Counselor’s Corner - Issue 44

Dear Carers for Others,

I got it for Christmas -- the purple gift certificate that held a gift certificate.  It had sat on the cabinet for months.  Through the stresses of the holidays.  Through the anxiety of starting second semester.  Through the life-transitions that my family is facing. I'd passed by it and was too busy for it...until I literally had a breakdown of pent-up tears and rage.  It had sat there the whole time, looking up at me.  "M.E." it read.  Sure it was an abbreviation for Massage Envy, but it had been calling up to me the whole time.  "ME," it said.  "Have you forgotten?  ME can't give out of an empty cup.  ME isn't using coping strategies.  ME is crying to work and then slapping on a smile on for the kids.  ME needs to take a step back."

So I did.  I scheduled a massage for my back, a therapist appointment for my heart, and a doctor's appointment for my anxiety meds.  It wasn't rocket science, but because I hadn't been doing self-care, ME was depleted.  It's just like my fellow school counselor describes in this call to Pause for Self-Care, ME needed a check-in and a little time to check-out.

I believe that as educators, we often view self-care as self-indulgence, but it's not!  Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, well, do your job, help and care for others, and you can do all the things you need to and want to accomplish in a day.  Moreover, intellectual self-care helps your mind stay sharp, increase focus, decrease distractibility and provide a needed “oasis” from the anxiety that weighs us down. 

So give in to it.  It's staring you in the face.  Give the gift of ME.  Remove  disruptive phone notifications, take a screen break, browse new library books, listen to a new podcast, do a jigsaw puzzle, play WORDLE, or teach yourself a new recipe.  Whatever you choose to do, try to identify one self-care idea, put it on your calendar, and make ME priority for this week.  

Carer for YOU,
Mindy