First Step- Take Care of Yourself

We are working with our virtual school to support our students to not only continue their academic learning but also to help them socially and emotionally. Virtual school is an extension of our SSIS community that helps to link us all together. 

We can say that at the moment the emotional temperature of our community is obviously above normal. Our students, parents and staff have their individual tolerance levels and responses to school closure and the flood of news stories about the coronavirus.  

While we are relatively calm at the moment, we need to be prepared in case events lead to an increase in the emotional state of our community. Our administrative team has plans and protocols ready to implement that will provide the information we need to be informed and less anxious about what might happen next. To be ready for what might happen next in serving our community we first need to take care of ourselves. 

We all share the experience of sitting on a plane with the flight attendants reminding us that in case of an emergency to first put on our oxygen mask before we help others. You probably have heard of this procedure used as a metaphor for life. We need to take care of ourselves for our own well-being which also means we can be better equipped to help others. 

Dan offers the following construct for us to think about when it comes to wellness and our influence and responsibility to others. We start with ourselves in the center of three circles. Our first priority is take steps to support our social, emotional, intellectual and physical needs. We then can focus on the next ring of influence which are our teams and their wellness. We are members of professional teams here at school and personal teams as in our families and other organizations outside of school. Our community with its stakeholder groups of students, staff and parents is the next circle of influence that we have. To support all three circles we must take proactive steps to be intentional about our wellness and that of those who we influence.

Jacob provided a helpful list of strategies for our families in dealing with anxiety that apply for us as well. Looking at our individual needs, remember to make time to engage with your current self-care practices. A second step is to proactively plan how to bring more stress reduction activities into your life in case circumstances change for the worse. You can do a web search to find lots of stress reduction techniques to choose ones that work for you. 

While it is helpful to have the latest facts on the coronavirus, do think about scheduling just a few times each day to check your news sources so that it doesn’t interfere with your normal tasks and responsibilities. We know that the internet is filled with rumors and misinformation. And as Jacob points out, stick with the facts as in government and confirmed reliable news agencies. We really need to model our information literacy skills for our students, parents and colleagues. We are role models for our community. 

One more proactive action you can take is to write out your plan for how to handle the decision around staying in the country if the situation quickly deteriorates. You don’t want to be in a highly emotional state when it comes to making big decisions.