Battling Burnout

There are 4 weeks of school left. Yes, you read that right, only 4 weeks! Does that seem like a lot or a little to you? Are you already mentally on summer break? Are you feeling burnt out? Totally understandable. This last trimester has been hard! Do we need to say that again? Is “hard” even a strong enough word for all that has been asked of us, our students, and our amazing Team SLOCA? How about arduous, laborious, or just plain exhausting?

We have all been running a race that we never knew we needed to be training for. But guess what, there’s a rest stop ahead! It’s not quite the finish line, that’s still off in the distance, but let’s think of the end of the school year as a much-needed rest stop.

You are so close!!! 

I (Sharon) am here today to be your personal cheerleader. I don’t know if you need it or not. Maybe you have been crushing this bizarre new life or maybe you can’t see the rest stop ahead because your vision is blurred by sweat (or tears) and you are just ready to be done. Let me (figuratively) run alongside you and tell you — you can do this! Here’s some Gatorade (or maybe wine) and a healthy snack (or cookie) to help you power through.

Okay, so I can’t give you an actual cookie at this moment, but let’s stick with the fun metaphor. What is going to fuel you and not only help you get through these next few weeks but also finish well? You know you best, so take some time to consider what you need. Here are just a few ideas to beat the burnout and give you that last boost of energy to make it to summer break. 

Some Ideas…

• Mix things up — Try a new approach to your home days for the next few weeks. Maybe do art first and math last!?! Let the kids pick the order or location. Have an older sibling teach a subject to a younger one. If they usually write in pencil, let them try a pen or even markers. Do math problems in chalk. Think outside the box.
• Break it up — Take more breaks. It’s okay to slow down. “Slow and steady wins the race.”
• Get outside — Enjoy these beautiful days. Bring homeschool outside with you or just go for an outdoor adventure
• Take time for fun — Summer doesn’t have to get all the fun. We can have some now. Read together, play a game, or bake those cookies.
• Celebrate simple milestones — “We made it to lesson 100 in OPG” or “Last IEW of the year!”
• Set small attainable goals — For example: finish homeschool by lunch or catch-up on spelling.
• Do less — You heard me, do less. Even though it seems like everything is canceled, we still manage to find ways to keep ourselves super busy in the confines of our own home. Let some things slide and channel your energy into what is essential. Less. But better. 
• Find space — This may be a tricky one, but a little bit of time alone may be just the boost you need.
• Visualize — Imagine how it will feel to have brought this school year to a close and to have left nothing important undone. 
• Reflect — There is so much more to the 2019/2020 school year than these past few months. Share together the highs and lows, favorite activities, and/or favorite memories. When all is said and done, what do you want to remember most about this year?
• Encourage — Be cheerleaders to each other. Remember our kids are running this race too and they are just as tired. Set the pace and set the tone for them. Remind them…

As your self-appointed cheerleader, I’ve written you a cheer:

It’s been hard, it’s been tough!
Trimester three’s been rather rough!
But don’t give up, you’re almost done!
Finish well, then summer’s begun!

Virtual school’s just not the same,
But hang in there, don’t go insane.
There’s lots of learning still to do.
Take a deep breath and push on through! 

You can do this!!!

GOOOOOOOO GRIZZLIES!!!