Wellness
The idea of passion projects is not new. However, the idea of the passion project being the medicine we need during tough or uncertain times is an idea that becomes relevant and clearer as we move forward year after year. I was having a conversation with teacher friend, and we talked about the importance of having ideas that “set our brains on fire.” In other terms, having hobbies, goals, and dreams that we think about with as much interest, happiness, and concentration as possible. These are the ideas that get you up at 4 in the morning…in a good way. As teachers, the idea of learning and discovering new things is one of the reasons why we teach. We like to see the lightbulb moments in our students. The ah-has. The moments of change that we find meaningful. But, we often forget that learning is something that drives the inner motor of the teacher, too.
This post outlines 10 ways we can find our own light.
It is time we find what feeds us especially right now with all of the school closures.
And even more so, after the closures. Because something that anchors me through all of this is the idea that we will come out of this somehow changed for the better. Passion projects are activities that we find meaningful because they feed into two parts that are essential to our teaching: Mindfulness and productivity. Mindfulness in a way that feeds our sense of calm, sense of purpose, and who we are and want to be. Productivity in which teachers need something that pushes them to not just be busy, but busy with intention. We are natural multi-taskers. We are magicians with time because we make the impossible happen each and every day in our classrooms.
And now it seems like the magic may be gone for a while.
Anxiety and stress have always gone hand and hand. On the blog, I have written about the natural anxiety and worry that comes with being a classroom teacher for years. Many of my posts mention waking up in the middle of the night thinking about lesson plans, feeling like I can’t get ahead of my to-do list, or wondering how to fit it all in to achieve the ever-elusive “work-life balance.” Then, I became a mama, and a newer level of worry took over. Anxiety is a natural part of life. Tapping into the fight or flight response, anxiety is one of the most natural things that someone can feel. However, when unchecked, it can also make life more difficult. Some people seem to worry more and some less. Some people cope better with stress and worry than others. No matter where you are on the spectrum of anxiety, a notebook or journal can be a useful tool to calm a busy mind. This post includes a video overview of 5 different strategies for responding to anxiety including grounding, timed release, squared release, making a creative music playlist, and growing your own thought garden. You can also go a bit slower and look at the description of the exercises in detail.
I am republishing this post when I normally would have set my school alarm. I am raising my not-cold yet coffee to all of the teachers on winter break. We made it, but more importantly, we must take care of ourselves in order to care for others. Winter Break is the time of year when teachers get to rest and rejuvenate. These two weeks are more than trying out new self-care strategies, focusing on wellness or adjusting our overall mindset. I am trying to move past the buzzwords and embed some of these practices into my life so they become not just the norm or routine, they are my automatic responses to dealing with the stress and chaos of teaching. These two weeks are vital in how we will work with our students for the remainder of the year. We must pour into our own selves just as much as we help others. Our health is their health.
How will you spend your winter break? Here are 115+ different ideas on how you could incorporate some self-care into your winter break broken down by mental tips, physical tips, practical tips, social tips, writing teacher-specific tips, and general teaching self-care tips. I have also added in some mama self-care at the end of the post!
As a teacher, it is easy to find yourself in a state of being pretty negative at school. Not necessarily with the students, but with other teachers and staff in the building. The cycle of negative talk-particularly negative teacher self-talk- is one that can consume school buildings in various spots, in entire hallways or sections, and in entire buildings. It manifests into people not wanting to come to work. Think about it like the culture and climate of your brain. The thoughts that we are thinking when we wake up, the ideas that cross our minds throughout the day while we are making millions of decisions, and the contemplations that we feel driving home are all indicators of who we are as people and where we are at in terms of self-care and belief about our work. Simply, we are our thoughts. This post is all about the connection our thoughts have to our actions and bodies. If we can talk about negative teacher self-talk in a way that helps combat fatigue and negativity in the workplace, we have a shot at changing our point of view. First, recognize the signs of negative teacher self-talk in yourself and in others:
Significantly reduced patience with classroom management (Quick to snap)
Increased levels of stress and anxiety
Trouble sleeping or waking up with a 3 am a to-do list
Taking work home to your significant other or family in a counter-productive way or bottling up completely about the issues at work to appear like you are fine
Lack of creativity or energy in lesson planning or delivery
Not wanting to get up to go to work for repeated days in a row
As soon as the mornings start getting a little bit cooler, I start trying out different recipes with the crockpot. I love a good chile or beef and noodles on a fall day. Especially, when I need an easy meal during the week or on the weekend while sports are going on in the background. I know so many of us are happy to see football return and cheer no the NBA playoffs this fall. Crockpots are just easy. You dump everything in and the magic happens. This post is a recipe review about easy-to-make crockpot beef and noodles. I keep this one simple without a ton of seasonings. With it ready in 4-6 hours, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy a warm pumpkin spice latte while you look at the leaves before a hearty meal.
