If you have been following the work of the Resilience Team, you’re aware about how we, as educators, want to respond rather than react when something is going on around us. When we react, it’s often because we don’t feel safe and we’re in our Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn mode, ie, our brainstem. And when we respond, we’re working from a rational prefrontal cortex mode.

Gratitude is such a strange and powerful concept; that by merely expressing kindness and appreciation toward another, the act of gratitude happens to also produce so much personal satisfaction. A person can “accidentally” make themself feel good by intentionally making someone else feel valued. Considering how blessed my life has been and what a joy it brings me, I don’t dole out gratitude nearly often enough.

In today’s fast-paced world it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that we need to be busy all the time to be successful. We cram as much as we can into our schedules (and into our kids schedules) trying to achieve more each day. However, this constant busyness can leave us feeling drained, overwhelmed, underwhelmed, and unfulfilled.

When we're deep in it, we sometimes react instead of responding. And afterward, upon reflection, we often think about how there was another way to handle the situation. We know better, but when we're "deep in it," we still struggle.

Opportunities to practice mindfulness surround us throughout every waking hour yet, we struggle to find the time to take the small moment that we deserve. Mindfulness is nothing more than bringing 100% of our awareness to the present moment. It’s simple and easy.

A problem I see with too many dissatisfied educators is they’re talking to the wrong people about it. For example a “dirty laundry” tweet to 3,000 isn’t as effective as an uncomfortable conversation with 1 person.