The holidays can be tough for many people for various reasons. I’m here to remind you of the basic needs that you need to help keep you on the right track.
Teachers are always seeking opportunities to fill their cups and practice self care. This won’t be one of those blogs to remind you to have a mantra and pray often. I’m here to remind you of your basic needs. Mostly, the ones that you are likely neglecting.
Did you know that adults need 7-9 hours of decent sleep a night? Not the type of sleep where you’re up every couple hours going to the bathroom or checking on your kids at night. 7-9 hours of deep sleep without being disturbed.
The quality of your sleep at night directly affects your mental and physical health and how well you feel during the day. Sleep impacts your productivity, emotional balance, brain and heart health, immune function, creativity, vitality, and even your weight.
Even minimal sleep loss can take a substantial toll on your mood, energy, mental sharpness, and ability to handle stress. And over the long-term, chronic sleep loss can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health.
During high stress times in the school year where I can’t seem to get my brain to shut off, I like to write down everything on my mind or what needs to get done. By writing down the ideas in my head, it helps me get them out and understand that tomorrow I can tackle that list.
Adults are supposed to drink 6-8 glasses of water daily. The best way to make sure you are drinking enough water is to take your weight and divide it by 2. So for example if you are 150 lbs you should be drinking 75 oz of water daily.
Drinking water improves your memory, mood, energy levels, and overall brain function. There has also been a connection to help prevent and treat headaches. Water can help maximize physical performance throughout the day, and aid in weight loss.
It is important for you to take care of your own body. That means fueling it with foods that provide nutrients. As much as I hate hearing it, sugar is not a nutrient you should be over consuming daily.. oops. Oh also alcohol should be at a minimum too.
A well-balanced diet provides you with all the energy you need to keep active throughout the day. This also helps provide the nutrients you need for growth and repair, helping you to stay strong and healthy and help to prevent diet-related illness, such as some cancers.
Teachers need to take time for themselves. This means moving their body and stepping away from the classroom from time to time. I don’t like to think of this as exercise, but more of a mental break to get mental clarity.
Moving your body can improve your memory and brain function, lower blood pressure and improve heart health, improve your quality of sleep, reduce feelings of anxiety and depression and improve joint pain and stiffness.
Moral of the story: Make sure you take some time this break to check where you are at with all of these basic needs and make them habits. Get some sleep, drink water, eat some vegetables and move your body everyday! You need your basic needs to be met!
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