Reducing Stress & Pressure
If you’re new to homeschooling, it’s easy to become overwhelmed at the start of a new year. Stay-at-home caregivers can sometimes place undue pressure on themselves to start the year off with a bang. While your enthusiasm is great when it comes to engaging your children, it can cause additional stress on yourself as you navigate your new schedule.
Today I wanted to give you a simple reminder to take it easy on yourself. Every new school year is a learning experience, even for you. Trust me, I know how hard it can be to ditch the traditional school schedule and embrace flexibility. We become hard-wired to focus on testing and performance in traditional settings. Let’s combat the impulse of implementing a rigid schedule and take some pressure off by remembering the following:
Relaxation Reminders:
- Breath. Yes, you now have a new level of responsibility. You are your child’s caregiver and teacher. But let’s think about that for a second. Is teaching your child math and English different from teaching your child how to ride a bike or swim? They’re all life skills. Academic skills don’t have to be treated any differently than the “fun” skills.
- Embrace Flexibility. Did you come up with the “perfect” schedule to fit in all of your planned activities for the week month, or even year? I can tell you now that those schedules will be impossible to stick to entirely. Schedules will change due to illness, weather, appointments, and more. You will fall off track for various reasons, and that’s okay. Adjust and move forward.
- Take A Break. Breaks during the day are great, but sometimes we need more than that. If life stressors are piling up, take a day or two to reset. If your child were in a traditional school setting, they would have breaks for the bathroom, recess, lunch, walking to and from classes, gym, and more. Teachers take breaks between classes, for lunch, and even designate “planning” days during the school year. If you feel your patience is razor-thin, take the day off. No one will enjoy the day, let alone learn anything, with an irritable teacher breathing down their neck and snapping at them for not staying on task.
- Go Outside. If your days become boring or you absolutely need to get through the day without taking a break, then at the very least…move yourself outdoors. Nature is therapeutic. Think of the saying, “A change is as good as a rest.” Let your yard or nearby playground become your classroom, and you’ll feel recharged for shaking things up.
- Talk To A Friend. Homeschoolers are capable of forming excellent support systems. No one else knows the challenges that we face, but us, so don’t be afraid to lean on others during tough times. Ask questions, vent, and even ask favors if you need to. We’re all in this together!
- Celebrate Small Wins. If your children are moving slower through a curriculum than you expected, and you wish to continue that curriclum, don’t forget to celebrate the small wins. This means that after completing each lesson, give them some positive feedback or even a sticker to keep up their progress. Small wins can also be celebrated for your achievements. Did you manage to hit all of your goals this week? Did you remember to take a mental health day, rather than push through at the expense of your sanity? These are all wins to celebrate!
These may seem like obvious reminders, but life happens, and simple solutions don’t seem so simple when you’re in the thick of it. The point is, you’re a homeschooler now, and you have as much flexibility as you want. You make your schedule, and you can alter it. Take the breaks you need, and remember that everyone struggles sometimes…and that’s okay!
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