Self-Care; Shut Up Already - Let's Get Real About Self-Management

The growing need for self-management in education.

• Education has the highest burnout rate among professions (2022, Gallup Survey)

• Stress is the primary factor in leaving the profession (Learning Policy Institute)

• Student well-being is affected by teacher stress (APA)

• It is one of the five SEL competencies and needs to be modeled (CASEL)

The Reality of Self-Management

It's Wednesday afternoon, and you're already on your second coffee or Alani. The week started strong, but now you're staring down your to-do list that seems to multiply faster than you can cross things off. You're not just tired - you're mentally and emotionally drained. You've been putting out fires all week, and it feels like there's no end in sight. Sound familiar? You're not alone.

That's decision fatigue talking and dopamine levels dipping. Teachers face such a high cognitive load, like surgeons.

For many of us in education, this is the daily grind. I promote educator wellness, not because it's up to us to fix a flawed system, but to empower us to protect our well-being amidst the challenges. We hear a lot about self-care and "managing stress", but let's be real - it's easier said than done and is not a magical fix.

Why Should I Care? Oh Yeah...Brain Science

Your pre-frontal cortex is working overtime when you practice self-management. This is where we manage emotions, make decisions, and resist urges. In order for these things to happen, your amygdala is experiencing a weak, glitchy signal. Remember...we want to keep it that way. If you are feeling confused, check out the previous blog for more brain science 101 vibes.

Ok, so you might be wondering how to keep your amygdala's signal weak and all that jazz. 👐🏽 Well let me introduce you to your RAS🎤. The Reticular Activating System. A BFF of the lizard brain group. It plays a critical role because it regulates things like wakefulness, attention, and the BIGGIE filtering sensory information. So think about what can happen when those two get together?!

The Power of The RAS: Dazzled or Frazzeld?

RAS in action	Helps	Hinders
What is the Reticular Activating System (RAS)? Open 24/7 The Watcher	constantly scanning for changes, rewards, filters input, signal stays weak	constantly scanning for threats, strong emotions, filters input, starts blowing up the amygdala's DM 🤪
Life Example	keeps you focused, alert, attentive, think executive functioning skills	keeps you stuck in a stress loop, or overthinking, overload, decision fatigue
Classroom Example	Noticing positive student behavior to reinforce	Hyper-focusing on disruptions, escalating stress
Life Example	Focus on relaxation techniques during breaks	Obsessing over unfinished tasks, unable to unwind
Life Example	You have a morning routine that focuses on some breathing and affirmations. Your RAS filters distractions and scans for calm, positive vibes😎 that guide you through the day.	You wake up late, rush through your morning, and skip breakfast. Your RAS signals urgency and stress making you more reactive and less apt to handle challenges.
Life Example	You create a consistent end-of-the-day reset ritual and spend 10 minutes focusing on one positive thing that happened. Your RAS then scans for positive experiences like accomplishments and well-being reducing overall stress.	You constantly check your phone for work emails, at night even when you are supposed to be winding down. Your RAS signals a need to be alert, affecting your sleep cycle which leads to anxiety and poor decision making.
Classroom Example	You start each class with some type of mindful moment like coloring, breathing, gratitude, journaling, or stretching, and over time the RAS filters distractions and the brain matches the beginning of class with focus and calm. Much more manageable day!	You frequently check your phone or emails during class to try and multitask while teaching, Your RAS filters input and sends out a signal of distress and alert due to the overload. This leads to being more snappy and a threat detective.

Our Brain Chooses Sides When It Comes to Self-Management

Brain Response.pdf

Download PDF • 105KB

You & Them Connection

Remember...your students are also experiencing decision fatigue and stress. Their RAS is working hard and activating their amygdala frequently. They don't even have a fully developed pre-frontal cortex to rely on. Yikes! That's why modeling self-management - keeps yourself together while teaching them to do the same. This is not anything extra either. Already what you do or are working on. It's not about willpower, it's about giving your brain the tools to function at its' best under pressure. This paradigm shift is challenging but huge in getting through content, making progress, applying learning, and fostering relationships. Empathy-driven talk and decisions became a focus of mine due to this and I experienced results while feeling better. It remains one of my focus areas, especially as I spend more time in a variety of learning environments.

Ok...I'll Shut Up Now

Self-management isn't about perfection, having it all together, or life-altering changes. Ewww. It's about recognizing your limits and having a proactive action plan to prevent a crash and burn 🔥  When in doubt, go back to the brain science 🧠 Lots to think about here so next week's blog will focus on realistic self-management action plans.

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Keep it real, Keep it well

Crystal

@MsTTalks