3 Tips to Help Educators Combat COVID Fatigue
This COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a marathon, not a sprint. The energy and resolve you had last March to make it through the spring and finish the school year strong, has faded and trickled and is rapidly dwindling away. As educators and people who choose to work with kids, you do so because you love connecting and watching your students evolve. It is exhausting and painful to be amidst a school year where there are so many children and families struggling with mental health issues, learning gaps growing and a large number of students disengaged and unmotivated. What will the long term impact be on these students? You are doing your best, but it never seems to be enough to get you the results you strive for.
You worry. You may feel as though you are on the verge of burnout (if you are not already there). You wonder if schools will have to close again. All of this is taking a huge emotional toll on educators, and I am deeply concerned about the testimonies and personal stories I am hearing from teachers and school administrators around the country.
There are three impactful things that you can do starting today, to promote wellness and preserve your mental health.
Do a Self-Care Check-In
Take a few minutes to check-in and see how you are taking care of yourself. Remember that there are many areas of yourself that require care and attention.
How is your nutrition?
Are you getting enough quality sleep each night?
Are you moving your body each day?
Do you have hobbies you enjoy, and how often do you engage in them?
Are any friends or family you haven’t connected with in a while, and make a call or send a quick text to say hi.
2. Be Still and Be Quiet
Your job as a teacher is fast-paced and multi-faceted. There is always something that needs to be done and someone who needs your attention. Carve out 30, 20 or 10 minutes (whatever you can manage) each day to sit and be quiet. Quiet your body by relaxing your muscles (start with your head and move all the way down to your toes) and quiet your mind by focusing on your breath…in and out, in and out. It may help you to count your breaths, or put your hand on your chest and feel your lungs expand and deflate. Your body and mind need a rest, and you will be more sharp, efficient, patient and energized after taking a short break such as this.
3. Practice Gratitude
This is simple. The thoughts you think influence the way you feel. If you are thinking about the fun you will have this weekend, you will feel happy; if you are thinking about everything you have to get done before lunch, you will feel stressed and maybe even overwhelmed. The goal is to train yourself to notice the pleasurable things that you encounter each day, then spend a few moments thinking about them and being grateful for them…for the way they make you feel….for the way they enrich your life. The more you practice doing this, the more naturally it will just come to you.
These three steps are not going to solve all of your problems or bring you back to a pre-COVID world, but they will add positive aspects to your day, help you to feel better, and begin to build your resilience so that you have more internal resources to cope with everything being thrown your way.
Stay safe and healthy, and thank you for all you do!!
