Our mission at Teaching Well is to help and support teachers on their way to finding and sustaining balance and wellness inside and outside the classroom. This sounds really great, but there are lots of things people can think of when they see the word “wellness”. So today’s post is going to share what practices we will really be focusing on when we talk about sustaining wellness at Teaching Well.
The three major components we will focus on in our services, content, and offerings are…
-Mindfulness
-Positive Psychology
-Holistic Health
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment with awareness and purpose but without judgment. So it’s being with what is happening at a particular moment in time. When our minds try to take us away, we simply come back to the present moment. Practicing mindfulness helps us become more present in our classrooms and our personal lives. In just five minutes a day, we can begin to build our mindful muscles which can begin to translate into bringing mindfulness into our everyday encounters. We can even practice mindfulness when doing more mundane activities like driving, brushing our teeth or walking the dog. Practicing mindfulness is not a cure-all, but it does help us to become aware of what’s happening in our world. This makes us more likely to respond to situations, rather than react.
Because people who practice mindfulness regularly have been shown to be less reactive and less stressed, it is a natural fit for promoting balance and wellness in the classroom. Teaching Well advocates a regular mindfulness practice and is committed to demonstrating the benefits of mindfulness. We know it might be a challenge to begin a regular practice, but we are sure you will begin reaping the benefits once you get started! Stay tuned for lots more resources and tools to help you integrate mindfulness into your life!
Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology is all about helping individuals and communities learn what makes them perform optimally and thrive. At Teaching Well, we want to help each of you flourish in both your classrooms and your personal lives. We do this through learning what our strengths are and how those strengths can help us become our best selves. When we are our best selves, we can help make our classrooms and larger communities positive places to be. Through the use of positive psychology, we are empowered to seek out a satisfactory life, rather than only looking for solutions to what is wrong.
Positive Psychology is one of the pillars of Teaching Well’s wellness model because we want to celebrate and enhance those things about us that make our lives worth living. This certainly doesn’t mean to ignore the hardships that happen in life, but when they do occur you will know how your strengths can help you in the difficult times.
Holistic Health
Holistic Health is an approach to living that considers the wellness of the whole person, rather than simply treating an illness or parts of the body. Holistic Health emphasizes the connection of mind, body, and spirit where the goal is maximum well-being. Some practices that support holistic health are nutrition education, regular exercise, psychotherapy or counseling, alternative therapies such as chiropractic care and massage therapy. Although we are not experts in all of these modalities, we simply suggest that a balanced well-being is the goal but there are many roads to get there.
Holistic Health is one of the main components at Teaching Well, because we want to help you not only survive, but also thrive in your classrooms and beyond. When we are out of balance and consistently fixing symptoms, we may never feel our best. By bringing our whole selves into balance, we can show up as more active participants rather than just spectators. This will help us be better teachers, but also be better parents, spouses and community members!