Self-care is an act of survival.

Man! Where'd the summer go? Felt like June and the last day of school were just yesterday. Now I see aisles filled with school supplies and families out shopping for school clothes. And here I am--trying to live up these last days of freedom.

For those of you who don't know, I am 8th grade SpEducator (special educator). Now before you go all like,"But you have the whole summer off!", let me dispell that myth. Not only did I work this summer, I worked 3 jobs. THREE!!!!! That means I had very long days and short weekends just like the rest of you in the corporate world, lol.

However, this summer taught me a whole lot about time management, hustlin', and most important, SELF-CARE. If you're not sure what that is, let me put you on right quick. Self-care is the act of protecting and preserving your mind, body and spirit by engaging in things that you value. It's a way of enhancing your well-being and reducing stress. And maaaaaan, it's really important to have a some sort of way of practicing it on a regular basis. I had lost sight of that through the creation of lectures, observation write-ups, and grading essays. I was too busy trying to be the best professor, coach and facilitator that I had spent all of me helping others to become better. But how could I help them, if I didn't help myself at all?

I've been an huge advocate of

self-care for a few years now, but as I grow older and deeper into education-- I realize that it is something so vital to my success. The wheel to the right has been in constant rotation. ---------------->

As the new school year is upon us, I've decided to make a more personal self-care plan. We used this template at the New Teachers' Summer Institute and I think it will be a great plan to have laminated and posted at both school and home.

In the words of Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” It is an act of survival.