Originally, this post was going to be entitled, "Eat Dinner". A few years ago I got caught up in working. I'd come home, sit at my desk and plan lessons. I'd heat up a lean cuisine frozen meal, bring it to my desk and continue working so that I didn't lose the momentum. I enjoyed the work, the learning and keeping busy and didn't see it as a problem. One night though, as I looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:00pm, I realised that this was not healthy and from that moment on, I made it a boundary to eat my dinner and not work at the same time.
Setting boundaries is not a new idea and we all know how important it is, yet......
We make excuses:
- I need to get this done.
- It's not hurting anyone.
- I'll worry about my health tomorrow.
- I'm feeling inspired/motivated.
- All of the above.
- Other: _______________________
Definition of boundaries: something that indicates bounds or limits; a limiting or bounding line.
As part of a resilient teacher group, we are often reminded that we are people first, before we are teachers and recently I read another post say the same thing about a different profession. The question must be asked then, "What does it mean to you to be a person first?" For me, that means living my life to the fullest and keeping healthy - physically, spiritually and mentally. I want to enjoy my life and contribute meaningfully to my family and community. I love my work but I need to set boundaries to ensure it doesn't consume me and that I am able to be refreshed and keep giving it my best.
It's up to you to set boundaries that work for you and I'd also encourage you to put in place some kind of accountability that checks that you are doing it well. Find someone who will ask the hard questions and who won't get side-tracked into agreeing with you on every issue. You know who I mean: There are a few people who will always tell me I'm doing a good job and they encourage me to persevere when it gets hard. They're good people to have around but not always helpful when you need constructive advice.
The last few years I've set a goal at the beginning of the year to be healthy and to walk/ride 'x' amount in distance. I formed a group in Facebook to keep us all accountable and because I was the 'owner', I made sure I kept up. This year, I rarely contributed and the last few months, I didn't really bother to keep recording it daily. Last week for camp, we had to walk a lot and I realised that I didn't find it as easy as I would have a year or 2 ago, so that has motivated me to get back into it, including recording my progress daily.
A few years ago, I had a colleague who I got on well with and she was fantastic at making sure she did all the pretty-ing up of work, set out her planners in colour-coordinated folders and had a very interactive classroom. She would call 'after-hours' and on holidays, recounting all the work she had done and how ready she was for class and while that was good, it put me in a panic. I had to set boundaries and remind myself that it's a marathon, not a sprint.
The thing is, all of the above things are good and they might work for you in a positive way. So, my tip is this: Set boundaries when you find yourself comparing and falling short of your own expectations and stay healthy. Take time away from teaching to do what you enjoy, every day. Eat dinner away from the computer and/or work.
Remember: You are a person first.
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