TL;DR:
- Stay Present: Being intentional with your time prevents regrets and maximizes enjoyment.
- Preparation Matters: Practice mindfulness daily to enhance focus and awareness.
- Capture Thoughts: Create a system to manage work-related thoughts and redirect focus.
Stay Present in the Summertime
For many educators, the summer is a time of rejuvenation, rest, and relaxation. And then for many educators, the summer becomes, “Let me get all the things done I didn’t do the other 10 months of the year.” Then some educators are somewhere in between.
There is nothing worse than getting to the end of the summer and wanting a ‘do over’. And yet, if we aren’t careful, that is in fact what can happen. And it’s not specific to the summertime. It can happen over a week off from school or even on a simple 2-day weekend. If we aren’t intentional about where our time is being spent, we can find ourselves wanting more of something that has come and gone.
If we aren’t intentional about where our time is being spent, we can find ourselves wanting more of something that has come and gone. Click To TweetPreparation Is Key!
The best way to prevent feeling like we want a do-over is to be prepared to practice finding our presence every single day. Because it is in the present moment that we can truly live the life we desire each and every day. Being present with the moment in front of us allows us to truly enjoy and engage with the activities we are involved in. Being present also helps us to know what we want to do more of in a day and what we want to do less of. Living a life of being present allows you to stay in control of your life and feel confident in the decisions you make on a daily basis.
If you’re still wondering why being present is so important, picture this:
You wake up after sleeping in and getting a glorious night of sleep. You make breakfast with your kids and get ready to head to the zoo for the afternoon. Then you pack a lunch and sing songs in the car on the way to the zoo. Once you are there you enjoy a beautiful day in the sunshine with your family. On the way home, you put on the radio and the song that comes on reminds you of your class from last year.
This was a song that your students loved to listen to on breaks in the classroom. Listening to this song reminds you of last year, which leads you to think about next year. All of a sudden, you find yourself deep in thought about school and work-related thoughts. Then you get home and all the energy you had is now gone. You find yourself frustrated with your family because you have so much on your mind.
If you can relate to this, I’m totally with you!
And this is why returning to the present moment is so important. In a matter of minutes in the scenario above, you went from being present with your family to worrying about the future that hasn’t happened yet.
This is why returning to the present moment is so important.
So how can we do that? How can we find our presence, especially in the summertime?
Here are three simple yet highly effective ways to get you started!
Tip #1 to Stay Present in the Summertime: Bring Awareness to Your Thoughts
When you become aware that you are away from the present moment (which is signaled by thinking about something in the past or the future), bring direct awareness to the thought you are having. For example, “I’m noticing that I’m thinking about September” or “I’m noticing my thoughts have drifted to school thoughts.” Awareness brings acceptance of where our thoughts are and then we can adjust the thought and take action back to the present moment.
Tip #2 to Stay Present in the Summertime: Create a System for YOU!
Create a system to capture the thoughts you are having. It is not possible to ‘not think about work all summer long’. Just like it’s not possible for you to ‘not think about a blue elephant right now’. Our brains will go places, even without direct intention given to them. That’s just how they work. When thoughts do come, having a system to capture the thoughts can be so helpful. Things like a notebook or your notes app can work wonders to write down the thought and then bring your mind back to the present moment.
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Tip #3 to Stay Present in the Summertime: Practice Mindfulness Proactively
Make it a habit to practice 1 mindfulness practice every day. Instead of setting the habit to ‘practice mindfulness’ which can feel really overwhelming, simplify the habit to 1 practice. If that still feels too lofty, set a time frame for it, such as practicing 1 mindfulness practice for 2 minutes every day. Small steps lead to big impact, so by practicing 2 minutes per day, your brain will be more likely to use these practices when you need them most.
There are many more options you can consider when it comes to practicing being present! Hopefully these are three that can get you started today!
Being present is something we can actively work on every day! The more we practice, the easier it becomes! Instead of wishing for summer at the beginning of the school year, we can be grateful for all the present moments we experienced with our family, our friends, and most importantly ourselves!
About Lindsay Titus
Lindsay Titus is a K-12 Behavior Specialist with a license in behavior analysis. As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Lindsay coaches and trains educators on the study of behavior and how to implement evidence-based behavior principles in simple and easy ways! With experience as a classroom special education teacher, and behavior specialist in public schools, residential placement, and private settings, Lindsay enjoys working with all educators looking to reignite their passion for education, connect with all students, and conquer challenging behavior in any classroom setting.
