1. Spend time in nature
There is nothing like spending time in nature to re-gather. Or if you are super lucky like me, the sun, sand and water provides a perfect opportunity for a spiritual cleanse. Educators should find their special place that allows them the opportunity to take in some fresh air, and simply enjoy their natural surroundings in a park, on a bike ride, on a bush walk or in the ocean or lake. Nature really does have some healing power and it can be enjoyed with your special someone or special furry friend like my puppy.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Educators need to practice what they preach. They need to ask for help. It is okay to tell your family that you can’t attend every single family gathering (no offence family), it is okay to ask your partner to cook dinner one night (or two!) or to hang out with the kids/pets while you have a rest. It is important to have the support of your work colleagues. Engaging in professional dialogue is an essential coping mechanism for educators. Having someone who can act as a sounding board and provide constructive feedback is highly useful. Make sure you have someone that gets you and has your back, especially when things get a little hectic and complex.

3. Get plenty of rest and sleep
This is one of the things that I am still struggling with, as I it here at 10:30 pm writing this. I must go to bed before midnight. Sleep is important. It allows our bodies to recover from the day, for our vital organs to grow and repair, as well as giving us energy for the day ahead. Aim to get at least eight hours EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Shut down the lid, turn off the screen and put your phone on night time mode.

4. Eat fresh, nutritious food
We all only know too well the importance of healthy, nutritious food. I could go on for ages about choosing organic, grass fed, free range; but I will leave that for another time. Relying on caffeine and sugar only harms you. It puts you on red alert and with the adrenaline already pumping around your body from high intensity physical activity, stress and pressure you don’t need anything else in your system causing any more unwanted hormonal balances.

A great tip for busy educators, is don’t rush your eating. Take the time to have your lunch, try to move away from your work and you desk. If you can’t see yourself sticking to this, but make it a habit to enjoy lunch with work colleagues as often as you can. We are lucky at my current school as we have a BBQ every Friday that is put on by our support class. It has an added bonus as it is an excuse to wind down from the week and debrief with our colleagues about all that has happened.

5. Nature’s medicine
Since doing an assessment on remedial massage in Year 10 PDHPE, I have always loved alternative therapies. I have dabbled in a few weird and wonderful potions and supplements in my adult life with the guidance of trained professionals. Of late I have been using my aromatherapy oils (Doeterra and Le Reve) to help with certain ailments. My favourite oils are Frankincense and Basil which can both be put on neat (without a carrier oil). Frankincense has properties that are great for cellular function, relaxation and for good immunity health. Basil on the other hand is used for adrenal issues and although you might smell a little like a garden, I can feel my adrenals relaxing when I put Basil oil on in the morning and at night.

Supplements such as zinc, magnesium, St Mary’s Thistle, tumeric and the like in blends from Australian/New Zealand companies Bioceuticals and Dr Libby Weaver’s Bio Blends are fantastic. As with any new alternative therapy, please seek advice from your General Practitioner before trialling any of these for yourself.

6. Drink plenty of water and get some sunlight
As any good PE teacher knows, our body is made up of approximately 70% water. That means that we need to drink at least 0.033 times our body weight per day. Hydration leads to better concentration, improved mood, curbs cravings and prevents dehydration. While treating yourself like a plant by giving yourself lots of water, it is also very important to give yourself a chance to have some sunlight each day to increase your intake of Vitamin D.

7. Breathe
Breathing is essential for life, but how we breathe is important in how we handle stress and chaos. Spending time deep breathing is very important for stress relief and positive wellbeing. You may even be keen to try the Whim Hoff Method and incorporate cold water showers!

8. Practice mindfulness (wide gaze) and meditation
The benefits of mindfulness and meditation are widespread and include a reduction in stress, improvement in overall wellbeing, increase in energy, improvement attention, improved mood and sleep.

9. Physical activity
Taking time out to get your heart pumping and body moving is highly important. Physical activity (especially high intensity) has numerous benefits for stress relief, energy, body functioning and mood boosting!

10. Be grateful
Simply making time to be grateful for all that you have can make a significant difference to your day and stress levels. Reflecting on all of the good things that happened in your day and even writing them in a Gratitude Journal or keeping a Gratitude Jar can be a great way to relieve stress.

“Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time”… (Reinhold Niebuhr).

As Jerry Springer says (his show is educational, right?) take care of yourselves, and each other.

Let’s connect, learn and grow together!

Recommended websites and further reading
Breathing: Whim Hoff
https://www.wimhofmethod.com/

Essential oils: Doeterra and Le Reve
https://www.doterra.com.au/
https://www.lereve.com.au/

Meditation and Mindfulness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWrgKDzM0LU
https://au.reachout.com/articles/how-to-practise-mindfulness
https://www.smilingmind.com.au/
https://www.calm.com/

Reading: Own your Day Own your Life
https://www.aubreymarcus.com/pages/own-the-day/
Dr Libby Weaver: Rushing Women’s Syndrome and Women’s Wellness Wisdom
https://www.drlibby.com/shop/

Supplements:
https://www.bioblends.com/
https://www.bioceuticals.com.au/