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

you find online. This activity may encourage you to always keep on the lookout for things that make you laugh. Ask your students to spend a week looking out for and collecting fun things to share with the class. At the end of the week, challenge one another to laugh. Don’t just add to your board; go back and actually read what you’ve pinned when you need a boost.

      • Make a list: Keep track of the funny things your students say (I still laugh when I think about the teacher who told me how many times she has to say, “Please stop licking your desk.”). Write down funny quotes you read. Utilize them in your classroom or school. Challenge your students to share quotes of their own or anecdotes about the things that make them laugh. Research confirms that using humor to cope makes us more likely to be positive (Doskoch, 2016). During a staff or PLC meeting, have folks share the funniest thing they heard their students say or do that week.

      • Learn and share: Learn a new joke and share it with a colleague. Ask your colleague to share a joke with you, or suggest opening a teacher meeting with each participant sharing a good-spirited joke. Telling a joke increases our sense of belonging, which is essential for building a positive school culture (Doskoch, 2016).

Reflect on the Week

      When and how did you incorporate laughter into your schedule this week? Which options did you select and why?

      Which options were your favorite and why? Which options didn’t work for you and why?

      How did focusing on laughter help shape your week both professionally and personally?

      Do you plan to continue to make laughter part of your routine? Why and how?

Week Five: Technology (Days 21–25)

      We love it, and we hate it. Technology can be a gift as well as a burden. Social media allows us to connect with others, share ideas, and escape for a few minutes. According to research, the average American spends two hours and fifty-one minutes on his or her phone each day (Text Request, 2017). The World Health Organization, which holds annual meetings about the topic, warns that technology addiction “has reached the magnitude of a significant public health concern” (Ladika, 2018). In fact, most of us struggle to go longer than ten minutes without checking our phones. Yikes! Looking at your phone reduces the ability to concentrate, solve problems, express creativity, pay attention, sleep, trust other people, and empathize (Lin, 2012). Read that sentence one more time. That’s terrifying.

      Consider for a moment how scrolling may be impacting your happiness. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2008) says the “best moments in our lives are not passive, receptive, relaxing times [but] usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile” (p. 3). I had to work hard to reduce the amount of time that I spent scrolling. I didn’t realize how addicted I was until I participated in a 40 for 40 Challenge (40 for 40, n.d.), where for forty minutes a day for forty straight days, I committed to closing my laptop, turning off the TV, and hiding my smartphone during my free time. (This was when I wasn’t otherwise working; technology is an essential part of my work, and it may be part of yours, too.) For me, the first ten minutes were OK, but at about the ten-minute mark I found myself automatically reaching for my phone, just as the research predicted (Lin, 2012). Once I got over that hump, though, I found myself absorbed in a novel or writing or getting active, often for longer than forty minutes—all of which I was grateful for.

      

This week’s invitation: Unplug for a bit.

      • Monday: Keep a running record of how many times you pick up your phone (or whatever digital device you typically use, such as a tablet, iPad, and TV) today. Some phones track screen time for you; check under Settings for options. Digital Wellbeing on Android devices helps track screen time, and QualityTime (www.qualitytimeapp.com) is also for Android phones; it tracks phone use per app. On Apple devices, look for the Screen Time option in Settings. Tally marks on a sticky note will do if you don’t want to use technology to track your technology use.

      How do you feel about the number of times you checked? To further observe your technology use, you might pay attention to how many minutes go by between each reach for your device.

      • Tuesday and Wednesday: Purposefully choose fifteen sequential minutes in your day to unplug completely (besides when you’re teaching, as I know you’re fully engaged with your students during that time). Try to choose a time when you typically use a device so you can get the full experience of shutting down. Use no electronic devices whatsoever. Note when your scroll finger starts to feel twitchy.

      • Thursday and Friday: You made it fifteen minutes the past two days. Can you make it thirty minutes (or more) today and tomorrow? Push yourself to see how long you can go and notice how it makes you feel.

Reflect on the Week

      When and how did you incorporate unplugging into your schedule this week? Which options did you choose and why?

      How did it feel to unplug for fifteen minutes? What did you do with this time?

      How did it feel to unplug for thirty minutes? What did you do with this time?

      Do you plan to continue to make unplugging part of your routine? Why and how? What about trying something like a Tech-Free Tuesday? Check out Screen-Free Week (www.screenfree.org) for more options.

Week Six: Altruism (Days 26–30)

      On a work trip where everything was going horribly wrong, I approached the airline counter with tears in my eyes. The gate agent looked at me with sincerity and softly said, “I’m here to help.” Those four simple words of kindness nearly melted me. I was able to catch my breath and accept help. Being kind, or giving to someone, actually decreases stress and enhances mental health (Achor, 2011a).