Finding That Last Ounce of Strength

As I open my arms to welcome the month of December -- the month of Christmas trees, Peppermint Mocha's, cooking, snow, sweaters, scarves, cards, gifts, spending time with my family, a break from work, travel, parties, sleepovers and celebrating -- I quickly reality check myself by remembering how much I have to "get through" before I can enjoy all of those things.

This time of year always feels so difficult.The weather is colder, making our bodies tighten up and feel stiff and tense as a result of trying to keep warm. The work just keeps piling on with endless assessments, essays, projects and work needed to be done (or in my case, graded) before the term closes. In addition, the reduction of daily sunlight makes it difficult to get motivated to do anything other than curl up on the couch with a handful of chocolates at 5 pm.

So how do we find that last ounce of strength necessary to get us through to the holidays?
How do we continue to push ourselves to work hard and keep going when our bodies are telling us they are ready to shut down and go into hibernation mode?

As a teacher, I am not only responsible for keeping my own spirits lifted, but I must also strive to inspire my students to stay focused, determined and motivated to push through these last few weeks of school before vacation. They can't start slacking now, and neither can I....

I find the way I manage stress best is to lay it all out there and create a list of what I need to get done.

1. Grade the 9th Grade Commentaries
2. Grade the 10th Grade Poetry Projects
3. Grade the 11th Grade SCASI Charts
4. Post the 11th Grade SCASI Charts on Moodle
5. Create the English 9 Exam
6. Create the English 10 Exam
7. Create Study Guides (for all Grades)

Ok. That's a lot of grading and creating I have to do...

Looking at that list above is quite overwhelming. But here's the thing....failure is NOT an option. As much as I don't want to do all of those things, I am going to do them because I have to.

It just must get done. Simple as that. I feel I adopted this no nonsense attitude while as a student at Wellesley.

"Wellesley Women Get Shit Done"
(Our unofficial motto).

Saying that over and over to myself never ceases to inspire me and drive me to be successful.
Yes, it may not be fun, but I've got to get it done.
It's as simple as that.

Yes, I'm tired. Yes, I would rather be doing nothing, but those aren't good excuses. I WILL find the time because I have to find the time. I will make time to workout, to eat, to sleep and to complete my work. Those are the top priorities in my life right now. They are what I need to do to survive and feel successful and happy.

It is going to take careful planning and prioritizing but I'm going to get it done.

Keep perspective.
Keep the end in sight.
Take it one day at a time.
Breathe.
Take breaks.
Find the joy in everything (especially the tough or non-fun things)

Photos of Me from the Car Show Fundraiser I (single-handedly) Organized and Successfully Executed