I am always on a mission to find more comfort and joy in life. Naturally, I became more curious about how I could infuse my classroom and the act of teaching with more comfort and cozy as well. I stumbled upon the word “hygge” on Pinterest after posting a few photos of rainy days, coffee cups, and twinkle lights as backgrounds. I love all things cozy, but the idea of taking this idea of coziness and comfort into the classroom didn’t hit until I started to read more and post more about hygge. I really don’t envision my classroom at school being filled with candles and everyone sipping peppermint tea like we are at a cafe, but I do see how some of the mantras from the practice of hygge can transfer over into the classroom and create an atmosphere of happiness. I think it is also important to consider the importance of comfort and cozy in the role of online learning. While I know many of us can’t makeover entire corners of our homes and online learning classrooms, some of the ideas in this post can apply to make ourselves feel a little more at ease while teaching from home. Hygge is about comfort. I am hoping that some of the ideas with hygge in this post lead to more happiness in my classroom and home, and therefore, lead to better wellness for me and my students.
According to The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living (The Happiness Institute Series) by Meik Wiking, “The word hygge originates from a Norwegian word meaning “well-being.” For almost five hundred years, Denmark and Norway were one kingdom, until Denmark lost Norway in 1814. Hygge appeared in written Danish for the first time in the early 1800s, and the link between hygge and well-being or happiness may be no coincidence” (ix). Let’s start with how you pronounce hygge. To sound it out, you would say “hue-guh.” Like the hues of the sun and guh rhyming with duh. Hygge is “about an atmosphere and experience, rather than about things” (vi). In short, hygge creates an atmosphere of calm and comfort in everyday things and experiences we all identify with naturally, and then these feelings create a sense of happiness.
This is the perfect recipe for transitioning to fall. Sweet corn is still in season here in Michigan for another few weeks, so you can pile four basic ingredients on to a sheet pan and cook them pretty easily for a hearty meal. The secret ingredient is paprika because it provides a smoky-salty taste to the sweet corn. You could also add some more veggies, but I found that I liked the simplicity of the different elements of this meal. The original recipe calls for okra which would also be perfect. Check out my adapted ingredients list, and then you can see step-by-step directions. The preparation for this took about 15 minutes, and then you will cook everything for another 20-25 minutes. Get the napkins ready!
This is an adapted sheet pan recipe that is easy to make on a weeknight. You can use frozen items or fresh items of produce. It really depends on what is in the freezer during that week and what we have on hand. I prefer turkey sausage for this recipe, but it is also delicious with andouille sausage. Feel free to sub in your favorite veggies to make your own spin on these easy bake sausage, veggies, and rice dish! Remember, you can pin the image below to view the side-by-side ingredients list and steps for directions. Scroll past the image to see each step with pictures. Happy weeknight dinner!
It doesn’t matter what kind of day I have had-I don’t ever dread making oven-baked fajitas. It could be after a day where everything might have gone wrong. It could be on a day when I am overly tired. It could also apply to a day when I don’t necessarily feel like cooking. This recipe is easy to follow and requires little cleanup. One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that there is one pan to cook the ingredients in and one cutting board to scrub when you are done. I am constantly on the lookout for easy one-pan ingredients that I can use for any night of the week. Feel free to pin the image below with the recipe and directions side-by-side (I can’t tell you the number of times I have taken pictures of the ingredients page and then scroll down to take another picture of the directions page on recipes for grocery shopping). This is an easy oven fajitas recipe that can also be substituted with strips of steak or shrimp if you adjust cooking time. Make tonight fajitas night.
I’m not someone who claims to be a fabulous chef by any means. For the first seven years of my relationship, it was my husband who did the majority of the cooking. I’ve had to work at cooking the same way I’ve had to work at learning how to be a teacher. Over the past ten years or so, I’ve made an effort to learn recipes I’ve found on Pinterest and keep track of the dishes I feel I’m starting to improve at with practice. Sometimes, the things that matter most take time to learn.
I do remember one recipe I used to make when I was 15 years old. I would watch my mom bake this bread, then write down the recipe for my own use. I’ve kept that same recipe card all these years. Now, whenever I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, I’ll make banana bread—the Butler way.