Be Present through Self Care & Play (Part I of "Mix it Up", a training with Cara Haaga)

Are you feeling burnt out as we near the end of the school year? Are you experiencing a lack of inspiration with projects or having difficulty with relationships in the classroom (or at home)? Herein lie some great tips from RS Cara Haaga's training on how to keep the end of the school year fresh. Although this training was geared toward the classroom, these skills can be used easily to improve many aspects of the non-professional realm as well.

Self Care

As you probably have noticed at some point in your life (or perhaps you are experiencing this now), it's nearly impossible to carry the responsibility of others' emotional health if something is in need of adjustment in your own life. In order to be fully present in the moment and engaged while interacting with others, you must first make sure that you are taking care of yourself. This can mean different things to different people, but there are a few set measures that everyone can take to improve their mental (and physical) health:

• Spend time outside - Despite the fact that spending time outside is a fundamental part of being a human, it's really not something that's made easy to do in our modern culture. If you find it difficult to take walks outside or to set aside time for a park or natural area, increase your time just sitting in your backyard or in whatever outdoor space is available to you. You'll also find that even bringing some greenery to you and having house plants around can boost your mental peace.

• Spend time around people who make you happy - socializing with friends regularly is another thing that people tend to view as a treat rather than a necessity, but being around like-minded people is crucial for remembering just what it is that we like about ourselves. It also helps to keep our outlooks fresh and optimistic when we have access to new and different perspectives. For teachers, this can also mean remembering to keep a balance between time spent with adults and children.

• Get adequate exercise – No matter how happy you are, exercise will boost that happiness. Taking a 15-minute walk a few times throughout the week can even help you feel stronger and more measured.

• Eat healthy - This doesn't mean you have to cut out all ice cream and pizza. You can improve your health just by reducing the number of foods you eat that are processed or contain unnatural additives. 

• Are you sleeping? - Maybe you need to explore reducing light or noise in your environment (if possible), or maybe you're doing stimulating activities (like looking at a bright TV or cell phone screen) too close to bedtime. If you're having sleeping issues due to racing thoughts, working on the above measures will likely improve the situation.
  
  Of course, there are many other things you can do for self care, like dedicating time to being in a quiet environment if your days are noisy and busy (some of us have undoubtedly forgotten what silence is!), or doing something like reading or journaling to help organize your thoughts. Everyone's needs are different, so make sure that you take time to identify yours and give them the attention they deserve.

Something to keep in mind is that children (like adults) will feed off of the emotions that you display, and they will notice when you notice their individual interests and growth. In the same way that feeling noticed and important inspires you to do better and to reduce negative behaviors in your life, your students will feel inspired to try harder in their own lives if they feel your investment.

Another crucial thing to bear in mind is to not take it personally each time a child acts out - especially in an aftercare scenario, when children are already tired from the long day when they come to you. Unless you're exhibiting a lack of respect for your children by not listening to them or by not making an effort to show compassion and understanding with their needs, it is simply unrealistic to assume that all negative behavior results because of you. Instead of internalizing these issues, try to figure out what about their environment or circumstances could be causing negative behaviors. 

Play & Eliminating Negative Behaviors with Fun

Towards the end of the school year, some teachers may start to feel their creative juices running dry. Maybe you've slipped into routines that are starting to feel monotonous – too serious, or overly predictable. A great way to help keep your kids feeling lively and engaged (and therefore less bored, frustrated, and destructive) is to transform anything in the environment or task that is undesirable or inhibiting into something fun.

For example, here's a video from Cara's presentation that shows how you can get people to choose the stairs over the escalator by making them 'fun':

And another creative solution for curbing a common household problem...

Do you have other ideas for how to transform problems or monotonous tasks with fun? Let us know! And check back soon for Part II of Cara's "Mix it Up" Presentation - Choose Your Attitude & Make Their Day