Inspiration and resources for balance before burnout

Silent Night, Holy @%&*! The Oven Is On Fire

Tonight I have been working on the December issue of The Whole Teacher e-newsletter and writing about the Balance Before Burnout Reserve for this month – Silence.  The articles are written but there is editing and loose ends that must be completed before the Tuesday publish date.  My husband is gone for the night and I set aside some time to spend the quiet evening on my writing.

The irony is that at this moment my reality is anything but silent.  The fan on the stove is now set to hyper boost as I bake cupcakes for my youngest who turned 9 today to bring to school tomorrow.  I am trying to clear out a house full of smoke from the fire caused from drippings of the flan I baked earlier with my older son for his Spanish class .  "La comida esta en fuego!"

The dishwasher is humming with it’s second load of dishes from the family party we had last night.  And in the midst of this, I am attempting to write about the importance of finding a "piece of quiet" when the post I am working on disappears into thin air.  It is at this point when the little voice of my inner critic begins asking me "Who do you think you are?" as I attempt to finish the work I had planned for my own business this"quiet" evening (and check the oven once more for flames).  It’s funny how I have no problem hearing him over the roar of kitchen appliances.

I could listen to this voice.  I am tired and beat from a weekend of "busyness", but I know exactly why I am the person to do this job.  I know why I have worked so hard to make The Whole Teacher a reality.  I know how much time teachers put into their work. I know how hard it is to do it all.  I know first hand how our best laid plans often fall to the wayside (or up in flames).  I know how we often put ourselves last on our list, and I know how much we crave a group of like-minded people to support us as we try to be the best for our students. 

Therefore I choose to look at the lesson and try to find the humor in the situation.  There are many parts of life we can’t control, but it’s only what we make of it.  We all have this inner critic’s voice inside of us.  The stressors are inevitable, but we must build our resilience by taking care of ourselves and building reserves of what we need most.  Right now I need to finish my baking, close up the windows, and head upstairs to a quiet candle-lit bedroom (better yet let’s forget the candle) and follow my own advice for silence.  Who knows what inspiration will come when I take the time to listen?

Tags: Add new tag, balance, balance before burnout, burnout, find humor, Inner Critic, life lesson, Melissa Kitchen, stop teacher burnout, stop teacher stress, teacher, teacher burnout, teachers, The Whole Teacher
Posted in Inner Critic, Silence | Comment (1)