This is a picture of my cat, Costco. We found him at Costco. I know a lot of teachers who want to lay down and relax like my little buddy Cozzie. But I know that this is also an impossibility. We must focus on our locus of control as educators in the Covid era. I am worried that a lot of people are self-medicating with alcohol right now. I know that I personally have always avoided drinking a lot – it is rare for me to have even a full glass of wine. This is because I know I have an addictive personality. But for people who don’t know this about themselves and yet who have a history of addiction in their family, it is surely a bad sign that my Facebook feed is filled with teachers joking about how people should drop off wine on their porches so that they can better cope with the realities of teaching online and trying to make it work for their students.
My heart is breaking for people right now, especially caring and devoted teachers and their students. I want to encourage my readers who are experiencing the need to drink or otherwise self-medicate that there are alternatives like exercise and yoga. I personally recommend searching Yoga with Adrienne. There are also a lot of exercise membership sites that you can register for online. My personal trainer is doing face time exercises with me.
If you worry you’re already on the verge of becoming dependent on a substance, the sooner you get help, the better. Here is a website with more information.
https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
My posts will be shorter because everyone’s bandwidth is shorter now that school’s started up again. Stay safe, stay healthy. Email me if there are posts you’re hoping for in the coming weeks or if you need other support:
erinmichael@seahurstlearns.com
