180 Days of Self-Care for Busy Educators. Tina H. Boogren

deliberate, mindful practice. This pursuit is a constant and continual work in progress. It’s not something that someone simply checks off a list and forevermore changes things. It’s not a place you get to just so you can slack off and reap the benefits for an extended period of time. It’s so much more difficult (but rewarding) than that. It’s also not commercial or consumer based. Well-being is not found in an app or a pill or a vacation or a wine glass (although those distractions can certainly feel good for a little while). We have to do the work. Every single day. That work is all about three things.

      1. Developing a deep, keen understanding of our own needs

      2. Checking in with ourselves throughout each day

      3. Responding to our individual needs with targeted action

      This targeted action is individual. Just because something works for your brother or your friend or the teacher next door doesn’t guarantee it will work for you. It’s personal—very, very personal.

      In my 2018 book, Take Time for You: Self-Care Action Plans for Educators, I outlined a framework that educators can use to begin their own self-care journeys. It is the same process that I used to start my own path toward wellness. And now, after that initial work, I’m committed to staying on track. One way I stay on track is by recommitting to the work every single day. I do this by journaling every morning and setting goals for that day as well as outlining my vision for the future. I’ve also continued keeping up with the latest research and experimenting with different strategies that I learn about through that research. This book is a result of that continued work. If you read Take Time for You, my hope is that this book, 180 Days of Self-Care for Busy Educators, will help you recommit and stay on your path.

      You may recognize a few of the themes from Take Time for You, but the individual strategies are fresh. You can incorporate them into your already established plan, thinking of them as self-care hacks—bite-sized actions that may have a huge impact on your overall well-being and happiness. If you haven’t read my previous book, that’s OK; you can jump right into this one and start your exploration now. I am so glad you’re here, no matter where you are on your own personal journey.

      Since I became intentional about my self-care, happiness, and well-being, I’ve learned so much. I’ve given myself permission to take care of my whole self so that I can truly live my very best life as an educator, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. I’ve never felt better than I do right now, as a middle-aged woman. Does this mean that I’ve been perfect with my self-care practices and commitments? Absolutely not. I still have days where I forget to drink enough water or get enough sleep, and sometimes I miss the moment because my face is buried in my phone. But I’ve been on more than I’ve been off. Where I once struggled to stay motivated and keep promises to myself, I now put myself first. I know that reading that statement can feel uncomfortable, but hear me out.

      As educators—and parents, partners, friends, and children to adult parents—we often put everyone else’s needs before our own. It can feel selfish and uncomfortable to turn the tables and put ourselves first. Trust me when I promise you it’s worth it. I am a significantly better educator, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend now that I’ve learned what I need, what I don’t need, what makes me feel good, and what doesn’t. I am now able to present my very best self to those I serve and those I love. You can get you there, too; that’s precisely why I wrote this book.

Why Self-Care Is Crucial for Educators

      I aim to share what I’ve learned with you, my fellow educators. Whether you are a classroom teacher, administrator, instructional coach, paraprofessional, school counselor, school social worker, special educator, or any other educator, I am your fiercest advocate. I see you sacrificing your own health and well-being for those you serve (whether it’s your students, your staff, or your communities), and I see how it’s hurting you at times.

      I’ve been fortunate enough to work with educators in every position, in nearly every state in the United States and many provinces in Canada. I interact on social media with educators in countries like Australia and South Africa. I’ve learned so much about myself through those interactions, but I’ve also learned about you. I know that we are more alike than we are different from one another. I know the incredible number of hours you spend preparing lessons, creating professional development sessions, grading papers, communicating with parents, attending events, coaching and sponsoring, evaluating, meeting, PLC-ing with your professional learning community, and heading committees, clubs, and events. I admire you for that—but I also worry. I worry because I know that if you continue putting your own needs and happiness at the bottom of your to-do list, it will be to the sacrifice of something else—your family, your health, or your students. I want better for you. You want better for you.

      Research shows that 93 percent of teachers report “high levels of job-related stress” (Riley-Missouri, 2018). Think about that. This means that only 7 percent of teachers do not feel stressed out. Seven percent! That’s horrifying. Additionally, so many students enter school with significant needs stemming from trauma; educators face the very real risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress (also known as compassion fatigue). Secondary traumatic stress looks like isolation, depression, difficulty focusing, aggression, anxiety, insomnia, excessive drinking, and changes in appetite (Gunn, 2018). Not only is this a concern for our educators, but it’s a serious problem for our students as well. Students with stressed-out teachers have more behavior issues, and those students have lower overall achievement (Riley-Missouri, 2018). Our goal as educators is to make a difference in the lives of our students—both academically and social-emotionally. We cannot do that if we aren’t taking care of ourselves.

      Additionally, when teachers are stressed or not fully engaged when they’re at work, students feel it (Granata, 2014). Teachers are the biggest influence on student engagement; research proves that (Gallup, 2014; Martin, 2006). When at least one teacher makes students feel excited about their futures, or when students feel their school is committed to their strengths, they are thirty times more likely to be engaged in their work at school (Gallup, 2014). To positively impact students, educators must be excited and engaged themselves. To feel that excitement and engagement in their work, educators must take care of themselves. Research shows there is a “strong connection between the personal and professional wellbeing of teachers and have reasoned that there cannot be real professional development without personal development” (Day & Leitch, 2001; O’Connor, 2008, as cited in Spilt, Koomen, & Thijs, 2011, p. 461). Consider the type of teacher you’d like your own child, niece, or nephew to have? Do you want those children to have a teacher who isn’t taking care of him- or herself, or do you want a teacher who is well rested, energized, and excited to be at work every day?

      School administrators have high stress levels, too. Twenty percent of principals report feeling overwhelmed (Riley, 2018), and principals report more burnout than the general population. They have more trouble sleeping and are at higher risk of depression (Robinson, 2018). School and district leaders can help create a school’s culture by modeling healthy behaviors themselves, heading wellness initiatives, and supporting self-care groups within the school community. As building leaders, you set the tone. Modeling the behaviors for teachers works the way teachers must model the behaviors they want to see in their students.

      This book is an invitation. I invite you to explore your own habits and practices so you can see what it feels like to put yourself at the very top of your own to-do list. I want you to consider how taking care of yourself actually better equips you to take care of your own students, staff, and family. I want you to experience how it feels to be the best version of yourself and to see with your own eyes how that makes you an even better educator. I invite you to play around with some new strategies, routines, methods, and ideas in order to see just how good you can actually feel.

How This Book Is Organized

      Because most schools cycle themselves around nine-week segments, I’ve done the same here. Therefore, there are four main chapters, and each contains nine weeks. While this book is organized according to a traditional school year,