Are you making this common mistake this summer?
Whether you have realized it or not, the last few months of teaching have taken a serious toll on your mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
Too much over a long period of time leads to stress. And mental exhaustion can happen to anyone who experiences long-term stress...including anyone who was thrown into distance learning without time to adapt properly, learned on the fly and didn’t have the strategies and support in place to cope.
By immediately pivoting and jumping into a supporting and leading role with your students and school communities, you haven't had a chance to process this change at a cellular level. Of course you are exhausted!
The symptoms many teachers are experiencing right now are similar to burnout - which I experienced just last year after 13 successful years in the classroom - frustration, overwhelm, blame, insecurity and then very unsettling despair - and then healed with really specific actionable steps.
And as glorious as they are, summer holidays aren't a cure.
The reality is that we don’t know what next year is going to look like. The back to school model may take place online at least a portion of the time, there will be a sharp learning curve as school systems adapt to keep everyone safe, and decisions will continue to be made at the last minute. It’s certainly not going to be ‘back to normal’ by any means.
While typically over the summer months, teachers jump into a course or professional development - the last thing you need this year is a professional skill, teaching strategy or content knowledge. The way forward is not in doing more PD - in the working or grinding to be successful. This summer, I invite you to embrace the concept that rest, recovery and reflection are essential parts of your progress towards a successful and ultimately happy life - inside and outside the classroom.
It’s not about the kids, the kids are not the problem. If those of us holding them are not okay, the kids don’t stand a chance. - Dr. Jody Carrington
If you struggled over the last few months with mental exhaustion, overwhelm, maybe even feelings of detachment and apathy that wreaked havoc on all aspects of your personal and work life - I am here to tell you: it isn’t just you. It is absolutely normal under these circumstances, and nothing is going to change next year unless you are ready to do something different; unless you get clear on your best next step and prioritize your personal development over your professional development.
The method I used to heal my burnout is what successful teachers all around the world do to avoid the overwhelm and mental exhaustion that leads to burnout every day:
1. Activate your body, mind a spirit with movement, meditation and journaling routines to start feeling energized again. By developing routines and success habits that you can commit to on a daily basis you form anchors that ground you in times of stress and uncertainty.
Start by listing 3 to 5 things you can do each day that feel good, break momentum, decrease anxiety and bring joy. To figure them out, write down all the things you love doing in life that bring joy. Then circle 5 that you can commit to and accomplish everyday. Each time you act on one, it's a choice for you! - your health, wellbeing and building trust in yourself. Each time it's a little message to yourself that you have your own back.
I’ll share mine so you can see just how simple they are:
- Move my body (yoga, running or resistance training at the gym)
- Morning meditation
- Follow a nutritious diet
- Get outside
- Read
- Evening gratitude practice
2. Acquire boundaries - Boundaries contain who you are. What people and behaviours you want near you. In your relationships and in terms of your schedule and commitments, especially when working from home. Learn to feel the difference between a full hell yes vs. more things you ‘should be doing’. Consider some new behaviours when working from home to set yourself up for success:
- Turn off any email notifications on your phone
- No phones or computers in the bedroom
- Keep a separate work and living space at home if possible
- Close all work related tabs or windows on your computer after work hours
- At the end of the day, establish a transition period to help you create a buffer which allows you to put one identity aside and then go to another and move between work and private personas (ex. Take a walk, make a healthy snack, do some yoga or call a pal)
3. Align with your mission and purpose. Get clear on what you feel you were destined for. When you are in integrity with your purpose you feel authentic joy! Invite in creativity, collaboration and clarity in your mission and purpose. By getting clear on your mission or purpose, the rest of life can begin to fall into place. The feeling of being in the flow, that is the true meaning of fulfillment. A sense of purpose will allow you to take on the challenges of next year and years to come!
Here is what to do:
- Visualize yourself and your life if you were living on purpose. What does it look like, feel like? This will help you determine where you are going and how to get there.
- Discover and align with your values - these are clues to your purpose too.
- Look back at your life for themes, trends, habits and patterns. Your patterns and life lessons are clues.
- Meditate and ask your higher Self - What is my purpose? What do I need to know to discover my purpose? Trust the first thing that comes.
- Be of service to others
There are countless opportunities to develop professionally over the course of the school year. What you need more than anything is the healing and transformation to set you up for the best school year yet - where you are energized, purposeful and can easily roll with the punches.
I’d love to help you create this transformation in your life. Over 12 weeks I can guide you through weekly practices to help you reconnect to yourself so that you heal your burnout and mental exhaustion step into the version of the educator you have always wanted to be - where life is vibrant, fun and full of joy, on or off-line - and spillover into your free time and relationships too.
Want to find out if you are at risk for making this common mistake this summer?
Because I am so passionate about teacher wellbeing - I offer FREE clarity calls. If you want to get really clear on the one thing you can be doing right now to make the most of your summer and get into a better frame of mind and be ready to take on whatever is thrown at you next year.