Self Care for Educators with Zoe Bettess

Feb. 1, 2023

CoryB

Zoe Bettess teaches grade 4 in Thompson, Manitoba. Someone who wants to share their passion for promoting mental health. 

Strategies for coping that Zoe points out are that not all strategies work for everybody once you have a strategy that works for you and keep it close by, as well as find yourself a place and go there when you need a moment to yourself. Lastly, find somewhere in your home or outdoors or some spot to do visualization. One mindfulness strategy that can be helpful is deep breathing. 

-Deep breathing, breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 3-5 seconds, then breathe out for 5 seconds. 

Ways to calm yourself.

• Just breathe.
• Close your eyes and count to 10 slowly. 
• Chew a piece of gum. 
• Phone a friend – preferably a funny one. 
• Smell lavender. 
• Curl up with your cat or dog.
• Listen to calming music. 
• Exercise your body.

                                                    https://www.thepathway2success.com/self-care-for-teachers/

Self-care tips for teachers:

Set boundaries, stay on top of things, prioritize, develop a support network, stay healthy, feed outside interests, be present including spending time with family or friends and make sure to take a break. 

Make sure to use positive self to help keep yourself motivated and focused. Some statements Zoe gives include “attempting to do this took courage and I am proud of myself for trying.” “I am capable and strong so I can get through this.” “This is hard, but I am going to keep on trying.” “I am enough!”

Self-compassion - is showing kindness, empathy and understanding to yourself when you make a mistake, fail at something, or feel any difficult emotion. The main concept of self-compassion is to remember you are not alone and that you have other people around you that can help you. 

Getting professional help is always an option and it's okay to not be okay. Never be afraid to ask for help as asking for help only makes you stronger. Getting counselling is also an option to help talk out your problems or help understand how you are feeling. MTS members have access to human care counsellors, however not all counsellors might be a right fit for you so try to find one that is best suited for you. 

MBEDCHAT (Manitoba Education chat) is a spot-on Twitter where educators can go to talk with fellow educators about what is going on which generally takes place every third Wednesday of every month. 

Some final tips Zoe Bettess provides are. 

If you are feeling anxious try lying under a weighted blanket, make a playlist on your phone of all the songs that make you feel good, take a break from social media, and you can follow Zoe’s mental health advocacy Instagram account for strategies, tips, and general health awareness at myfightsong7.

Books to check out:

• Self-Compassion for Educators by Lisa Baylis
• Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• The Setting Boundaries Workbook by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• Empowered Boundaries by Cristien Storm
• 10% Happier by Dan Harris
• Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger
• Self-Compassion for Educators by Lisa Baylis
• Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff
• Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• The Setting Boundaries Workbook by Nedra Glover Tawwab
• Empowered Boundaries by Cristien Storm
• 10% Happier by Dan Harris
• Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger                                          

                                                                               

Zoe Bettess gave a lot of different examples of ways to help one to de-stress which was good to see that I was already doing some of these but there are also some that I might want to try out the next time that I am feeling overwhelmed. So, thank you Zoe Bettess for a great presentation and for giving many ways and resources to help those who are feeling overwhelmed and need to take time to make sure to take care of themselves.