Tag: balance

Wrapping up 2021. Breathe. Continued balance. Perspective. Repeat daily.

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2020 was a lot. 2021 has proven to be even more. Our profession has really taken a hit locally, throughout the state and nation. Teachers, central office personnel and fellow school administrators are leaving the profession. Maintaining high morale has been a challenge while navigating my own. A few things have kept me balanced throughout navigating my career through the nearly past two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Making family/loved ones, friends, health/wellness, and hobbies a focus while having clear work/home balance each and every day have helped significantly.

NPR ran the article below today that really hit me.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/23/1067077413/teachers-pandemic-school-classroom-return-to-in-person-learning

Times are tough in our society and especially education. Maintaining a growth mindset, focusing on our circle of control and silver linings are vital.

Make time daily for wellness. Ideally well over an hour but less if needed. Uninterrupted. Phone in another room. Focused. Peloton is my universe of choice but choose what works best for you and stick with it. Make it part of your day. Completely free of distractions – that is key. You’ll be amazed at how great you feel physically and mentally. Ample sleep nightly and well balanced meals help significantly, too.

Make time for family. If they’re far away — call, Zoom, Facetime. If near make time once a week to see them even for an hour or so. Device and distraction free.

Make time for friends. Make time at least once a week to catch up with friends in some capacity. Also uninterrupted time is paramount here.

Make time for a hobby or two. You can do it solo or with family, friends, loved one(s) just make the time to find the joy. For me it is fitness, going on walks on the greenways or trails, listening to some vinyl, reading, or even the occasional Netflix binge. Find what works for you and stick with it.

Work is vital but it is not our everything it shouldn’t consume our daily lives 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Far from it. Balance.

Focusing on negatives accomplishes nothing and is in fact counterproductive. Focus on the positive aspects of work and life. Yes 2021 has been tough but shown below are just a sampling of some of the positive vibes that 2021 has provided professionally to put things in perspective.

We’ve got this. Happy Holidays and a very happy 2022 to all!

Balance and the importance of self-care in our daily lives

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Two phrases we hear often in not only education but in the work space as a whole as well as throughout society are balance and self-care. Its so easy to go into rabbit holes of work, work, work, and nothing else if we let it consume us. We always have to be sure we make a valiant attempt to strike the right balance between work productivity, life, self-care and making sure are personal connection needs are met,

One of the things that struck me often, especially before the Covid-19 pandemic completely upended our collective worlds in early 2020, was how “great” I was at maintaining a “work-life balance.” Every day I would cut off from from the outside world almost entirely while at work. As soon as I left for the day a switch seemingly occurred, I was done. Able to focus almost exclusively on friends, family and myself for the rest of the day, weekend, etc. I’m very accessible at work — all stakeholders have my direct number — but it was wide known not to contact me unless an emergency after work hours. I had this down.

As the pandemic rolled along and our lives changed to a work from home model and gradually in person then fully in person throughout the 2020-21 school year, I started to read more about moving away from this “work life balance” model and instead thinking of balance as an ongoing circle. This has been something I’m striving to do, and self-care is woven in.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jeff-bezos-says-life-balance-111400459.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACNhWW3DINb6H-7KU7TbYORLN02N4wY8HtGAYCvMssztXxY-7Sa3KgpV80RRgYkpMS5fbTmxYVg1Z4YWzwMFyfqQegmTJpgwfjInFmWZxK2E1CQtSu07WkN77j46wGYKwTUsnlzNUfVh95TWNezU9uaDHbNRQvpBMRsMf8fJ9Qll

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210302-why-work-life-balance-is-not-an-achievement

https://www.fastcompany.com/90641070/work-and-life-arent-opposites-and-balance-is-biased-heres-why

This TED Talk really spoke to me. It was filmed just as vaccines started to rollout in early 2021 and we were about a year into the pandemic. Our lives had totally shifted. How do we focus on building capacity in others? Instead of taking on so many tasks ourselves embrace those around us. Share. Lead by example. Shift. All the adjustments that have been made as school leaders from the beginning of the pandemic, ongoing and throughout — wow. Mind blowing in retrospect. What did we learn? How did we adjust? How are we better? How will we maintain balance going forward?

For me personally, I dedicate time and space 6 days a week for self-care in the form of fitness. 30-90 minutes daily. If I have plans in the evening I’ll get up earlier in the morning and knock it out. Must be a priority. For both my physical fitness and overall well being but also time to completely disconnect from the outside world. Excuses go out the window. Just do it.

I also devote time and space several days a week for friends and family. Uninterrupted and again, disconnected. The personal connection time, no matter how busy we get, it vital. Also is completely focused and connected on the person (or people) not our devices.

Time and space for hobbies for me its been walks 2-3 times a week alone or with a friend enjoying the community, nature, the area and fresh air. Refreshing. Also, listening to music, specifically my love for vinyl a few times a week. Losing self in music can be so beneficial. Blogging, writing and taking time to read a book for pleasure can also give great joy. Find hobbies that bring you joy, relaxation and a brief pause from the day to day grind.

All of these forms of self care are also intertwined in our balance and something that is so beneficial for our overall well being.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/naomi-osaka-allyson-felix-talk-210616238.html

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/self-care-4-ways-nourish-body-soul-2017111612736

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201812/self-care-12-ways-take-better-care-yourself

We always have ways to stop, pause and reflect. This was an area I struggled with for so long. Now I focus on daily — a priority. All around. Balance. Self-care. Mid-2021 and beyond. How are you doing? Real talk. You are 1 of 1. Limited edition.