April Showers
As I write this, the sky is cloudy, and rain is on the way. I have chimes hanging nearby and I can hear them clanging in the wind. My window is open and I can smell fresh grass. I am sharing these sensory observations because it is how I am keeping myself grounded. It is hard these days, right? But I have found the practice of noticing a great way to bring myself back to the present moment.
I used this practice a lot in my classroom when I was a teacher. Things get pretty hectic and overwhelming, particularly in a pre-K classroom. But I knew that if I started to become dysregulated, the children in my class would too. I could feel things starting to unravel, usually, when my breathing started to become shallow. Or, I found myself moving more quickly around the room. My patience became frayed. I would pause, and take a moment to gain control of my breathing. Sometimes, it just took a few breath cycles of extending my inhale/exhale pattern (increasing the time inhaling, pausing and slowly exhaling to prevent shallow breathing). Not to say I was always successful. There were days when everything went wrong. Someone out and no subs. Children came to school sick and we coudn’t get in touch with anyone to come pick them up for a long time. Personal things going on in my life that made it difficult to be present. But, we do the best we can.
Zero to Three has a new resource about four dispositions that are essential for those who have or work with children in the early years. They include: self-awareness, curiosity, reflection and intention. I am always drawn to thinking about intention in my teaching and interactions. These dispositions are all related to mindfulness. A lot of us hear “mindfulness” and think of meditation. Meditation can be really difficult, particularly when we are stressed. But mindfulness is, simply put, being in the present moment. Finding a way to be here, now can be helpful to keep going when days are long and stressful. If you have 15 minutes, I love this yoga practice for regulating the nervous system.
Drop a comment below and share what you recommend to other teachers to help stay grounded!
