Give Yourself Permission….

-


With just about a month left in the semester, most of us are feeling exhausted and ready for a break. And, it’s very likely that very few (if any) of us are performing at our best. So, what can do to help relieve some of the stress that comes from wanting to do our best when we simply don’t have the energy level or focus that we need? 

I was talking to one of my nieces a few weeks ago, and she shared an amazing idea from her Citizen 410 class at Longwood University this semester. Each week the professor has everyone write down something that they will each give themselves permission to do for the week. These can be shared with the class, but they are usually just personal reminders to take a break and realize that every week in a pandemic can be a challenge. Some of the ones my niece has used are things like: “I give myself permission to not be so hard on myself”, “to have a self-care night”, “or to take a break from school for the rest of the day”. The idea is that we are all human and dealing with the same struggles right now. And, it’s ok to not be perfect or to struggle.
 
So, this week I challenge you to take a moment and write yourself a permission slip for the day or the week. Think about what you need for your own self-care and to get through the week. And, give yourself permission to do that.
 
 
-Dr. M
 

Resources:

 

“A Permisson Slip to be Human: Grad Student Aims to Help Students and Schools” – Penn State News

https://news.psu.edu/story/631352/2020/09/10/health-and-medicine/permission-slip-be-human-grad-student-aims-help-students

 

“It’s Time to Write Your Own Permission Slip” – Evi D. Consulting Blog

https://www.evidconsulting.com/blog/2018/3/8/its-time-to-write-your-own-permission-slip

 

“Your Permission Slip for Self-Care” – Colorado Dental Association

https://cdaonline.org/news/latest-news/your-permission-slip-for-self-care/


*Image taken from Penn State News, https://news.psu.edu/story/631352/2020/09/10/health-and-medicine/permission-slip-be-human-grad-student-aims-help-students 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Keeping Perspective

-
Image
  Welcome back from Spring Break! If you're like me, it was way too short.  About the time I started finding my center and remembering to breathe, it was ending.  But, just because break is ending doesn't mean our perspectives should shift.  What perspective were you able to find during break?  I remembered that it's better for me (and my students) if I put self-care first.   How long did that perspective last?  About 5 minutes.  Actually, it would have lasted about that long, but I ended up scheduling an early lunch with a friend that I've been out of touch with during the pandemic.  Normally I dive head first into work and knock out as much as possible on Mondays.  But, with an early lunch planned, I only got a few things done before having to leave to make the date. And, it was the best thing that could have happened.  I had a leisurely lunch for about 2 hours and then returned fresh to deal with my to do list.  I'm now very...
Read more

Stressed....? Who's stressed????

-
Image
  So, I don't know about ya'll, but this semester is already off to a rocky start.  Instead of jumping into a brand new semester and academic year full of energy, hope, and excitement I've spent the last two weeks simply trying to breathe.  This is by far not the best time for a major asthma episode, and it has thrown everything into chaos.  Add in issues with the bookstore, late add's to classes, and all of the usual fun and fanfare that a new academic year brings... and, I'm exhausted.  And, I'm betting I'm not the only one struggling to get things on track.  So, I thought the best thing to do for today is to remember a few things that can help while we're in survival mode: 1) A fresh start is always available.  - If things didn't go as planned, use the afternoon to breathe and regroup.  And, start again fresh in the morning.  You don't even have to wait until tomorrow morning.  You can start fresh with your next deep breath. 2) Go slo...
Read more

Acceptance

-
Image
  Today I rediscovered my yoga practice after more than 6 months off the mat.  Was it what I wanted it to be? No. My body doesn't want to move into the positions it previously found easily.  My butt was in the air for child's pose rather than resting on my heels.  And, rather than being a long energetic practice filled with heat and movement, I chose to do a brief yin practice filled with slow floor poses and gentle stretches.  As I laid in savasana (resting pose) at the end of my practice, a thought entered my head - Acceptance.  Today was all about letting go of control and accepting where I am now, right in this moment.   Accepting the present moment can be challenging.  I find this to be especially true when I'm super-stressed or simply in a competitive mode.  At these times I'm reminded of what one of my favorite yoga teachers used to say in class whenever he saw us pushing too hard: "Yoga is not a competition - not even with yourself." ...
Read more