The Last Month is Merry and Bright

I have been writing a lot about burnout here on the blog and in my journal. If I look back at my morning pages, it is something that has slowly been building up since we went back-to-school in September. Because I have always felt that December is a month for reflection, I wanted to highlight that purpose in my December pages this month. If I compare my October reflection page to my November reflection page, I have already made some changes in terms of physical wellness and professional wellness. I have engaged in the idea of trying to balance the six different areas of self-care: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and sensory. While I always feel like self-care is a concept that isn’t obtained, kind of like “work-life balance,” it is a word that is a strong reminder to put yourself first before the work.

Rachel Hollis in Girl, Stop Apologizing said, “When everything is important, nothing is important” (97). These words are so powerful, especially in December. I am getting better at understanding that everything can’t be important. We only have three weeks until winter break (not four this year!), and I want to make sure that in the rush I am celebrating small wins on a daily basis and setting the intention to practice regular self-care not for the sake of sounding good, but the ability to keep teaching month after month. December is about small wins…and all things merry and bright.

November Reflection

I always start each month of planning with a reflection page. This one works for me. It is tedious writing down positives and gratitude, but I am always in a better mood after I do my monthly reflection. It is so easy to feel like I am moving in the mud. Is the blog where I want it to be? Not yet. Have I completed 30 days of yoga without giving up? Not quite. Why haven’t I submitted that writing proposal? I’m working on it. However, I do like to highlight the small steps I am taking each month in working toward my goals personally and professionally.

My Inspiration This Month

I am a reader and writer, so it seems like a natural pair to get my inspiration each month from books. This month comes from a few different books for a few different reasons. December is when we start reflecting and looking for how we want 2020 to be in our own lives. I start dreaming. I have four books that really speak to “what I am looking for” in December. Perhaps, you are looking for these things, too. I found myself pulled by these four books that I continue to re-read over and over again. The specific inspirational words are 1.) direction, 2.) justice 3.) magic and 4.) dreams.

December Pages

Merry writing. Bright mindset. I love this month’s layouts and focus on self-care. Plus, the little snowman is pretty great.

I kept my monthly layout the same from last month. it worked to have my simple goals, both personal and professional at the bottom, and then I was able to fill in the rest of the month with commitments. I did not put my yoga on here or school appointments. I will continue to keep these for my weekly layouts.

First Weekly Spread

Once I find a weekly spread I like, I tend to use it over and over again. I really like the simplicity of the “check-off” system when it comes to reading, writing, and physical wellness. I also am going to try to write my bedtime and waketime on my weekly spreads because I was struggling with keeping up with the tracking style on my other layouts. I also am a person who wakes up a lot and readjusts, so It was hard to mark when I was getting continuous sleep.

Self-Care Layouts

I don’t know who needs this for the upcoming weeks, but something I am going to try to do is track my small wins when it comes to teaching. I am hoping this will be a good mindset check as I focus on the 15 teaching days in December. These days will include my evaluation observation, a round of state testing, and maintaining positivity as we head off to winter break.

I focus on six self-care areas when it comes to wellness. Here are my specific actions that go under each area-ornament style layout.

I talk about morning pages a lot here on the blog. I journal (or try to) each morning before work or right after work. I have got into the habit of focusing on the things I need to let go and also celebrating wins. Because I have been doing more and more yoga this month, I loved the idea of inhale and exhale in order to develop a theme for morning pages. Note: the exhale page was inspired by a brain dump page from ourmindfullife.com. Some days I need to inhale and some days I need to exhale, most days I need to find a balance of both. This template is a good reminder to keep seeking balance.

I wanted to insert a fun page in here that celebrated what is great about December and winter in general. When the weather turns cold, so does my mood. I have lots of things that make me happy in winter, though! I am also excited about this book: Stories for Kids Who Dare to Be Different: True Tales of Amazing People Who Stood Up and Stood Out by Ben Brooks. Some of my sixth-graders are doing biographical reports this marking period, and I think this will be a perfect addition to our unit of study.

Writing Mindset Reflection: What goals do you have for December? What layouts are you including in your bullet journal? How are you going to make sure small wins matter this month?