Happy New Year! Welcome to 2020. I have had lots of time to reflect on 2019 and wonder what is to come for the new year. I have spent the better part of this school break and winter holiday sick. A hazard of the education profession. We always seem to shut down when we finally get some time off. But don’t feel sorry for me, I got to spend some wonderful time with family before feeling bad and then spent my recovery binge watching Royal Pains on Netflix. Don’t judge me. 😊
One episode of Royal Pains showed the protagonist, Dr. Hank Lawson, prescribing not only antibiotics to his patient but also vocal rest. It got me thinking about how often we don’t consider prescribing basic self-care. As educators, we often push ourselves and forget to adhere to a work-life balance. I wonder what would happen if we stopped sometimes to appraise our own well-being and then even went a step further to plan a way to recharge or heal. I might even argue that we are not recharging but taking charge of our lives to make it even better. Now, imagine what this type of modeling could do for our students.
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM
Like what a doctor would do, the most obvious thing is to consider what is the problem or at least identify that we are stressed and maybe tired. Just acknowledging that something needs to change can be helpful.
PRESCRIBE A PLAN
Now that we have identified that we are stressed or have a problem and need reprieve, we should get to work on fixing it. Recharge or Take Charge. Obviously, I am not a doctor; however, we know that there are some things that we can do that are sure to help:
- Exercise
- Eat Better
- Hang with Friends
- Play Games (not just video games, but try a puzzle or cards)
- Read a Book
- Appoint Me Time on Your Calendar
- Yoga/Meditate
- Create Your Own _______________________________
STICK TO IT
I am not one for making resolutions for the new year. I try to adjust when needed whether it is in the middle of the year or at the beginning. Think about your students. If you saw that they needed to make a change in their life or add to it, you wouldn’t tell them to wait until the new year. My unsolicited and non-professional advice for 2020 is for you to take time for yourself. Reflect on what worked and what didn’t work last year (hindsight is 2020…see what I did there?) and stick to a plan to make this your best year.
See You Real Soon,
Erin
Join our inspirational community…
[fluentform id=”1″]