How do you relax during a pandemic?

Confessions of a Teacher

How do you relax during a pandemic? 

Written by - Miss B

Happy Summer! It is the time of the year many of us work towards, if you are anything like me. Be that because you have an amazing holiday booked, you are in fear of how you will get your class to end of year expectations or just because this ever challenging job that we all do has left you craving some time to just be. Normally the last day of term is filled with celebrations, smiles, sunshine (if we are lucky) and that exciting buzz that you have 6 weeks in front of you to fill with what makes your heart happy. Enter Pandemic.

This year my last day was sat in front of a computer, my last moment of my 2019/20 academic year was simply logging off. It was underwhelming to say the least and in a time when we needed to celebrate more than ever lots of us were either at home like me or in school grappling with the new normal. It has been the most strange and challenging year I think many of us will ever face (here is  hoping) but we have risen to the challenge. Teachers have worked in ways we have never experienced before, pulling together an online programme overnight to support our children during a pandemic, it would seem, nobody saw coming. So after all that, how on earth do you switch off?

The added challenge, for me at least, is the big black hold that is September. In order to relax I like to know what awaits me when I have to charge back up.  We all know the drill normally, last day of school celebrations followed by perhaps a few days to a week in school prepping before checking out for a good few weeks. I usually am prepping for my year’s holiday, I only really switch off when I know my problems are in another country, making plans with friends and looking forward to being outdoors and surrounded by family. All of this whilst knowing what awaits me in September. But not this year.

Regardless of who you are, I am sure your summer will look different. You might be the type of person who lined up outside the pubs when they reopened, dying to get back to normal. Booking the first flight you could to still grab hold of that summer break. Or you might be more  like me, hesitantly staying on the safe side of history and watching with horror as hordes of people collectively forget the trauma we have all just experienced as they crowd our beaches and decide they have sacrificed enough.

I spent the last week of our academic year with a horrible feeling that I could not shake. When I explored it I found it was not only the changes in the world that made me feel uneasy but the 6 weeks that I now found before me to contemplate them. I felt stressed and anxious about being left alone to ponder what has happened and what could happen during the next academic year. I was really concerned that I would not be able to relax and that I would return in September unprepared for the challenges that will be waiting for me. I did not want to pause, not now, not whilst the pandemic still feels very real.

So I had two choices  here ignore the feelings of dread, worry and disbelief at what happened or lean in. I chose to lean in to the uncertainty, something I have never done before in my life.

And with that decision came clarity of what I could spend my summer doing. Perhaps I would not be exploring Croatia as I did last year or Italy as I planned to do this summer, I would not be preparing my classroom in the way I would like to or prepping resources certain of what my year would look like. When I thought about summer last week it felt like this one was going to be written off, just not productive and out of my hands. But life is too short to write off entire chapters of your life  and so I decided that this summer I will take for myself, this summer I will explore me and what makes me happy and prepare my self-care resources and routines ready for what will undoubtedly be another challenging year.

I have read up lots on self-care, wellness and mental health over the past few months. I have taken courses, listened to podcasts, lives (@mindfullyteaching and @miss.d.prepteacher have a great one all about summer) and now it was my time to get to know myself and embed my practices. Only two days into my holiday I already feel well rested and on a journey to a better place. I will share my goals with you below and if anyone else is doing a personal project this summer I would love to hear from you!

So if you feel like summer is a long stretch of nothingness, I would encourage you to look within and take this time to pause and reflect, regardless of how hard that can feel. What is that thing you have always wanted to do for yourself but time got in the way? You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life and as they say happiness is an inside job. So what’s stopping you?

Summer Goals:

1.     Yoga – Although I am not new to yoga I am the first to admit that I am shocking at keeping up the habit. Yoga with Adrinne has some of the most amazing courses for free and I have just restarted the 30 days home course. Yoga is amazing for so many reasons but I think you really have to discover that for yourself. If it’s not your jam exercise works for me too specifically weightlifting as I think you have to control your breath in a similar way. Both activities require you to stay with the discomfort of a position and lean in to what you are feeling using your breath to push through.

2.     Meditation – I won’t bore you with stats on how effective meditation is as I am sure you have heard it all before. Again, my issue is I leave it till I am struggling to pick my meditation back up again. Headspace is currently free for a year for educators so it is a great incentive for me to build it into my ritual in the evening. They have fantastic courses and short bursts depending on your goal.

3.     Cooking – Somewhere along the way of being too busy to breathe I lost my love of cooking. I want to work on getting this back and using it as a mindfulness activity. My partner has some time off in August so together we have planned a backpacking through Europe fortnight where we will cook the meals from various countries and do things based on the country we are ‘visiting’. Hopefully that will reignite my love for cooking.

4.     Nature – I love walks in the woods, near the coast generally anything that makes me feel really small. That is what I adore about being in nature, suddenly nothing feels so bad anymore when you realise how big the world is. I am blessed with a beautiful garden which has allowed me to enjoy outdoors time throughout the pandemic but I would like to try and get out more for walks.

5.     Journaling – I always kept a diary as a teenager and I have read so much about the benefits of journaling so I think it could be really handy to add to my arsenal. Perhaps another blog post is needed on this one when I am up and running.

6.     Self-Care – Really getting in tune with what helps me when so I am ready for the September madness.

7.     Routine – I have always been a little bit of a routine rebel. I like a bedtime but other than that although I thrive on routine I always try and push against them. I will be spending summer really looking at a routine that works for me and my productivity.