{"id":1807,"date":"2020-10-22T10:45:44","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T16:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/?p=1807"},"modified":"2021-05-11T10:02:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T16:02:39","slug":"sip-12-10-prioritizing-self-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/sip-12-10-prioritizing-self-care\/","title":{"rendered":"SIP 12.10 Prioritizing Self-Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice?<\/h3>\n

\"AEducators and students adjusting to remote learning are encouraged to prioritize new ways to incorporate self-care into their daily routine. Teaching is an intensive job, and especially during the pandemic, prioritizing self-care to become a habit is increasingly important for all teachers. Working and learning from home can be challenging, as school time blends into personal time. School may become \u201cbeing on call 24\/7\u201d to answer questions and requests from learners at any time. We are seeing more student need for basics of living, which makes it feel more urgent, increasing teachers\u2019 feeling of needing to \u201cbe on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Self-care includes setting boundaries that separate work time from personal time and finding a balance between home and work life. Self-care is taking time to prioritize your own emotional, physical, spiritual, social and psychological health. Prioritizing self-care is especially important in the current pandemic, as we are likely to become exhausted and overtired and lack energy.<\/p>\n

Self-care and Zoom fatigue<\/em><\/h4>\n

The transition to virtual learning has created \u201cZoom fatigue\u201d that has multiple negative effects, including on our eyes, by the physical demands that too much screen time places on our eyes. If not taken seriously, this can lead to chronic discomfort and vision problems. One simple method to combat this issue is to force our eyes to take a much-needed break, which can be accomplished using\u00a0the 20-20-20 method<\/a>. For every 20 minutes you stare at a screen, stare at something else 20 feet away for a total of 20 seconds. This forces our eyes to readjust and relax, giving our vision a moment to recover before focusing back on the computer. Teach your students and use the 20-20-20 technique during your classes.<\/p>\n

Another sign of Zoom fatigue is having difficulty focusing on what is being discussed. To help your students as well as yourself, share the agenda with your class ahead of time to allow students time to process the info that will be discussed. Zoom fatigue is compounded if there are technical problems, bandwidth concerns or computer glitches.<\/p>\n

Video calls also make us communicate in unusual ways \u2013 with prolonged eye contact, a lack of body gestures and an increased need for facial expressions \u2013 all while forcing us to stay in relatively the same spot. Even making a simple change of standing up to teach: Raise your laptop onto a cardboard box and you now have a standing desk. Virtual teaching does require more brain power because it is a different form of communication than what we are used to. Nonverbal cues and body language make up\u00a0a huge portion of communication<\/a>, and video calls make it\u00a0significantly more difficult<\/a>\u00a0to pick up on these things. To combat the lack of nonverbal cues, include your feelings or body language in text. For example, \u201cAs I opened my email this morning, I could feel my shoulders slump,\u201d or, \u201cSince you can\u2019t see me, imagine my voice jumping up and down, excited at your news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our brains will adapt to this new way of teaching and learning, but it will take a while to rewire our brains. When you or your students are exhausted, be honest about the situation, support them and be patient. Encourage students as well as your colleagues to participate in self-care techniques. We risk a complete shutdown mentally or physically. It is about taking care of your health so that you\u2019re prepared to be the best teacher you can be for yourself and your students. As the saying goes, we must secure our own oxygen mask first before we can assist others.<\/p>\n

Take a SIP of This: P<\/em><\/strong>rioritizing<\/em> S<\/em>elf-care<\/em><\/h4>\n

Self-care is about taking care of your physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, and social health. Without taking care of yourself, you won\u2019t have the energy to help your students, and you may risk professional burnout. To get started, brainstorm a few self-care activities that work for you; the next step is putting them on your calendar. Create a plan to take the time to take time for yourself every day. Make a choice to survive and thrive. Commit to taking care of yourself.<\/p>\n

Suggestions for implementing self-care:<\/strong><\/p>\n