Taking Care of Ourselves

In Self-care: 100 Free or Low-cost Ideas from Mason-Dixon Knitting, Kay Gardiner shares “a list of ways to practice self-care that are either free or low-cost, and often don’t take much time.” Check out these great ideas!

I think as teachers, we are so busy caring for others that we forget to take care of ourselves. We want our students to succeed, we want our own children to do well, and we want our spouses to be happy. We are so busy making sure that everyone else is happy that we get lost in the shuffle somehow. We know we need to take care of ourselves but we always put ourselves at the bottom of the priority list.

When you get on an airplane and they go through the safety drill, they tell parents to make sure they put the oxygen masks on themselves first and then their child. This is important because if you pass out, you can’t help your child. The same should apply to teachers.

Teachers need to take care of themselves or they won’t be in prime form to teach the students.

I think we are brought up by thinking that if we take care of ourselves, we are selfish. But as intelligent individuals, we need to remember that applies in certain circumstances but does not apply to our personal well-being. In fact, for survival, we need to take care of ourselves!

Teachers don’t drink enough water because we might have to use the bathroom more often than we have time to go. There are so many new teachers who end up with urinary tract infections and kidney infections from this. Then they are in so much pain and misery, how can they teach effectively?

I’ve seen teachers come to school with fevers and sickness because the schools make them feel like it is an imposition to get a substitute teacher. This is why you have sick days! First of all, everyone else does not really want to catch whatever grossness that is making you sick! Plus, how effective can you be if you are sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and blowing your nose every two seconds?

Too many teachers don’t get enough exercise. Exercise builds up your immune system to fight whatever germs are floating around the school. Plus, it relieves stress. Exercise should be built into your daily routine and should be high on your priority list!

Eating healthy. I have seen too many teachers skip lunch to catch up on grading work or having meetings. Not eating also allows those pesky germs to attack you with a vengeance. Plus, everyone needs to take a mental break from work and eating lunch will help you do that. This break actually helps you get more accomplished in the long run than if you skip it.

People need to realize that their job will be there long after they are gone. If you get sick or disabled, the world will continue without you. Your quality of life is something that you can control with healthy personal habits.

What ideas would you add to the list for teachers? Please share.