Teacher's Ed with Edward DeShazer
In today's world, being a teacher and educator can be empowering, inspiring, and rewarding. Educating the next generation can also be exhausting, frustrating, and disheartening. Teacher's Ed was created to motivate, encourage, and uplift teachers and educators to inspire you for the week ahead.
Teachers Ed is where the best and brightest in education come to be inspired, to learn, to connect, and to grow.
Teacher's Ed with Edward DeShazer
Crafting Your Holiday Self-Care Plan: A Guide for Educators
Unlock the secret to a truly relaxing holiday break with our latest episode on Teachers Ed Podcast! Discover how to craft a personalized self-care plan that puts your happiness and well-being first, even amidst the chaos of holiday obligations. I’m Edward Eshazer, and I will guide you through identifying energizing activities and scheduling them as must-keep appointments. Learn the art of boundary-setting, so you can prioritize the things that genuinely matter and say no to the ones that drain your energy. It’s time to reconnect with what brings you joy and practice gratitude to enrich your life and relationships.
As we wrap up our season, let's take a heartfelt moment to recognize the incredible dedication educators show every day. Despite feeling overlooked, your hard work is invaluable, and your commitment to self-care strengthens the school community. Embrace the encouragement to believe in your students, colleagues, and yourself, and remain inspired and connected as you continue your personal and professional journeys. Remember, the impact you make is profound—cherish and nurture those around you. Until we meet again in 2025, continue to be the beacon of positivity in your community.
www.EdwardDeShazer.org
Welcome back to the Teachers Ed podcast, the place where the best and brightest in education come to be inspired, to connect, to learn and to grow. I'm your host, edward Eshazer, and today we are talking about something that is incredibly important and it should be incredibly on time how to take care of yourself over the holiday break. For teachers, for principals, for educators whatever you do in the educational system, the holiday break is often a double-edged sword. On one hand, it's a much-needed time for you to rest and recharge. It's a much needed time for you to rest and recharge, and, on the other hand, it can be overwhelming with family obligations, holiday planning and hopefully not, but a lot of times even catching up on work. So that's why, today, I want to give you three self-care tips to help you make the most out of your time off. These tips are going to be simple. They should be fairly actionable and they're really designed to help you prioritize you this holiday season. Tip number one I want you to create a just for me plan.
Speaker 1:During the holidays, it is easy to get caught up in what everyone else needs, whether that's family, friends, your kids, maybe even some unfinished work. But before you dive into all of those things. I want you to take a moment and create a just for me plan. This is your chance to set aside intentional time during the break for activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Ways that you can set up this plan and create this plan is number one identify what are your recharging activities. I want you to think about what truly helps you relax and feel refreshed. Is it reading a book? Is it going for a walk? Is it catching up on sleep? Is it binge watching your favorite Netflix show, feeling guilt free? I want you to just take a second and write those activities down. If you're driving, obviously, please don't write those down. I don't have enough money for you to sue me, so write those down when you get a moment if you are driving.
Speaker 1:Number two schedule your time. I want you to look at your calendar and block out time for yourself. I want you to treat this time as though it is an appointment that you can't cancel. We always say this with people who are starting their journey in the gym. I say we like I'm some fitness guru. I am not a fitness guru, but they always say, when people are looking at being intentional about getting to the gym, that you need to schedule that time in the gym and treat it as though it's an appointment or anything else that you refuse to miss. I want you to schedule this just for me time the same way. Maybe it's a full afternoon, maybe it's just 30 minutes each morning, but I need you to schedule that time.
Speaker 1:And the third part, and the most important part, but also the hardest part is for you to stick to it. It is very easy to let self-care fall by the wayside when life gets busy, but remind yourself that recharging is necessary and not selfish. The reflective question that I have and I want you to think about is what is one thing like we made a list of the things that make you feel better. What is one thing that you can do just for yourself this holiday season? What I want you to do just for yourself this holiday season, what I want you to do is write it down, I want you to schedule it and, most importantly, I need you to commit to it.
