We’ve made it to Thanksgiving Break; with 65 days of 18-19 school year under our belt, we made it! I’ll be honest, I’ve been counting down the days until break since the first of November because who doesn’t need time away to relax, unwind, and breathe? I thought that my countdowns were harmless, until I realized that I was wishing it all away just for a break. But what I also realized was that I am not taking the time to enjoy what I’m doing in the moment.

I recently watched a Ted Talk on self-care and what this woman, Kelly, had to say about self-care and how much impact we have on how we are helping ourselves now blew my mind.

“We are starting to become disconnected and separated from our lives. How often have you wished the day away? Your week? Your school term? Just to get to the evening, the weekend, the next half term? Just to breathe. That right there is how we are becoming disconnected and separated from our lives. But you can change and improve your life. You can increase your happiness levels and your connections with the world around you and the people in it” (Talks, 2018).

How often have you wished it away? It’s so easy to! You’re having a bad day, you’re dreading a meeting, you have a friend visiting that weekend, these are all reasons to want to wish a day away.; however, doing so is making us disconnected from our lives.  But, how can we change it now? Kelly explains that we can:

“Grab a notebook, start a journal. Tell yourself that you’re enough and do that every single day. Drink enough water, exercise, practice mindfulness. Get curious about your relationship with your phone and social media. Practice random acts of kindness. Ask for support and begin to connect with who you truly are….because you are exquisite” (Talks 2018).

As teachers of the tiny humans, we have to find time for ourselves. We can’t take care of our students if we don’t first take care of ourselves. However, we can’t wait for the weekend or another break in our schedule to start practicing self-care, we have to start now. I love this Ted Talk because Kelly discusses the importance of small acts each day in your life that will go towards your well-being.  Kelly who is not only a teacher, but also a mom, a daughter, a friend does this through yoga.  She has taken this passion and form of self-care to be both a primary teacher and a yoga teacher and self-care is now a priority for her.

“Your light is the most important thing in your life that needs protecting. So guard it, shield it, field it, and defend it with your life because then you can be the light in someone else’s life” (Talks, 2018).

References:

Talks, T. (2018, July 16). Retrieved November 21, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O5QIqlDxjg