the school and indulge in the things you enjoy outside of school. If you find that you’ve not been able to keep up with your hobbies, find some new ones.
You can also practice this form of self-care while at work by finding time to give yourself a mental break. For example, if you have a planning period, you could try reading a book or listening to music instead of doing more work.
If you don’t typically use your entire lunch break to eat, you could always go for a drive and enjoy the sunshine and air outside. This will help you relax and prepare for the rest of the school day.
Practice Deep Breathing Exercises & Mindfulness
Three hundred million people partake in mindfulness and yoga practices mainly for the benefits it has to offer. People who practice these things find their thoughts are more positive, and they learn to release negative energy and fill their bodies with positive energy through breathing exercises.
We understand that things in the classroom are tense right now as you continue to navigate changes and take on new challenges, which is why yoga is for you. It helps you re-live tension, but there's no need to worry if you’ve never tried it before.
You have the ability to partake in classes meant for people at every practice level. Do Yoga With Me gives yogis such as yourself the ability to choose your style and practice level before showing you class options.
Use Your Additional Resources
People have been teaching for centuries, and even though you’re learning new things currently, it doesn’t mean you have to stress yourself out in the process. Part of practicing self-care is making things easy on yourself when possible, which means making the most of the resources available.
Tapping into additional academic resources can help take some of the pressure off your shoulders. For example, Gallopade offers additional resources and activities for educators to use. They’re fun and will captivate your students no matter what they’re learning.
Make Time to Connect With Other Educators
No one knows more about what you're going through than other educators. It’s essential that you care for not only yourself but also other teachers.
Take time to stay connected with other educators and check in with them about the challenges they’re facing. This is especially helpful if you don’t have anyone close you can talk to and vent your emotions to.
Part of caring for yourself is processing and expressing your thoughts and emotions. Simply talking things out can relieve any stress and tension you’re feeling.
While you’re connecting with other educators, don’t forget to share with them some of the other Gallopade blogs we’ve created for educators like you.