Self Care refers to the multitude of practices in which you can engage to support your own well-being and reduce your stress. Taking care of ourselves, in a variety of ways, helps us be the best version of ourselves in both personal and professional interactions. As the old oxygen mask metaphor goes, you cannot adequately care for others (and as teachers, you're doing a lot of this!) without first caring for yourself.
Self Care can include so many types of strategies for improving or maintaining physical and mental health, managing stressors, strengthening relationships, and nourishing ourselves. For one person, practicing good Self Care might look like maintaining an exercise routine, attending religious services, and going to happy hour. For another, it might mean reading a book, practicing meditation, taking a walk, or calling a sibling or family member. There are all sorts of things each of us do to take care of ourselves, and no one person's plan for this is the same as any other's.
The Self in Self Care is also critically important. These are things we do for ourselves. While others may occasionally provide opportunities for Self Care -- perhaps your school hosts a holiday potluck or a friend invites you to take a walk -- our Self Care needs to be initiated, acted upon and driven by ourselves. This can be what's awesome about it -- look at all the great things we get to do for ourselves! -- as well as what's so difficult -- no one else is going to make it happen for us.
The key to successful Self Care, especially as a new teacher, is to get flexible with it and with our expectations for ourselves. We may not be able to do everything we want to do at all times, but we can do something.
Remember: Self Care can be as big and bold as a vacation, a hike, a special date-night out, or a shopping trip. But it can also be as small and as quiet as having a cup of tea upon arriving home, journaling, cuddling, hydrating, or reading. Creating a balanced plan for yourself, that includes activities both big and small, special treats, as well as daily routines, is key. There are so many different ways to practice Self Care.
How does self-care begin with self-awareness? And how does self-care help my students? Watch this 2 minute Relay video to find out!
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When looking for books, try narrowing down your results by searching more than one keyword - for example, if you're trying to find research about using math puzzles to boost student engagement in the classroom, searching "(math puzzles) AND (engagement)" will give you more specific results than just searching "math puzzles".
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Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by
A practical framework to avoid burnout and keep great teachers teaching Onward tackles the problem of educator stress, and provides a practical framework for taking the burnout out of teaching. Stress is part of the job, but when 70 percent of teachers quit within their first five years because the stress is making them physically and mentally ill, things have gone too far. Unsurprisingly, these effects are highest in difficult-to-fill positions such as math, science, and foreign languages, and in urban areas and secondary classrooms--places where we need our teachers to be especially motivated and engaged. This book offers a path to resiliency to help teachers weather the storms and bounce back--and work toward banishing the rain for good. This actionable framework gives you concrete steps toward rediscovering yourself, your energy, and your passion for teaching. You'll learn how a simple shift in mindset can affect your outlook, and how taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally is one of the most important things you can do. The companion workbook helps you put the framework into action, streamlining your way toward renewal and strength. Cultivate resilience with a four-part framework based on 12 key habits Uncover your true self, understand emotions, and use your energy where it counts Adopt a mindful, story-telling approach to communication and community building Keep learning, playing, and creating to create an environment of collective celebration By cultivating resilience in schools, we help ensure that we are working in, teaching in, and leading organizations where every child thrives, and where the potential of every child is recognized and nurtured. Onward provides a step-by-step plan for reigniting that spark.
The Onward Workbook by
An empowering journey that keeps great teachers in the classroom The Onward Workbook is a collection of tools and strategies that help teachers banish the burnout and cultivate true resilience. Keyed to the framework presented in Onward, this companion piece augments the text with practical exercises, coaching, and step-by-step walkthroughs of beneficial practices. Deep introspection allows you to verbalize your feelings, name your challenges, and identify the tools you have and the tools you need--from there, you'll explore each of the 12 Key Habits and learn how to put them into practice every day. In cultivating resilience within yourself and your teaching practice, you improve your health, your outlook, and your relationships while building an environment in which every child succeeds. This workbook takes you on a journey of specific self-discovery that changes your perspective, renews your confidence, and empowers you to make the much-needed changes that allow you to continue inspiring young minds. Dig deeper within to discover what you're truly made of Decode complex emotions, body language, and nonverbal communications Challenge your beliefs, build community, and navigate difficult interactions Learn more, feel more, play more, and practice effective self-care Resiliency is an underrated skill--one that can make all the difference in our schools. Challenges will always arise, but it is your response that dictates the outcome. Can you think of a more important lesson for your students? When some 70 percent of teachers quit within their first five years, it is clear that changes must be made. The Onward Workbook equips you to make the changes that you can, and flourish into the future. While this book can be used by individuals, it is also designed so that groups, teams, departments, or an entire staff can take up the learning together. There are specific suggestions in the workbook for using this with a group, and educators will reap even more reward from discussing the practices and experiences with colleagues.
Unstressed by
In the midst of daily stress and turmoil, this book exposes the power of our emotions to heal us--and offers new hope for reclaiming contentment, connection, and a greater sense of well-being. Do you feel stressed out during the day and lie awake at night worrying? You're not alone. In today's hectic, fast-paced world, stress and anxiety have become a default way of being--as natural to us as breathing air. And because stress is an inevitable part of life, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to learn how to manage and heal it. This book offers proven ways to help you counter the negative effects that stress has on the body and mind. You'll also discover practical skills and clinically proven strategies grounded in mindfulness, neurobiology, and positive psychology to help you cultivate deep sense of emotional resilience. Using the author's innovative HEART tools (Heartful Engagement And Re-focusing Training), you'll learn to manage stress by harnessing the power of positive emotions--such as gratitude, compassion, empathy, and hope--leading to a feeling of expansiveness and possibility, and a lived sense of calm, happiness, and vitality.