The holidays bring joy and (if we are being honest) chaos. Is your to-do list as long as mine? Our teaching schedules leave little time for holiday prep. My daughter told me I need a holiday survival guide, which got me thinking about how I could do the holidays better.
I sat down with my afternoon cup of tea, took a deep breath, and this is what I came up with, my eight-step Holiday Survival Guide.
8 Mindful ways to reduce stress during the holidays
Practice Mindful …
- Decorating – Isn’t it easy to go Pinterest-crazy all the time? Especially at Christmas! Be mindful. Take a moment to plan your time and choose decorating and crafts that bring joy- in the creation, the placement, and in reflection.
- Lesson Planning – Add more SEL to your teaching calendar!
- Assessments – Why trade a holiday Zoom with friends for grading a stack of papers? Lighten up your grading load by mindfully creating student work and assessments.
- Commitments – Learn to say no. This is the time to focus on the basics.
- Thoughts – Get into the holiday spirit with our playlist and our new holiday audio meditations. Try it free using the promo code HOLIDAZE2020, and feel free to share this with a friend!
- Cooking – Make the slow cooker your best friend- feel that joy of effortless dinner prep. While you are at it, plan to make extra for leftovers that can morph into another dinner.
- Collaboration – Work with teachers on your team; many hands make light work!
- Delegation – Let your students help. In doing so, they are also learning mindful collaboration skills, and the work gets done. It’s all good!
Mindful SEL is paying attention on purpose. It is essential to your holiday survival, to thrival (if I may coin a new word!) during the holiday.
Let’s connect over the holidays! Find me on Facebook and Instagram, and also look for Mind Body Align’s free resources, mindful living tips, and even playlists on our website here. Follow us on social using Facebook and Instagram.
Julie Braumberger is an elementary school teacher for grades Kindergarten through grade eight, and is licensed by the Ohio Department of Education. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Notre Dame College. Affectionately called “Mrs. B,” Julie taught third grade in Ohio for more than 10 years before she joined Mind Body Align as the Director of Mindful Education with the mission to find ways to teach children and other teachers how to bring themselves to focused attention and improve their learning. She chose a proven teacher certification program to teach mindful social-emotional learning in schools. Julie developed the MBAwareness Educational Program, a social and emotional learning wellness program for schools which has helped over 90% of teachers and students to manage and reduce stress.