This is Your Permission to Rest

If you live in the US, you live in what many call the 'hustle' culture. This is where you get rewarded for being busy and working extraordinarily hard. This is the society that also tells us that burnout is normal as teachers.

I used to think that the harder I worked, the better a teacher I'd be. Do you know where that mindset landed me? 

Burnt out and resentful of the classroom. 

So much so that I decided to leave the classroom, thinking that would be a better option. I considered rest a reward. I thought, like many do, that rest was over rated and that working myself to the ground was the way to get to where I wanted to be. I had to do the work to unlearn that mentality and truly understand what my body needs for me to function.

After 3 years of being out of the classroom, I went back full-time but I knew I had to do things differently. Here's what I did to change:

• I took a position that gave me the ability to only focus on school while I was in the building and not have much to do at home.
• I made a promise to myself that any school work that needed to be done, would be done during school hours - I would never be bringing work home with me.
• My evenings at home would be just that. I get to do what I want and listen to my body’s needs rather than always worrying about my students.
• I’d create new, fresh energy after a day of school so that I could show up for the people I love most and be present during the time I have.
• Last and probably most important, I will always create space for rest no matter how much I have going on during the week.

Rest is a super power when it comes to your work and productivity in and out of the classroom. If you need to hear it, I give you permission to rest every day and whenever you truly need it.