Have you ever learned something the hard way? We’ve both been on the receiving end of some tough life lessons involving stress and burnout, and we want to make sure that our teacher colleagues don’t make the same mistakes we have in the past. We’ve been guilty of working non-stop, thinking that we need to do more and be more, and sacrificing sleep for a few extra hours to spend prepping, writing report cards, or completing university assignments. We’ve allowed our physical health (pass the wine and chocolate) and mental health (crying meltdowns, anxiety) to suffer in the quest to get everything done and get it done well.
Hard lessons we’ve learned:
If you don’t prioritize your health and wellness, no one else will.
Exhausted, stressed-out people make poor teachers, bad friends, and unsupportive spouses.
If you don’t pay attention to the signs of overwork and overwhelm, the signs will get bigger and bigger until they are impossible to ignore. And usually by this point, it’s going to take more than a yoga class and a good night’s sleep to turn things around.
What we do now:
We say NO to things.
We’ve learned that sometimes done is better than perfect.
We make time every day for wellness—we know that we’re better, more effective teachers and people when we take care of ourselves.
We move our bodies, meditate, and practice gratitude regularly.
Have we got it all figured out yet? Absolutely not. But we’re committed to learning, sharing, and supporting our colleagues as we figure it out together.
If you’re ready to commit to a wellness and professional learning journey with us, we invite you to join our online PLC for teachers: Cultivating Connection.
If you’d like to get started with your own wellness practice, try our free Teacher Wellness Toolkit.
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