Your Mental Health

If you care for children during the first few years of their lives, whether you're a parent, grandparent, nanny, child care provider, nurse, or early care and education specialist, you are their teacher.

Burnout and lack of motivation are problems for teachers due to the stress involved.

Here are a few concrete things that may help you mentally. Keep in mind that your mental health is crucial to the quality of care you can provide for them.

Dr. Richard Davidson honors teachers and early childhood educators like you in his research at The Center for Healthy Minds at the UW-Madison. Here's a short video that explains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sChYoFxPznI

I believe the stress reduction experiences used with the teachers in the study were yoga and meditation. This video is less than 3 minutes long and, in my opinion, worth viewing if you are a parent, teacher or caregiver of any kind,.

Here's one more thing I'm really excited to share with you because it's simple, easy, and takes just one minute every morning. It also comes from The Center for Healthy Minds.

Take just one minute each morning to reflect on why you decided to teach.

Research says this can make a difference, so try it and let me know in the comment section below.

Nanci

Nanci J Bradley is a child and family educator, parent, author, family aerobics instructor, and all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, lifelong learning, healthy eating, fun, and more than anything else, PLAY! She studied early childhood education at Triton College and received her BS in education from Northern Illinois University in 1986. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She has presented at state and national conferences. She lives and teaches in Madison, WI