The start of the school year is tough for so many reasons. One of them is the act of getting back into the school routine of your life. I've spent the Summer sleeping in, working out on a regular schedule (for the most part), and using the bathroom whenever I needed. Being back at school changes all of that.
I have a 40 minute drive to work in the morning and I need to be at school by 7:15ish or else I get stuck in traffic and will never be to school on time for our 7:50 meetings. That means I have to be up and out the door by 6:30ish. Working out has been a huge part of managing my mental health. It sets my brain on the right path for the day and fills me with the good energy. I would need to get up over an hour earlier to get in a good workout and make it to school on time.
Working out after school is tough. I'm tired and I just want to hang with the family and see how the day went. It is tough to want to do an ab workout after running around school all day chasing 6th graders to make sure they have all of their supplies. I wish there was a simple answer here, but I can't find it.
Another part of being back to school is adjusting my bladder schedule and my water intake. I can't just down all of the water I want during the day because I will be with students and will only have a 5 minute window every 75 minutes to have my bio break. That can really take its toll on the body the first couple of weeks.
All of this is going on while I'm trying to come up with new lessons, learn student names, and keep everyone engaged. If I had the time, I would be stuffing my face with food to deal with the anxiety of it all, so I guess that one of the good things to come out of all this. Avoiding the stress eating is a bit easier.
Taking some time in the morning in my room alone with some meditation helps and, sometimes, if the drive to school was really short and it is nice out, I might take a 20 minute walk outside. Trying to find the little windows of mental and physical health support is the best I can do right now and sometimes, the best you can do right now is the good enough.
I hope all of you out there are finding these little moments of personal support and know that it is ok that you are doing your best, even if it is not exactly where you want to be.
I have to workout at 5 am for the reasons above, if I don't workout before school there is little to no chance I will after school. Beginning of the year teacher tired is real! Rest up and keep finding those breaks where you can
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