We spoke with Minaa B, a mental health educator and therapist, about setting boundaries in the classroom, self-advocacy, and self-care.
For those of you who missed it, here’s a quick recap of the highlights!
Minaa defines a boundary as learning to understand one’s capacity and limitations, when to say yes or no to someone or something. She encouraged educators to put limits on what they can give to establish a healthy relationship with work.
Minaa also spoke about the following situations that can influence educators’ mental health:
• Ability to disconnect from work after hours
• Organizational structures, such as lack of resources
• Challenging students
Some of the tips that Minaa recommended to combat common concerns were:
• Erecting a boundary. For example, learning to shut down your laptop when school is done.
• Paying attention to one’s breath and body. When you concentrate on your breath and body, it helps activate the nervous system against the fight or flight response and helps you calm down. Box Breathing and Rainbow Breathing techniques were recommended.
• Teach students to self-regulate by implementing breathing and visualization techniques such as the Candle Method or Flower Method. In these methods, a student is asked to visualize an invisible candle or flower and focus on how it would feel to blow out the candle or smell the flower.
Minaa continued with additional tips for stress and burnout:
• Self-care does not necessarily have to be a vacation or a trip to the spa. Self-care is self-nourishment for your body. This can be in the form of a walk, a breath of fresh air, a nap, or even reading a book. It is taking the time off to replenish your mental, emotional, and physical energy.
• Use all resources available to you. This includes your allotted time off. Using your earned time off is a good resource even if you aren’t planning to travel. Use it to plan ahead, for social engagements, or for self-reflection.
We loved speaking with Minaa – It was a very impactful experience! Watch the interview for even more insights here!
