180 Days of Self-Care for Busy Educators. Tina H. Boogren

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СКАЧАТЬ a small bowl of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal (Smith et al., 2018).

      • Wednesday: Limit caffeine intake. Caffeine can cause sleep problems up to ten to twelve hours after consumption, so plan your last caffeinated beverage of the day to correlate with your anticipated bedtime (Drake, Roehrs, Shambroom, & Roth, 2013). I quit caffeine after 10:00 a.m.

      • Thursday: Avoid bright screens one to two hours before your bedtime. The blue light that is emitted by your phone, tablet, computer, and TV is particularly disruptive to our ability to get a good night’s sleep (Harvard Health Publishing, 2018a). Find ways to relax that don’t involve screens—read, color, draw, or take a warm bath. Listening to an audiobook or podcast, cooking, and even singing can help, too (Hirschlag, 2017).

      • Friday: Commit to waking up at the same time today as you will tomorrow. While the temptation to catch up on sleep during the weekend is appealing, the truth is that when we go to sleep and get up at the same time every day, we help set our bodies’ internal clocks and optimize our sleep (National Institute on Aging, n.d.).

Reflect on the Week

      When and how did you incorporate healthy sleeping habits into your schedule this week? Which options did you choose and why?

      After considering the impact that sleep has on your daily life, including the ways it influences your energy level, mood, and nutrition, did you notice any changes—subtle or major—by using the sleep options this week? (For example, do you reach for different foods when you’re tired? Does your mood feel more stable when you’re well rested?)

      How did focusing on your sleep habits help shape your week?

      Do you plan to continue to make sufficient and high-quality sleep part of your routine? Why and how?

Week Four: Laughter (Days 16–20)

      Laughter is the best, isn’t it? Researcher and author Brené Brown (2010) says this about it: “Laughter, song, and dance create emotional and spiritual connection; they remind us of the one thing that truly matters when we are searching for comfort, celebration, inspiration, or healing: We are not alone” (p. 118). There’s more and more research surfacing that supports the idea that laughter really is the best medicine. Some of the short-term benefits of laughter include stimulating our hearts, lungs, and muscles; releasing feel-good endorphins; relaxation; and reducing tension and stress (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016). There are also long-term effects, including improved immune system, pain relief, increased personal satisfaction, and improved mood (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2016).

      Besides all of these health benefits, just consider the last time you really laughed. My guess is that it felt really, really good to laugh. Laughter is like an instantaneous mood booster. I love to laugh! In fact, I try to find the humor in even the most stressful situations. (Wheel falls off my suitcase? Hysterical! Tripped on my morning walk? So funny! Rather than feeling frustrated and irritated, I try to choose laughter instead.)

      

This week’s invitation: Laugh, giggle, and guffaw.

      • Watch funny videos: Try YouTube videos, sitcoms, and podcasts. Everyone has preferences, but if you’re looking for new ideas, try simply searching online for funny podcasts or funniest YouTube videos.

      • Spend time with animals: One of the best perks of having a pet is watching them do ridiculous things! I giggle every time my dog rolls around in the grass in the middle of a walk or when he goes to see who’s at the front door when the doorbell rings on a TV show that we’re watching. Savor those antics, and relish in the fact that petting animals even lowers your blood pressure and boosts your immunity (Johnson, Odendaal, & Meadows, 2002).

      • Be silly: Skip around your classroom. Or hop on one foot! Do a somersault or a cartwheel. Roll down a hill. Do a silly dance. If you’re brave, do this in public; if you’re not, just close the curtains and lock the door!

      • Sing at the top of your lungs: Belt it out! Pull out one of your playlists from week one (page 10) and sing along! I love to sing in the car (and it’s a good thing others can’t hear me) as singing to a song that I love always helps boost my mood. There’s research that states that singing is, in fact, a natural antidepressant (TakeLessons, n.d.).

      • Start a Pinterest board: Use your board to showcase all the funny things you find online. This activity may encourage you to always keep on the lookout for things that make you laugh. Ask your students to spend a week looking out for and collecting fun things to share with the class. At the end of the week, challenge one another to laugh. Don’t just add to your board; go back and actually read what you’ve pinned when you need a boost.

      • Make a list: Keep track of the funny things your students say (I still laugh when I think about the teacher who told me how many times she has to say, “Please stop licking your desk.”). Write down funny quotes you read. Utilize them in your classroom or school. Challenge your students to share quotes of their own or anecdotes about the things that make them laugh. Research confirms that using humor to cope makes us more likely to be positive (Doskoch, 2016). During a staff or PLC meeting, have folks share the funniest thing they heard their students say or do that week.

      • Learn and share: Learn a new joke and share it with a colleague. Ask your colleague to share a joke with you, or suggest opening a teacher meeting with each participant sharing a good-spirited joke. Telling a joke increases our sense of belonging, which is essential for building a positive school culture (Doskoch, 2016).

Reflect on the Week

      When and how did you incorporate laughter into your schedule this week? Which options did you select and why?

      Which options were your favorite and why? Which options didn’t work for you and why?

      How did focusing on laughter help shape your week both professionally and personally?

      Do you plan to continue to make laughter part of your routine? Why and how?

Week Five: Technology (Days 21–25)

      We love it, and we hate it. Technology can be a gift as well as a burden. Social media allows us to connect with others, share ideas, and escape for a few minutes. According to research, the average American spends two hours and fifty-one minutes on his or her phone each day (Text Request, 2017). The World Health Organization, which holds annual meetings about the topic, warns that technology addiction “has reached the magnitude of a significant public health concern” (Ladika, 2018). In fact, most of us struggle to go longer than ten minutes without checking our phones. Yikes! Looking at your phone reduces the ability to concentrate, solve problems, express creativity, pay attention, sleep, trust other people, and empathize (Lin, 2012). Read that sentence one more time. That’s terrifying.

      Consider for a moment how scrolling may be impacting your happiness. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2008) says the “best moments in our lives are not passive, receptive, relaxing times [but] usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (p. 3). I had to work hard to reduce the amount of time that I spent scrolling. I didn’t realize how addicted I was until I participated in a 40 for 40 Challenge (40 for 40, n.d.), where for forty minutes a day for forty СКАЧАТЬ