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Self care isn’t only for the weekend

Self-care does not have to wait until the weekend. As teachers, we never know what the day will look like. Some days, our students will be engaged in every activity we do, our lesson plans will be prepared, and the schedule seems to go by seamlessly. However, there are days where the classroom is complete chaos. Some students begin to jump off the walls, everyone’s minds seem to be on other planets and our patience as teachers begin to wear thin. Regardless, no matter the kind of day you’re having, as teachers, we need to remember to take care of ourselves first. If we cannot find time in the day to love ourselves, how are we able to provide that same love back into what we do? 

I believe that as teachers, we need to find little moments in our daily routine to make time for ourselves and see the light in the middle of our storms. I like to structure my day as routinely as I can so that I can improve on the habits I am trying to create for myself and complete any short-term and long-term goals that I want to achieve. This is what a day in my life will typically look like throughout the week:

4:30am: Snooze through my alarm a couple times, drink a glass of water, and then get ready to go to the gym. 

5:00am: Make it to the gym and begin a light workout. I roll out to the tiny gym at my complex and complain a little on my way there but I feel more prepared for the day after I am done

7:30am: Make my way through traffic and arrive at work where I check in with my master teachers and clear any questions I have about the schedule for the day.

8:25am: I greet the students that are walking in and help the master teacher begin their lesson plan for the morning

2:35pm: School is out and once again, I check in with my master teachers to make sure everything is set for the next day.

3:00pm: Depending on the day of the week, I will usually make my way to the gym (this time a bigger gym in the city) where I workout for another couple hours because I find that exercising helps me let out all my stress and achieve any workout goals I have for myself. My current goal is to do one pull-up because my “knees are weak, arms are heavy….mom’s spaghetti” (Eminem). 

6:00pm: This is the time of day where I usually get home and I cook dinner, and sit down for about half an hour to an hour to binge-watch episodes on Netflix or Hulu. Currently, my favorite is 90 day fiancé because there is so much drama that I am just so addicted.

7:30pm: This is the time of day where I finish up any homework or work related assignments that I need to complete. I also update my planner and cross off anything I have done and re-write anything I still need to do for the next day.

9:30pm: In order to wake up early, I need to sleep early. I have been waking up/going to sleep consistently for a couple years now and I find that this schedule works best for me. Sometimes when I am overwhelmed with work, I will stay up a bit longer but I always try to plan my day out in my planner so that I have clear tasks I must complete before I fall asleep. By the end of the day, I am so tired anyway that I never have trouble falling asleep.

In conclusion, although my day seems crazy, there are moments in between it all where I make time for myself and remind myself about why I do what I do. Because no matter how hectic the day may seem, there will always be tiny moments of happiness help us mentally battle the day.

kvalencia

One Comment

  1. First of all, I am glad to know I am not the only one who goes to bed early and wake up early. A problem I find in my goal to make time for myself daily is that I usually spend a large amount of time in my week that I spend on someone else. I am married and have three dogs; all of those things require energy, love, and care. I only hope that I am getting the same in return because I too need those things. Unfortunately with being a teacher you catch yourself giving energy, love, and care 24/7 for others, and don’t make yourself a priority. Sometimes an individual needs solo time to recharge! Whether that is in a gym, in a coffee shop, in bed, or in a bath with wine!

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