You know how when you’re little, people always ask you what you want to be when you grow up? I always said a teacher. Well, actually, I said “astronaut” for awhile, but then I needed glasses, and that dream was shattered.
And now, twenty years in, my time in the classroom is still my favorite part of the job. It’s where things slow down, where I feel most natural, where I build relationships and build up kids who are desperate to understand themselves.
The other parts of the job? That’s where things get tricky. Sometimes adults are a lot harder to deal with than kids. And all the hoops we have to jump through to prove our kids are learning? I could deal without that. A Gallup poll found that 46% of teachers report “high daily stress” from August to June. That probably doesn’t surprise you. The troubling part is that this was tied with nurses for the highest percent of ANY profession. And that was before COVID, which hasn’t worked wonders for either teachers or nurses.
Penn State researchers identify four sources of teacher stress, three of which are related to your work environment:
1. School organizations that lack leadership, a healthy school climate, and a supportive environment
2. Job demands that include standardized testing, student behavioral issues, and difficult parents
3. A limited sense of autonomy in your decision-making
4. Your capacity to manage stress
Sound familiar? I can’t do a lot about the first three. And we should never take mindfulness practice as a solution to systemic problems with schools and national education policy. Those need real solutions, and they won’t happen in a blogpost. But I can help with #4.
So here are seven steps to self-care, mindfulness style:
The first one is easy, or at least simple: establish and maintain a daily practice. Even 2-3 minutes will suffice at first, then increasing as you feel comfortable. Just lying in bed right after you wake up is a good way to start -- allowing the day to come to you, noticing the sounds around you, noticing the quality of your breathing, the quality of your thoughts, what you might be feeling. There’s a short guided practice at the end of this post that will give you a sample of what this could be like. If you’re like me and a little five-year old sometimes interrupts this practice, you can try before bed, or just try again the next day, which brings me to…
Be patient and forgiving with yourself. Your practice will not always bring you to an altered state where you can sense the vastness of the universe. In 25 years of practice, that’s hardly ever happened for me. Sometimes, your mind is just busy or your body is uncomfortable, and that’s ok. Just be with it. The key to establishing and maintaining a practice is accepting wherever you are that day. There’s no “right” way to do it. As long as you’re taking a moment, you’re good.
Set an intention each day to notice the nobility in others. If you can approach the kid who’s always late or the administrator who definitely has it out for you with openness and kindness, you might shift your dynamic with them. What if you assumed that they were doing their best? This isn’t easy. The day can wear on you and we can forget all about nobility. Just try this practice with one person, and then expand out as you get better at it.
Find a path you walk each day, and designate it as a “mindful walk.” For example, from your classroom to lunch, or from school to your car, or from your third class to your office. Whatever it is, make it a ritual to walk this path with kindness and curiosity. It’s just a little pause in your day to remind you to breathe and take a break from whatever it is that your mind is usually caught in.
Take a moment for gratitude each day. Maybe before you eat a meal, or as you’re settling in with your favorite class. (I know, we don’t have “favorites.” But I also know we do.) The thing about gratitude is that it’s connected in all kinds of ways to well-being. If there’s a magic bullet in the world, gratitude is it. Robert Emmons, the world's foremost gratitude researcher, says that “gratitude blocks toxic emotions such as envy, resentment, regret and depression, which can destroy our happiness.” And it works because we’re celebrating the present and actively participating in our lives. Click here for more details and tips.
OK, so you’ve got this great routine going, and all the best intentions, but the world doesn’t seem to be on your team. There will be times, in fact, when the world throws an array of crap nuggets in your face. But here’s the thing: it’s probably not about you. When people are standing in the way of your happiness, they probably didn’t wake up that morning and say, “Hey, I’m going to dedicate this day to making you miserable. That seems like a good use of my time.” More likely, they’re just dealing with their own stuff and you’re the lucky recipient. What might they be struggling with?
Find a good book or podcast or website or friend or counselor or guru to go on this journey with. Establishing your own practice is great. It’s even better when you can spice it up with inspiration from others. There are days when it will all seem pretty mundane. Sometimes it’s nice to light your internal flame with an external spark. This can also make you more accountable to your practice and growth. Ultimately, it has to come from inside you, but it doesn’t hurt to have support. Join our Facebook group as a start!
And here’s a short practice to get you on the right track.
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