"Self-Care is Not Selfish"

During pre-service, Mohamed Diop and I were chatting about wellness. He commented that he wanted to make a t-shirt with the slogan, "Self Care is Not Selfish". I thought that was an idea worth sharing. Your health and wellbeing are important not just to you, but to your students, colleagues and those who you live with and love. Taking care of yourself ultimately means taking care of others.

It's been over 7 weeks since the start of school. Younger classrooms have laid the groundwork for the rest of the year, and older classes are already assessing how students are performing. Your hard work as an educator is showing the first signs of progress.

Now is a good time for educators to check in on their wellbeing. Here are a few things to think about (and assess if necessary) to see if you need to make some adjustments so you can continue to feel invigorated and satisfied in the work you do here.

Build Resilience (in Yourself!)
At any given moment, our students are challenging us in different ways. These moments offer us opportunities to cultivate resilience (Read, "Why it is importance for Teachers to Cultivate Resilience"). Use this survey to do a quick assessment of your own resilience. If you want some ideas to build your own resilience, check out this article "12 Ways Teachers Can Build Resilience."

Know Your Strengths
You may be practicing positive psychology in your classroom already. This work focuses on using character strengths to develop a foundation for self-awareness and confidence. Take a survey to learn about your own strengths and what that means for your personal happiness and wellbeing.

Balance Your Work
Understand if your work-life balance is sustainable. Read this article to learn more about the importance of work-life balance. And here is a quick survey to answer "How strong is your work/life balance?"

After you have investigated one of these areas, share your results with a friend or colleague. If you think you need support in changing something, know that you are not alone. I would be happy to just listen, or help you find ways to plan a change.