Any teachers here?

Hello,
I'm new to this forum. I'm a teacher, and I love teaching! The paperwork and meetings, etc. are a different matter. I am working on balancing this consuming career, being a parent/spouse, and still being able to carve out the time to begin journaling and working on my recovery. So far I have done some reading and listened to podcasts in the car during my commute. (By consuming I mean not only the time at home spent planning, paperwork, and grading, but also the emotional work of being a teacher.) I was wondering if any one here is a teacher who is further along in their TMS/MBS recovery that can give me some insight on how to balance this career/being a parent, and having a personal identity. Thank you!

 

Hi Ellen JJ,

I was a teacher for many years and understand the stresses. Part of this for me was (and still is) being helpful and "keeping it all together" and perpetual busy-ness and feeling behind, or that nothing ever gets caught up. All these things add to the big T as in tension in TMS.

My main way is to be empathic and listening to those parts in me who feel not heard in the hurly burly life which my adult thinks is the best way to run things. For the child in us, it is overwhelming. I try to make space for the feelings of the younger parts and all my identities, knowing I can't change the external world the way I might like.

So my hope for you is that you spend a little time each day allowing the feelings which come up in you, knowing that these are OK. With teaching it might be rage, overwhelm, fear, etc? Then there's family life...

I hope this helps a little, and that current teachers chime in.

Andy B

 

Also, my heart really goes out to you. I think teachers really have to push themselves to even "stay in the game." I gave so much love and attention. And I also needed attention...

 

Thanks Andy B and Johnreaper. I heard a definition of stress that resonated with my feelings about teaching. Listening to the "like mind like body" podcast she described stress as what your brain creates when there is a perceived conflict between what is required of you in a situation, and what you feel capable of doing in a situation - something perfectionists struggle with. Also, I like the idea of listening to my inner child's feelings of the day - as teachers we aren't really allowed to express any negativity about students or our profession - especially female teachers I think. Thanks for the replies,
Ellen

 

Brilliant! And for the innerchild vs adult there is the difference, I think attributed to Dr. Sarno, "between the head and heart." Or between what we want and what we think we should want.

 

I'm a teacher and I agree - teaching itself is great, but meetings and paperwork is just awful. I always have worse symptoms after meetings(and shortly before them) so I quess that's some proof that my pain(abdominal one) is TMS.