Are Your Basic Needs Being Met??

As teachers, it can seem like there is never enough time in our day.  We spend all day at work with kids, just to come home to plan, prepare for the next day, then do it all over again.  We barely have enough time to cook dinner and spend time with family let alone take care of ourselves.  This can cause a lot of stress and late nights.  However, if we are not meeting our basic needs such as exercise, nutrition, and sleep, we are useless at home and in the classroom.  Here are some tips to help make sure your basic needs are met:
      Plan Your Day: Plan out your day down to the minute (or 15 minutes).  Need time to workout?  Write it in.  Need time to meal prep your lunches for the week?  Write it in.  Need a few minutes of downtime to unwind and play on your phone?  Write it in.  Planning out your day gives you a clear idea of what you can and cannot fit into your life.  It is impossible to over plan if you see it written or typed out. 
       Meal Plan: Nutrition is tough.  Some days it feels easier to get that extra 10 minutes of sleep and grab a quick breakfast on the way to work.  However, when that becomes a habit, not only does it take a toll on your eating habits and overall wellbeing, it can really add up.  Pick one afternoon or evening each week and prepare breakfasts, snacks, and lunches for the next week.  Rather than eat the same thing each day, prep a couple extras and freeze them.  Prepare a meat in multiple different ways.  For example,  a rotisserie chicken can be shredded chicken for a salad, pulled barbecue chicken, buffalo chicken, or even just plain ol' chicken.  For breakfasts, think about making multiple dishes (such as egg casseroles, protein muffins, hard boiled eggs, overnight oats, smoothies), freeze them, and pull out whatever you are in the mood for the night before. When you are able to grab and go with the healthy options, you have no excuse to snack on the unhealthy items or grab a soda from the vending machine mid day.
        Sleep and Exercise: These two parts of our lives can go hand in hand and take us right back to planning your day.  Do you need to wake up at 5 to workout before getting ready for work?  Do you only function with 7 or more hours of sleep?  Put it in your schedule to be in bed by 10.  Prefer to sleep in and workout after work?  Write it in!  For exercise, in addition to getting your own time in, use your students in the process.  They are always ready to be moving.  In my classroom, I teach general and instrumental music.  For general music, we folk dance or GoNoodle every single class and I participate with them.  It's an easy way to get some extra steps and have fun while you're doing it.  For instrumental music, sometimes we memorize a piece or a scale, then turn ourselves into a mini marching band, moving while playing.