#A2TBalance – Click the STAR to like this post and comment below with your best ideas for keeping balance and not getting lost to the job.
September 24, 2021
It’s been a busy month. Not just with work and the start of the school year as a teacher, but with life. We have celebrated successes, grieved lost loved ones, had home projects and chores to tend to, refinanced our house (yay for lower interest rates) and prayed without ceasing over illness and struggle.
And there has been so much struggle.
I got consumed in trying to take care of everyone else, I forgot to take care of me. The other day, I lost it completely and was in tears. Major anxiety attacks over things that weren’t worth it. And I have never really been one to get to this point, until the pandemic. I could usually rationalize, make a list, go for a walk–something to regain balance, then tackle it and get through. None of that worked this time.
I called my husband, being the steady rock of logic that he is, and he helped me immensely. you know what he told me: stop worrying about helping everyone else and focus on you.
SMACK!
So I did. I went through my work schedule and cleared anything that wasn’t necessary. I had my youngest son help with a few tasks as his “big helper chores” for the week. I avoided committing myself to others, other than just to pray for them. The biggest thing he said that helped was taking a break from social media.
I’m like most people and check the streams on two or more apps several times a day. So I posted that I was hitting a rough road and taking a break. It’s now been a few days. Several friends and family members called or texted just to check on me, which was amazing. My brain hasn’t slowed down, but it has refocused. I got through this crazy week of obstacles and created a plan of attack for the next two super busy weeks at work, and I set my boundaries of hours and stuck to it. I said no, and that hardly ever happens. Most importantly, I focused on my faith–my anchor in life–and prayed several times a day, even if just to say hi and thank Him for my porch swing and the cookie I was enjoying.
If you are like me and feeling overwhelmed, I hope that you can also find balance by eliminating what isn’t necessary. I hope you also have someone you can reach out to that can help you and be a voice of reason. I hope that you have faith or a connection to a higher power or life force than just you.
We can’t escape struggle or challenge. There is no easy way around it, avoiding it makes it worse, so all we can do is get through it as best we can.
I may check my social media pages tomorrow, when I am off work and relaxed. Or maybe I will go for a walk, call and have a long chat with someone, or explore someplace new instead. It could really go either way.
Be sure to click the STAR to like this post and comment below with your best ideas for keeping balance and not getting lost to the job. Also, be sure to share this blog with other teachers, and subscribe so future blogs come straight to your inbox! I blog about teaching, but also food, family, travel and other inspirations! You can also find me on Twitter (@addictedtoteac1), Facebook (Addicted2Teaching) or even on YouTube to check out some videos before I just focused on blogging (Sonya Barnes – Addicted to Teaching) and join the conversation, get more ideas, share your story or just interact with me.
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