The Power of Taking Time for You
Each day, I’m in and out of countless classrooms. Teachers arrive early, they stay late. Their own children often spend hours in their classrooms after the school day as their mom or dad re-organize the classroom and prep for the next day. I’m all for dedication in education. We absolutely need dedicated educators. Having stood in the shoes of a classroom teacher for 15 years, I know how staying a ‘little’ extra or showing up early can bring such relief and feelings of accomplishment. In fact, it brought me peace to have a solid chunk of time in my classroom prior to learners arriving.
I’ve also been in a place where I’ve felt like I have nothing left to give my own family. There were some days when it felt challenging to feel as energetic as I did all day in the classroom. It took me 14 years to realize that sometimes, you just need to step back to give yourself time to care for yourself. Doing so is beneficial, you come back feeling more refreshed and balanced.
Somewhere around my 14th year in the classroom, I started to be more intentional about which days I arrived early and which I’d stay late. I reprioritized what needed to be done and became creative with my schedule. I began scheduling time for myself each week and that moved into each day as I became driven to be as healthy as possible by joining the gym and dedicating an hour each day to taking care of myself. There are some days I opt to do something different, but blocking out time for myself has been instrumental.
Meal planning during the weekends also transformed my time. Planning and prepping each Sunday took the pressure off of thinking about what I was going to make. I also carved out time for my husband and I to get out every other week and also time to spend as a whole family engaging in activities from time-to-time. It’s not always perfect, but prioritizing and being intentional with my schedule made a huge difference. Rather than going day-by-day, I began looking at months, weeks, and then the days. It helped me to ensure that each month was relatively balanced.
Benefits From Taking Time for Me and Being Mindful of My Time:
- A sense of calm
- Greater joy
- Stronger relationships
- Meaningful memories
- Creating experiences
- Fostering deeper relationships
- Improved health
- New strengths and interests
- A greater sense of creativity
- Increase in productivity
- Improved sleep
- Greater sense of accomplishments
The demands of education aren’t going to lessen and of course, we want to stay on top of all that needs to be done. In the meantime, we can’t lose sight of who we are as individuals outside of education. We need to prioritize our health and our families as well. Recently, I commented on a Facebook post of a fellow educator who had shared a picture of his homemade english muffins. His response was that he had a real interest and desire to learn about baking–– not just academic stuff.
In reflection, I think that sometimes we think that if we aren’t focused on education 100% of the time that we aren’t as dedicated as others. Well, I believe that we maintain that dedication by nurturing ourselves, people and activities that are important to us, and continuing to foster our own interests, too. I want to honor my whole self. Yes, I’m an educator, author and speaker. However, I’m also an athlete, wife, mom, friend, explorer, learner, and nature lover. I enjoy travel and serendipitous moments in life. And, I absolutely love animals, particularly dogs. At the end of my life, I want to know I lived fully; embracing my mind, body, and spirit.
Taking care of ourselves or engaging in a variety of activities isn’t selfish, it’s healthy. I would love to hear from you on what you do to nurture yourself and what you enjoy doing outside of education.