Speaker 1:And before we move into our second tip, this is that time of the episode where I remind you about the Be Well Teacher Academy. This is an online community that was created specifically for educators who are balancing the demands of the classroom with the need for self-care. We're going to have monthly workshops, we're going to have journal prompts, we have some courses, but most importantly, it is a supportive network of educators who understand your challenges and can offer you encouragement. The first 250 members are getting lifetime free access, and that free access is going to end January 1st. So if you're listening to this before January 1st, sign up today wwwbewellteachercom to secure your lifetime founder membership spot. And remember your well-being isn't just important, it is essential for everything that you do.
Speaker 1:Now let me jump into the second tip the holidays. We know that they can come with tons of demands, with the family gatherings, the social events, everything that comes along with it. But here's the thing you do not have to say yes to everything. Setting boundaries is one of the best gifts that you can give yourself this holiday season, and there's ways to set boundaries, and I'm going to give you a couple ways for you to set healthy boundaries.
Speaker 1:Number one I need you to take a moment and think about the things you want to do versus the things you feel obligated to do. I want you to decide what is non-negotiable for you. So the first tip is deciding those non-negotiables. I want you to prioritize what truly matters to you. Tip number two practice saying no. It is okay to say no to the things that drain your energy or take away from your time to recharge. For example, if attending an event for work or attending a holiday gathering feels more stressful and enjoyable, it is okay to politely decline. It is okay to say no to that activity. And the third I want you to limit your work over the break. I know this one's hard, but what I need you to do is to step away from work, use an out-of-the-office email reply if that's necessary for you and then remind yourself that the work will still be there when you return. Tip number three so we've talked about first creating the plan and then we've talked about setting the boundaries. Our final tip is let's reconnect with what brings you joy.
Speaker 1:The holidays are the perfect time to reconnect with yourself, with loved ones and with the things that bring you joy. And one of the easiest ways to do this and those that have heard me speak, I always talk about practicing gratitude. There are some ways that you can practice gratitude over your holiday break. Number one start a gratitude journal Each morning or each evening, whatever works for you. Maybe it's at lunchtime. Write down three things that you're grateful for. They can be huge, like you know, spending time with my family. They could be, you know, your health time with my family, they could be your health. Or they could be small, like just enjoying your favorite meal or simply just having a quiet moment to yourself.
Speaker 1:Tip number two I want us to reconnect with loved ones. I want you to use this break to spend quality time with the people who matter most to you, and I know some of you someone's listening like, yeah, but they're all the way across the country, or they're across the globe, or they're not nearby. This can just be something as simple as a phone call or maybe, if they're close, it's a grabbing coffee or a game night. These moments of connection can be incredibly restorative for your mental well-being. And the third and final one I want you to reflect on your wins. I want you to take a moment to think about everything that you've accomplished this year, no matter how small. For some of you, the fact that you're still here, still doing what you do, is an accomplishment enough. I want you to acknowledge your hard work and remind yourself of the impact that you've made in your classroom. I want you to remind yourself of the impact that you've made in your home and, as we look to 2025, I want you to start being intentional with the impact that you're going to make in your heart and in your self-care.
Speaker 1:The reflective question I would leave you with is what's one way you can practice gratitude or connection during your time off? Is it journaling, is it reaching out to someone or is it just reflecting quietly? But, more importantly, I need you to take action. You can have all these great ideas, you can have all these tips, all this information, but if you don't take action, it will just stay that or just be information. But if you don't take action, it will just stay that or just be information.
Speaker 1:You know, in this holiday season, I hope you all take these three tips to heart. I hope you create your just for me plan. I hope you set boundaries around your time and around your energy, and I hope you reconnect through gratitude and connection with people that are important to you. I want you to remember that this holiday season is your chance to rest. It's your chance to recharge so you can return to your classroom feeling refreshed and ready to inspire your students. So which of these tips are you going to start with? Let's write them down, maybe even share them with a friend to help you stay committed, but I do wish you all happy holidays.
Speaker 1:This will be the last episode until 2025. But I appreciate you all for joining me. I appreciate you all for all the work that you do in education, even on days where maybe your kids, you don't feel your students, appreciate you. You don't feel your staff, your coworkers, whoever else around you appreciates you. I'm just letting you know that you are appreciated and I appreciate you all for joining me and I want you to remember that when you take care of yourself and those around you, you're building a stronger, more connected school community. I want to encourage you to keep believing in your students, keep believing in your colleagues, but, most importantly, keep believing in yourself. Until next time, stay inspired, stay connected and keep growing. Bye.