I was in a staff development meeting the other day when the faciliator used the phrase “Emotional Labor.” As he described it (it’s essentially masking and conforming how we express our emotions to the norms of our environment – for example, being the one who has to stay calm and carry on in your roles in spite of the shit-show going on all around you) and shared the ramifications of too much of it (burnout, decreased job and life satisfaction, and health problems), I felt like I finally had a phrase to describe what I (and every other teacher) have experienced as educators for the past two and a half years.
Even though I have lots of tools for helping minimize and respond to stressors, I struggled this year. I found myself emotionally exhausted from all of the things that have happened and continue to happen. Supporting students through these challenges when we are in the midst of so much upheaval left me drained.
As teachers, we often set lofty goals for summer. Perhaps this summer you thought you could finally spend some time and energy on your own recovery and reset before school starts in the fall, but now that summer’s here you find yourself wondering where to even begin.
Maybe simply getting up and dressed is more than you can handle right now. You’re just DONE after this year. Those goals that you know are important feel too overwhelming now that the time to work on them is here.
I understand. I remember when I hit rock bottom and knew I needed to turn my own health around five years ago. Failure to address the toll the stress from my job was taking on my health was costing me dearly.
Once I decided that was what I needed to do, I had no idea where to begin. How was I supposed to turn my mental and physical health around when I didn’t even know where should I start?
I needed help figuring out how to protect my health. My journey to a healthier state of mind and body involved seeking help from a lot of sources and required spending time and resources on a ton of research, trial and error, and patience.
When I finally distilled the four key areas that had the most positive impact on my mental and physical health, I wrote a book to help other teachers assess their own health goals and share the steps they can take to reach them. I wanted it to serve as the GPS for teacher wellness because having a road-map makes this journey SO much easier than trying to figure it out for yourself.
This short interview with Oliver Seigel where I outline some steps you can take to support your own well-being may be just what you’ve been looking for to help you use this summer to take back your health and build habits that keep you healthy! It may resonate with you if you have come to the realization that investing in your own wellbeing is fundamental to everything else.
Attending to your own needs while teaching during a pandemic has been pretty doggone challenging. Don’t let summer pass you by without filling your own cup.
With you on this journey-
Lesley
Lesley Moffat found herself in an especially stressful situation with her job, and it took an immense toll on her physical health and mental well-being. But instead of quitting, Lesley turned things around and not only improved her own life, but also generated better outcomes in her work! Watch this interesting episode about a simple approach to solving a big, complicated problem! – Oliver Seigel, CEO Enolve
