It is a well-recognised fact that YOU are AMAZING! You give everything to your school and the children you teach. The hours, the dedication and the 24/7 conscious thoughts about your job; every day, you go above and beyond what anyone will ever know.
In fact, you give so much time that you may not have any time left for yourself…...this muse is here to help you find some time and space for something that makes your heart smile.
Reflection and Research
How much time do you give yourself? Are you able to find much time for self-care across the week, in or out of school?
It can be hard to imagine finding some time for yourself and, perversely, we can sometimes even feel a pang of guilt when we do. This guilt stems from the fact that we’re in a system that makes us feel like the only way to help children learn is to continually do more and get the children to do more - squeeze everything you possibly can, and more, into every hour of the day, regardless of the impact on our health and wellbeing.
It doesn’t have to be this way, and research tells us that your wellbeing, whether positive or negative, affects the children you work with accordingly.
Positive teacher wellbeing affects you, your classroom practice and therefore the children that you work with through:
• emotional regulation; enabling more effective classroom management
• positive mood; enhancing creative problem-solving and instructional flexibility
• reduced stress; improving decision-making and professional judgment
• increased energy and enthusiasm; promoting student engagement and motivation
Emotions are highly contagious in educational settings, with your emotional state directly influencing student engagement and classroom atmosphere. Creating an environment that works for you as much as the children will set you all up to succeed.
If taking time to care for yourself makes you feel guilty, start by recognising that you're also doing it for the benefit of your children. Remember (and we WILL continue to remind you!) - you deserve to focus on yourself - just for you.
Activity - Do what makes your heart smile!
Discussion with a colleague
Try to answer these questions personally, rather than generically…
What do you do that is good for your mind? What makes you feel relaxed, refreshed or ready to face the next challenge? What actions or activities do you do that genuinely make your heart smile?
Step 1: Make a list of these ideas (physically or mentally - around 5 to 10)
Step 2: Highlight a few key ones that are a combination of a) important and b) achievable.
You might want to narrow it down by time - one that takes 30 seconds, one that takes 5 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour etc. Or you may wish to do it by location - One you can do at home, one you could achieve at school etc.
The key to this is that whilst you may be discussing it with colleagues, your list could look very different to anyone else's because it’s all about what feels good for your mind.
To give you an idea of what it could look like, here is my list of 5 things that make my heart smile:
- Singing really loudly in the car on the way to work.
- Doing a physical challenge
- Playing a board game with friends
- Drinking even just a little bit of water
- Pausing for 5 minutes on my lunch break with no one else around - to just breathe
Step 3: Select one idea from your list to fully commit to for yourself.
Which one do you think will most benefit your wellbeing whilst being achievable and positive to do? Try to focus on one for now, even if many feel achievable, so that it doesn’t become overwhelming and have the opposite impact to our intention. As a teacher I find number 5 on my list vital yet extremely difficult to maintain so that is going to be my self-care commitment for the next half term.
Step 4: Commit to doing it - and be fully present when you do; soak up the enjoyment of it. Appreciate the time you’ve given to yourself and consciously take the feeling it gives you into your next activity.
“Be you, love you. All ways, always.”
(Alexandra Elle)