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How have you upped your self-care game?
Annemarie Simpson
Learning to not sweat the small stuff — a difficult but important lesson. Limiting time on social media, especially not reading comments. Sitting and watching my kids sports practice or game — just be in that moment (don’t bring school work with me). Not checking work emails, messages from students, etc. after x o’clock. It’s okay to spend time present with family or just yourself. Purging — amazing how much stuff clutters our spaces and our minds.
Heather Terry
Fit in some form of physical activity/exercise every day and find something to be thankful for each day.
Venessa Chalifoux
Putting up boundaries and sticking to them has been important. Movement and finding moments of stillness to just breathe. Intentionally practicing gratitude as well. Giving myself permission to “fill my cup” and learning what self care is really about.
Susanne Stroud
I write down one thing I am grateful for each day. It helps keep me focused on the positive things in life rather than Covid or pandemic pivots.
Michelle Sherlow
I spend time with my hobby, making handmade cards, that I can give to others for occasions or just encouragement. The act of making them is my self-care and giving them is spreading kindness. It is a win-win situation!
Karlee Hren
I’ve worked on putting my phone on “do not disturb” and go read, listen to podcasts or draw/colour!
Jessica Walker
I have started working out every morning, drinking enough water, and making sure I take some well deserved down and me time (such as massages, nails, hair, reading etc).
Shelley Pitzel
Oh sure I take baths, and I took a personal finance course at the beginning of the pandemic, but what I did to keep from burning out and to ensure that I still love my job was make sure to make connections with a few of my colleagues every day.
We text and occasionally go for dinner after work. But mostly what we do is talk — about life, work, fears and frustrations; about whether or not we feel safe at work; about more efficient ways to mark or how to group kids in that one class. We have started meeting at the end of the day to talk about three things that were good about our day so we can go home on a positive note. In a world that is ever more isolating, in a profession that has always been a bit isolating, it is important to make connections.
The other big thing I learned to do: stop working all the time. We don’t, our little cohort of teachers, work evenings and weekends all the time. We have really been exploring the question, “how can we be excellent teachers and still have healthy boundaries?”
It is as important to know when and how to disconnect as it is to know when and how to connect.
