Self-love and care

For caring and empathetic teachers, self-love and care might sound awkward. But let me tell you what I mean. It does not mean being selfish or unkind to others. What I mean here is:

"Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that support our physical, psychological and spiritual growth. Self-love means having a high regard for your own well-being and happiness. Self-love means taking care of your own needs and not sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for less than you deserve." (Borenstein, February 12, 2020, para. 2)

Without self-love or care, you would feel constant fatigue, irritation, and unempathetic from day-to-day living and teaching. You might be able to fake positivity, yet it would exhaust you more. Consequently, it would be challenging to facilitate a safe, encouraging and inspiring learning space for your learners. In the worst case, your class would have intense or toxic vibrations. What you would like to have is a loving, kind, and positive ambience for your class for your learners to be the best they can be. Enhancing their motivation to acquire new skills and encouraging them to dare something new is our ultimate goal, isn't it? In order to facilitate such classes, we, teachers maintain or enhance self-love and care. 

Here are some things to do:

1- Take time to stop

The life of a teacher can be so hectic. The number of our responsibilities can be intimidating. It is so essential to stop doing something for others and take time for yourself. Have you stopped and looked at the beautiful sunset or floating clouds while leaving your smartphones recently? If not, I highly recommend doing so like you used to do as a child.

2- Celebrate your victories, no matter how small they may be...

We, teachers tend to be so critical of ourselves. Many of us are perfectionists which can be a required feature for being a teacher. However, if we set too high goals all the time, it can cause burnout or negative outcomes. Perfectionist behaviour or way too high standards might also add unnecessary pressure on students. So, being content with a little success instead can put you in a much better positive mindset. For instance, having one student smile at my silly joke is a little victory for me. 

3- Be more indulgent with yourself

Everyone deserves to enjoy what she loves to do no matter what.  By all means, indulge away to recharge your energy and refresh your mind. It would be inspiring for students o see their teacher enjoying her life. The sentiment of a teacher is contagious. We gotta make it as positive and inspiring as possible. So, from time to time, doing something that your soul craves can be essential. 

4- Surround yourself with positive people

We can not live alone. Stay away from toxic people who would bring you down. People, who accept who you are and enjoy what you bring to their lives, are your tribe. They will lift your soul, encourage you to be brave, and inspire you to be the best you can be.  Remember, your sentiment is contagious. If so, be the light, not the shadow. For that purpose, stay with your positive influencers.  

5- Adopt a healthy lifestyle

Indulging yourself can be essential under extremely stressful circumstances.  Yet, we need to remember it can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. You can have an instant fix for pleasure, but in a long run, it would deteriorate your overall mental and physical health as all we know. Taking moderate exercise and having a balanced diet with more vegetables and fruits will enhance your health and happier life. 

The teacher's ultimate task might be inspiring and encouraging students to find their own purpose in their lives. If so, we need to take care of ourselves and show the youth how joyful life can be.