“My key to dealing with stress is simple:  just stay cool and stay focused.”  ―  Ashton Eaten

I am a fairly high stress person.  This is confirmed by my Oura ring, which rudely clocked seven hours of physiological stress yesterday.  I know that not all stress is bad and some helps us to be productive, but sheesh.  

I’m not quite sure when or how this happened, because it certainly wasn’t always the case, but as I get older, I seem to be a little more high-strung.  I was never stressed growing up or even in college or post-college I don’t think.  But I didn’t value time then like I do now either, and I think that’s perhaps the root of my stress (which though clearly measurable, isn’t something I usually feel because I really like being productive).  I generally try to maximize productivity, and my mind strategizes for how to best accomplish a number tasks as efficiently as possible so after all my tasks are completed, I can genuinely relax.  And this worked very well for being in the classroom where there are many simultaneous demands.  But being a mother is around the clock and there is always a task to complete, so I’m having to learn that it’s okay for some tasks to wait.  

This has been a big learning curve for me, and it was actually the genesis of my minimizing our home—to streamline and make tasks simpler and thus allow for more rejuvenating time to be present in each wonderful moment and not have tasks nagging me in the back of my mind while I watch our son happily climb all over his climbing blocks.  I love watching him on the climbing blocks.  I don’t love the back-of-the-mind nagging.

Tasks.  Even tasks I don’t necessarily mind can become physiological stressful now.  It’s crazy. 

I’m slowly ploughing through my final Greek mythology unit, but have stopped, as of this week, working with the homeschool boys because it was becoming too much with a baby who is rapidly gaining mobility.  My exterior was cucumber cool, but inside was a low simmer of that measurable, physiologic stress as I juggled the various aspects of those mornings.  (Thanks for all those data points, Oura…!  Eye roll here.)

The first year of teaching is rather stressful (*rather* i.e., euphemism, haha).  Many meetings to attend, many procedures to figure out and learn, many things thrown at you to catch and many, many tasks.  Much trial by fire.  TpT was a few years old when I started teaching and I didn’t hear about it until several years later, which was a definite loss to me as far as I was concerned because it would have saved me so much time and stress.  By the time I finally learned of it, I had largely found my groove, had accumulated some resources and was out of survival mode.  Now, years away from that blip on my teaching history, I am always so pleased to receive feedback letting me know my lessons and units have saved others time and stress.  Success!  And big sighs of relief all around.  Ahhhhhh.

Now, years away from that blip on my classroom history, I am always so pleased to receive feedback letting me know my lessons and units have saved others time, prep and stress.  Success!  And big sighs of relief all around.  Ahhhhhh. 

So, if you find yourself with a little too much stress on your hands, and perhaps too little time, take a browse around my TpT store and see if there’s anything to help take the stress off while giving yourself a heaping portion of time.  

Stay cool and focused!  Summer is on the horizon!
  

M.D. Saints
Reading the Rapids
Liberty Dog Writing Co.

Happy Teaching!

No stress for these relaxed, cool as a cucumber, dogs! Novah and her…uncomfortable looking positions. X)