The majority of us did not see the COVID-19 pandemic coming. Up until this point, our lives were dominated by both professional and personal routines. Sure, there might have been a few detours or hiccups that would throw us off course for a little while, but for the most part, we would all get back on track. For me, my day would always start and end the same. Whether on the road or at home, I would get up by 5:00 AM, work out at the gym, down a protein shake, work, and then go to bed by 10:00 PM. Well, just like everyone else, my whole schedule has been thrown off, and every day looks different. Like many of you, it has been difficult for me to adjust.
I loved my routine, and it was vital to my self-care. To get to the heart of the issue, here are some thoughts from Noma Nazish.
As districts and schools have moved to remote learning, more stress and pressure have been put on families. There is no fault or blame here towards educators. They are doing their best to keep learning going under challenging conditions that were never foreseen. Parents and guardians, though, are trying to juggle so many conflicting priorities stemming from their own work at home responsibilities and that of their kids. Remote learning has totally upended life at home for many of us. Combine all of this with the emotional and physical impacts of social distancing, and the result tends to be a lack of focus on or attention to self-care.
Here are some ideas I have. By no means is this an all-encompassing list.
The aspects of social and emotional learning (SEL) apply just as much to all of us during a time of crisis. Take care of yourselves, people. Empower others to pay attention to themselves and, when appropriate, guide them to embracing various avenues of self-care. Finally, educate families and kids as to how they can also make the time to care for themselves.
Be sure to check of the rest of my #remotelearning series.
I loved my routine, and it was vital to my self-care. To get to the heart of the issue, here are some thoughts from Noma Nazish.
Self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself as it produces positive feelings and boosts your confidence and self-esteem. Also, self-care is necessary to remind yourself and others that you and your needs are important too.Still curious as to why it is so important? Take a minute to reflect on this piece that I pulled from a health care website:
Why is it important? Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others. You cannot give to others what you don't have yourself. While some may misconstrue self-care as selfish, it's far from that. When you pay adequate attention to your well-being, you're not considering your needs alone. You're reinvigorating yourself so that you can be the best version of yourself for the people around you. Everyone around you also benefits from the renewed energy and joy you exhibit.
As districts and schools have moved to remote learning, more stress and pressure have been put on families. There is no fault or blame here towards educators. They are doing their best to keep learning going under challenging conditions that were never foreseen. Parents and guardians, though, are trying to juggle so many conflicting priorities stemming from their own work at home responsibilities and that of their kids. Remote learning has totally upended life at home for many of us. Combine all of this with the emotional and physical impacts of social distancing, and the result tends to be a lack of focus on or attention to self-care.
Here are some ideas I have. By no means is this an all-encompassing list.
- Embrace new routines
- Expand your boundaries
- Learn a new skill or take up a hobby
- Be intentional about physical activity
- Open up to your spouse, kids, or friends about what you need
- Engage with family and friends using technology (Facetime, Voxer, Zoom, Google Hangouts)
- Take a break from technology
- Read
- Meditate
- Begin a journal
- Embrace nature
- Commit to a healthier diet
- Watch a movie or start a new TV show
- Listen to music
- Take a nap or sleep in
The aspects of social and emotional learning (SEL) apply just as much to all of us during a time of crisis. Take care of yourselves, people. Empower others to pay attention to themselves and, when appropriate, guide them to embracing various avenues of self-care. Finally, educate families and kids as to how they can also make the time to care for themselves.
Great thoughts...…. but it does involve a little personal re-training. Not that we've cornered the market on serving others but by nature we are care-takers and servant leaders; heavily involved in the well-being of others first. But as you referenced; if we have nothing to give, then what benefit can we be to others? Thanks for taking the time.
ReplyDeleteOur so busy lives are now come to a halt! We have to re-train to take care of ourselves and are families. Great reflection!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely when we are healthy our children are healthy its all of us who in need of making sure we eating healthy sleeping as much as you need and following protocols and procedures
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