Hello to you all,
It’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?
Since my last newsletter, in the middle of February, I have been on a whirlwind adventure adjusting to my new life as a teletherapist, helping a school deal with an SLP shortage, and preparing for IEP season while also preparing for 2.5 weeks in London.
Tomorrow, I’ll be embarking on the first of 3 flights that will eventually get me to England. When we planned this holiday several months ago, I had no intention of working as an SLP this school year. I certainly wasn’t expecting to be dealing with IEP season in the midst of leaving the country for 2 weeks!
In the midst of this, I’ve completely neglected almost every big of self care I’ve ever implemented. I haven’t been sleeping well, I’ve experienced appetite loss, and, two weeks ago, I got sick for the first time since before 2020.
Let me tell you—it knocked me off my feet. I’ve never had a mere cold affect me so severely.
A few days ago, I found myself at my computer long after the sun had set, familiar feelings of panic and anxiety welling up inside of me.
In that moment, I forced myself to pull up a yoga video (this one) and get on my mat.
Seven minutes later, the jitters and nausea had subsided, and I was able to go to sleep that night without a pit in my stomach. For the next several days, admist the other things I had to do to finish work and prepare for my trip, I made sure to to get in at least a few minutes of yoga and breathing. And, I stopped reading new books and started ending my day with several chapters of The Lord of the Rings.
And I’m better for it.
What’s this ramble about?
I realized at the beginning of the week just how many negative habits I had adopted over the last few weeks. I had walked far less, almost completely abandoned my yoga practice, stopped writing to do lists in my planner, and eaten largely empty carbs.
My body and my mind let me know.
Yours will let you know, too, if you let it.
So, before I jet off to my heart land, I just wanted to send you a loving nudge: no matter how busy you find yourself here at the beginning of IEP season, don’t let your self care habits fall away.
In the end, you’ll lose more of your time and productivity to the side effects of neglecting yourself than you will to taking a few minutes each day to do something to love on yourself.
But you know that, right? Just don’t let it slip your mind during this busy season.
Since I last wrote, I have posted a couple of new articles on the blog:
2023 YA Releases I Want To Read This Year (And Why)
How to Improve Reading Skills in Students with ADHD
If you’re lucky (and I’m feeling spirited), you may get a couple of blog posts before I leave. We’ll see! If not, watch this space for a post on London when I get back!
Until April my friends,
Christin ☕️