Why weightlifting and crochet helped me become a better teacher.

Burnout

I went from a fresh, energetic teacher who let teaching dominate my life to a tired, struggling teacher who allowed teaching to dominate my life. I thought that was how it was supposed to be until I started to lift and do crochet. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of things to help me cope with overwhelm or burnout, as some call it. I found benefits of journaling, meditation, and walking; however, focusing on a skill was one of the best ways to reduce stress, feel good and be mindful without even knowing it at the time.

Being on autopilot

Many of us go through life on autopilot, not seeing what is going on in our lives, not enjoying the views, smells, feelings, just ticking over day after day. One small part of a vast machine, teachers, do this often. Teaching lesson by lesson, doing reports, and all that paperwork, we begin to live for the job; we prioritise it. Even when out with the family, at the back of our minds, we are thinking about the pile of marking to do, how to help those children struggling, planning for observations, and trying to meet targets.

Our thoughts can often be our enemy, thinking the worst about situations that haven't happened yet, reliving conversations you have had during the day, picking out bits, and questioning your responses. Sound familiar; as a stressed teacher, I've got to say procrastination was one of the main reasons I burnt out.

I was practicing mindfulness without even knowing it.

I used to train a lot, but like many, I couldn't commit or do a few weeks and give up; I'd use time as my excuse, but in reality, I didn't have the motivation. Then I found competitive weightlifting, which is a highly skillful sport and takes years to develop. It's a skill that can constantly be improved and challenged, and progressed; it is never-ending.

weightlifting

I found myself loving the skill of the snatch, drill after drill, focusing on where the bar is in relation to my body. If I lost focus, I would drop the bar, so I had to think only about my body and the bar. That focus was terrific, and I felt amazing both physically and mentally.

Crochet

The same happened with crochet, I am a simple crocheter, but I get so much out of it. Because I must focus on every stitch, counting every knot, if I get distracted, my pattern is ruined.

Without realising it, I started to use mindfulness; both of these skills are very different, but they helped me focus. They both stopped the questions in my mind, took away the worry, and somehow grounded me. A huge concern before this focus became a slight worry after; something that seemed impossible suddenly seemed possible.

What is mindfulness

"Mindfulness means knowing directly what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment," said professor Mark Williams.

Mindfulness means being fully aware of what you are doing when you are doing it; it's being able to tune into your mind and body and control your thoughts and actions. There is a lot more to it than focusing on one skill, but on a fundamental level, this did help me. I became much more aware of my feelings towards teaching. I became calmer and felt like I could cope more. Looking back, I think weightlifting and crochet actually held me together and still do today.

Benefits of mindfulness

• Reduces anxiety
• Mindfulness CBT can prevent and reduce depression
• Focus our mind and help us be more productive
• Feel calmer and happier
• Help us find a balance between work and life
• Develop a positive mindset and have positive thoughts
• Reduce procrastination
• feel more confident in life so we can achieve our purpose.

After years of teaching

I have realised that there are many needs we must consider, giving ourselves time, setting boundaries, and not being a perfectionist. However, day-to-day tasks such as crochet and weightlifting can help focus your mind. Teachers often say we don't have time to do such tasks. I would say we need to make time. Time to focus on the mind and body, time to focus on the present. Time to move away from the worry and stress of teaching and, just for a little while, live in the moment, feel, smell, touch, be. No worrying about the past or the future.

We are human beings, not human doings; perhaps we should spend more time being rather than doing

I hope you have a hobby or skill that can help you focus and take time for yourself.

If you woud like to learn more about what i do visit my website

anelaoatleylifecoach.co.uk