Music teachers everywhere are telling me the past three years have brought them more stress, negative impacts on their health and their happiness has been severely impacted by the cumulative effects of the pandemic. I understand where they’re coming from and know how desperate it feels when so many things feel out of control.
I also understand why so many music teachers are looking for ways to do this work in a more sustainable way.
Everyone is asking what my secret is.Do YOU want to know?
If you are struggling with your personal health and wellbeing, I understand.
If your happiness in your career has plummeted, I get it.
If you want to be a healthy and happy music educator but aren’t sure how to go about that after everything you and your program have been through the past few years, you are not alone.
I help music teachers do this important work in a healthy and sustainable way.
Are you ready to thrive?
GOOD NEWS: I’ve got a new cohort starting in March designed to help music teachers do just this!
Set up a call with me to see if this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to find a healthier balance between your personal and professional lives.
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
Now that bookstores are opening, I’m thrilled to have my book available in print nationwide!
THANK YOU to all of you who have already read the book, sent me notes about the changes you’ve made in your own life as the result of what you’ve learned, and helped make this a #1 International Bestseller in multiple categories!! 😍💪
Teachers have always dealt with stress, that is nothing new.
Over the past several months, I have spoken to hundreds of educators.
The anxiety they are experiencing with not knowing what to expect in the coming months and year are showing up as insomnia, worry, fear, and depression as we see all of the obstacles we are facing magnified as the level of stressors we are experiencing seems to be skyrocketing.
There are a lot of things we cannot control.
But what if you could take a little more control of a few things and therefore at least reduce your stress and all the negative impacts it has on your health? Wouldn’t NOW be the time to start so you have the stamina you need for whatever the upcoming year brings?
Good news, just in time for a new school year (whether that’s in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid situation), my book and is available in print!
My signature mPower Method helps you identify and then make changes in the areas of your life that are no longer serving you so you can be the best possible version of yourself. Thousands of people have used this book to jumpstart their personal wellness journey. Are you next?
Join me in celebrating the bookstore launch THIS FRIDAY. There will be lots of great giveaways from the publisher, so register today to get the scoop on all the good stuff.
Every music teacher I know believes we have the responsibility of teaching kids the life skills they need to function in the world, like collaboration, goal setting, grit, artistry, and a million other skills. We just happen to do it through the magic of music education.
How do we nurture our students and continue this important work through the shut down of schools and everything else we all have come to depend on?
Are you prepared for the significant changes that will inevitably take place when your students return to your classroom?
When we return to our classrooms, this world will be a different place and our students will be looking to us to help them navigate it because they will be different, too. The fears, anxieties, and other emotions they experience during this epidemic will change them, and we must be ready to meet them wherever they are and help them heal.
We will need to do a lot more than just deliver content. Our students will be looking to us for leadership and as an example for how they should react to our new normal.
There are so many things to consider during this time – but it can be overwhelming to know where to begin when you start trying to figure it out.
Don’t do it alone.
Music teachers are the ultimate collaborators. Let’s use our collective power to up-level this world by leading the healing. Now more than ever, the world needs what we offer.
We must be ready!
Join me for Music Mondays with Moffat as we “band” together to help our kiddos navigate this new territory with as much grace and love as possible.
If you are struggling with your personal health and wellbeing, I understand.
If your happiness in your career has plummeted, I get it.
If you want to be a healthy and happy music educator but aren’t sure how to go about that after everything you and your program have been through the past few years, you are not alone.
I help music teachers do this important work in a healthy and sustainable way.
