We spend a lot of time at work. For us teachers, that can have additional difficulties that affect our wellbeing during the day. I’m pretty sure I starved myself for the first 10 years I was in the classroom, hardly stopping for food and I never remember drinking any water. But now we know much more about what is good for us, how do we put that into practice.
Here’s some ideas about looking after your basic needs based on my experience and with the wonderful benefit of hindsight.
Keep a water bottle in your room!
Pretty obvious one these days, but probably the only way that you’re going to keep hydrated through the day (it’s such a luxury these days to actually finish a warm cup of tea!). Make sure that you get a germ cover for the spout though. I dread to think how many germs and viruses are circulating the average classroom…
Have some healthy snacks in your desk / cupboard.
Keeping those blood sugar levels up throughout the day are healthy for everyone. Raisins, apples, carrot sticks and dried fruit will keep for a while and can be munched on as and when necessary.
Make time to eat at lunchtime.
There’s never enough time to do everything. It’s so tempting to squeeze every last minute out of the lunch break and stuff a sandwich or think ‘it’s only a few hours until the end of the day…” Take it from an old lady, you can’t keep doing this forever! So start getting into good habits straight away and get that meal in at lunchtime.
Go to the loo!
Probably the most basic human need that we constantly push aside as teachers. It’s quite a potential risk to your health, nevermind just getting a 30 second break. Make time for it for your wellbeing 🙂
Take a few minutes
Now this is tricky. More and more there doesn’t seem to be this luxury during the school day. You probably have to schedule this in, a time when you can just be. I used to use the loo as my ‘make a minute’ place, but even then, you can’t guarantee that the person in the next cubicle won’t strike up a conversation! A friend of mine is Muslim and so she would escape the school bustle by praying. It was so mindful, that she didn’t even notice when you stumbled into the classroom she was using to pray. That’s a bit of what we all need. No need to all convert to Islam, but find a quiet space to breathe and stretch and reconnect with yourself.
Food, water and reconnection are pretty much our basic needs as teachers (assuming that you are in a safe environment). Try to make sure that you are checking in on yourself everyday and sticking to these fundamentals. It’s a good place to start and we’ll build on these in future blogs.