I spent my morning in a compulsory induction session that covered a lot of important but mainly...dry topics - the sort of stuff you don't think much about until you find yourself in a situation where you need to know the regulations or use the services. I was hanging in there, paying attention and nodding in almost all the right places when the final act stepped forward to an almost asleep audience. She had flaming red curls, pink frame glasses and personality pouring right out of her. I admired the way she pulled off a green checked dress with neck-tie detail (think Sandy in Grease) complete with studded leather belt. She came with teeny meditation bells that she dinged together for attention. Love it all.
And even better, she was talking about wellbeing. We had focus questions and discussions, she offered examples that I related to with exaggerated nods, and she offered insight and practical ways to move forward that for once didn't seem to be adding another thing to my already overcrowded existence.
If we, as caregivers both at school and at home, don't keep a little care for ourselves, we will have none to give. I know that. The insight came in how she looked at wellbeing in four groups, namely physical, emotional, cognitive and social. Naming these aspects helped me to feel like I was engaging in all of these areas already, possibly some more than others. Naming it helps to start. But the point that really struck a chord with me was the idea of finding wellbeing that crosses into multiple areas - ways you can get more wellbeing for your buck, be more efficient at wellbeing - like walking in the forest with a friend discussing relationships, for example. In that scenario, I'm working on wellbeing within the social, physical and emotional spaces all there at once!
Now, I do say this with some amount of irony. I understand the importance of being strategic about wellbeing, knowing it is definitely one of those things that can creep up and need a lot of fixing if neglected. I don't want to undervalue this in my making a silly joke about multi-tasking wellbeing. In fact, to prove it, I'm sitting and writing now...working on wellbeing. I had a monster day today (8:30am to 7:00pm), some last minute book-week parade costume fixes at home before bed, and tomorrow I have to drive over two hours to a school for work. Each way. And although it was tempting to not write, I recalled that bubbly presenter commenting on how this is often the case with these wellbeing things, but once we undertake them we reap the benefits. And I know how true this is.
So, being happy to have written tonight, I am now going to read a little until I fall asleep (physical), knowing my husband will be alongside me soon enough (emotional), then waking to do my daughter's hair (social) before listening to podcasts all the way to work (cognitive). BAM. Feeling good right here about being well...
