The last full week of summer break prior to reporting back for Teacher Pre-Planning is always bittersweet. You have big plans for the summer, yet the reality is you need the full month of June to simply decompress, perhaps fitting in a couple of vacation trips if you’re lucky. Mild panic starts to set as July rolls around. After the July 4th holiday, you realize you only have 3 weeks to get everything done before the time suck known as “the new school year” gets underway. This year is no different, yet COVID has definitely shaped my mindset about returning to 5 days per week at full throttle like we had pre-COVID.
N-O-P-E. Not gonna happen. I’m keeping my distance, cleaning like crazy, and leaving on time every day. I plan to be highly selective when it comes to extra duties & responsibilities. My physical, mental and emotional health depend on it.
10 things I’ve realized over the past year:
- I need 7 hours of sleep every night.
- I feel better when I walk 30 minutes every day.
- I feel better when I eat real food and limit fast food.
- It’s worth the extra WW points for real string cheese and the occasional potato chips with my sandwich.
- Water and unsweet tea are my BFFs – not diet soda.
- A soak in the tub makes everything better.
- A sewing machine and supplies are essential to my well-being.
- A social network outside of work and family is VERY important.
- Turn off the computer and TV. Read a book or magazine instead.
- My day job is just that – a job. I love what I do, but it is too easy to get sucked into the “perfect teacher” rabbit hole. I have to remove any emotional attachment to the job and remind myself to view it as a business transaction. I am exchanging my time for money. My employer certainly deserves full value for the time they purchase, but no more of this being guilted into working after hours for free. Easier said than done, yes, but I have to try.
My last week of summer break will be spent sewing with a friend, getting my teeth cleaned, getting my back-to-school haircut & color, a bit of clothes shopping and a quick day trip to cross-off the last item on my summer bucket list.
Come Stitch With Me, LLC 
Boundaries are necessary for mental and physical health. You might want to put this list in your phone to pop up as a reminder every month so you don’t lose sight.
I have put this front and center where I see it. #10 is the hardest. Hard to separate my personal identity from the place I’ve poured so much of my heart & soul into the past 6 years. I have to get a handle on it and the accompanying stress eating.