“Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”
- Eleanor Brown
Devoted to our students and dedicated to our profession, we teachers work tirelessly for the education of our students and the betterment of our schools and communities. As much as we love our profession, adore our students, and are honored to serve, we must admit...teaching is hard work. Teaching requires a lot of time (early mornings, late nights, and even weekends), energy, and effort. Teachers face the demands of high-stakes standardized tests and school report card ratings, which have the potential to threaten job security, and are governed by building-level, district, state, and national accountability standards and measures. Consequently, teaching can take a real toll on the mind, body, and spirit of educators.
Our students deserve our best, but we also need our best. And so, do our families. Teachers tend to put everyone, students and family, before themselves, however, balance is crucial to the well-being of teachers, their families, and their students. As Eleanor Brown stated, “you cannot serve from an empty vessel.” We are of no real assistance to our students, families, or to ourselves, if we do not attend to our mental, physical, and emotional health. Michael (2018) defined self-care as any activity that one deliberately takes part in for the express purpose of nurturing one’s mental, physical, and emotional health. Self-care is a non-selfish act; in fact, self-care is crucial to one’s ability to be impactful in the lives of others. Self-care can range from the simple to the complex, from brief moments to several days, and from free to rather pricey. For instance, several deep, cleansing breaths can do wonders for our temperament and stress level. Examples of self-care strategies include, but are not limited to, facials, manicures, pedicures, soothing baths, watching favorite television shows, naps, walks, puzzles, knitting, adult coloring, and going to movies. Self-care strategies vary from person-to-person, and can literally, be anything, absolutely anything, an individual does for self-improvement, relaxation, and stress relief.
Social media self-care challenges are currently all the rage! Join an online challenge or create your own. Take on the challenge independently or as part of a group. I personally, suggest joining a group, even if just a small group of friends and family members. I believe that the companionship will provide sources of support and accountability that will increase the odds of your success. One such challenge, the Autumn Self-Care Challenge, by Blessing Manifesting, is pictured here. The Autumn Self-Car Challenge combines self-improvement recommendations with seasonal activities.
Teaching can be psychologically, physically, emotionally draining, but is worth it. Teaching is stressful, but satisfying, demanding, but rewarding. Scrutinized, pressured, and subjected to high demands and work-related stress, teachers must take opportunities to recharge. Less about the what, and much more about the how and why, self-care can be instrumental in the improved clarity, focus, and energy necessary for heightened effectiveness and efficiency in the professional and personal lives of teachers.
References
Blessing Manifesting (2019). “Autumn Self Care Challenge.” Retrieved October 5, 2019
Michael, R. (2018). What self-care is – and what it isn’t. Retrieved October 12, 2019
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