Mindfulness means different things to different people. You may be wondering why I have decided to share this on my preschool website? I decided that one of the most important things that we as teachers need to do is be mindful of the toll teaching takes on us and be sure to take the necessary self-care. Self-care is often considered to be a 'buzz-word' tossed around like some magical concept that's going to solve all our problems. It also implies that the struggles we as teachers face are our own and it's our responsibility to fix them or find ways of coping. This is not what I'm implying at all.
It doesn't matter what role you have in life, whether it be a teacher, parent, financial executive or a call-centre operator, self-care should mean: "I'm making myself a priority." Doing things that bring you joy, allow you to escape the pressures and stresses of daily life. We can't pour from an empty cup. You can't be an amazing teacher if you are exhausted, and not just physically. Teaching is tough and I personally find that more often than not, it's the emotional and mental drain that gets to me more. So, while I hate that policymakers and administrators push the idea of Self-care as a way of excusing the unrealistic expectations they place on us, I still believe it is important to focus on it just for ourselves.
For me, self-care is in the form of travel and engaging in mindfulness throughout my travels and experiences in my life.
As I explained in my About intro, I'm from sunny South Africa but I have been living in the Middle East for the last 6 years. Living here has a lot of challenges and difficulties that I won't get into now, but can always share later on if there's interest. That being said, there are also so many wonderful things about living here and I'm eternally grateful for all the opportunities I have had and that it has allowed me to indulge in my other passion which is travel.
I have personally had and continue to have mental health struggles and self-care is a daily priority for me. This extended quarantine/lock-down experience during the Covid-19 pandemic has been especially challenging for me. Spending so much time on my own in my small apartment, and not being able to go out and interact has been extremely difficult. Not only could I not teach and get my daily dose of feel-good vibes from my kiddies through teaching, but I also couldn't travel. I was one of those people that didn't get dressed every day or wash my hair more than once a week. Some days, I struggled to get off the couch or even answer text messages from friends. And if my TikTok addiction taught me anything, it's that while other people may have thrived during this time, completing projects around their homes or starting up small businesses, it was a hundred percent ok that I didn't and just simply managed to get out of bed most days.
However, I had to come up with other ways to take care of my mental health in order to make it through and not sink into a deep depression. It may be important to add that living in the Middle East is similar to what I would imagine literal hell to be like during the summer months. It's so unbearably hot that you can't set foot outside during daylight and it only cools by a few degrees at night. Also, myself and most other expat teachers generally travel back home during the summer months to rest and recoup before starting the new school year. So not being able to go home and visit with family and friends has been especially challenging.
So one way I managed to cope was to plan adventures and trips for the upcoming school breaks through this next year and I'm excited to share those with you as I go. However, as I've now learnt with Covid-19, nothing more than a week away is guaranteed and so in case these exciting adventures don't happen, I wanted to share some of the amazing places I have visited, the wonderful things I have experienced and the incredible memories I have made.
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