Self Care Isn’t Selfish

It’s Thanksgiving week. As a teacher, this begins the downhill trek to Christmas break and the New Year. Just to put it in perspective, there are 5 more Mondays in 2020. That sounds crazy to me!

Friends. This year has been a doozy! We started the year with rumors of a crazy virus in China. Schools went on Spring Break and never went back. Toilet paper and cleaning supplies went MIA for a while. Summer came with the slow reopening of different places. School started back with traditional, hybrid, and online options. Halloween was cancelled in some states. Elections brought lots of emotions. And now we’re approaching Thanksgiving. And Christmas.

Just writing about this year is stressing me out! This is just a list of the shared experiences. To top it off, some of us had to handle the loss of loved ones, new babies, loss of jobs, health scares…the list could go on! Suffice it to say – we need a break and we deserve one!

This post serves as a reminder to everyone that it’s okay to take a day off. It’s okay to call out of work, even if you aren’t sick. It’s okay to take a day off from homeschooling the kids. It’s okay to order pizza or takeout, instead of preparing a home cooked meal with all the essential nutrients. What’s your favorite way to release the stress?

Yesterday, I turned on the Michael Buble Christmas station on Pandora and put up Christmas decorations with the kids. Does it look perfect? Absolutely not! Did we have a good time? Absolutely yes! And at some point this week, we’re going to bake cookies and watch The Grinch. Because that is what will make my heart happy. What makes your heart happy?