|
Reflections
PUBLISHED BY REFLECTIONS RESOURCES, LTD. Fall, 2004
Working with schools, parents, and organizations to reflect on
and improve the quality of career, relationships, and life transitions.
A MESSAGE FROM MARY MCGRATH
Even though our landscape moves further towards full fall foliage and the daylight hours decrease by degrees daily, the sun still graces us with it’s lovely light. Recently I had the chance to relax during a few days of selected solitude. I took the opportunity to drive north to Bayfield, WI for a small get away. Spending time on a beach that competes with the Caribbean and simply presenting my face to the sun, time stood still. Now back to my busy life, I occasionally reflect back on the quiet I experienced during a hike along a Lake Superior Trail and moments sitting on a deck listening to bantering blue jays.
Being able to recapture this experience supplies me with life and energy in the present.
May we all remember to gather our special moments of summer to enrich our autumn .
*****************************************************************************
Befriending Fatigue: Giving Exhaustion It’s Due
It is here! You are back to your fall role. Whether you work as an educator or participate in the school scene as a parent, you have shifted to your “back to school” mode. Often this mode is far from laid back and slow-paced.
In contrast, you move in full gear as if pedaling up hill. This vertical climb will likely last into October until your body, mind and spirit adjusts and the new normal of school life takes hold.
You move forward in the go, go, go gear. Putting it on pause is not an option - so it seems! But eventually you reach the point where you have to stop and “chill” for a bit. All of a sudden you wonder, “Where did all the energy go that carried me this far? Where is my fuel that propelled me through the meetings and demands that are typical of this time of year?”
Once you let up, good old fatigue rears its head. Instead of panicking and thinking that feeling tired is a sign of big trouble, consider that this is natural and a potential gift. To stop and give fatigue it’s due is just fine as it just may be nature and the Spirit’s way of saying - TAKE TIME OUT. LET ME SLOW YOU DOWN! LET ME ALLOW YOU TO HEAR THE MESSAGES OF YOUR HEART. LET ME LEAD YOU TO YOUR TRUTH AND SHOW YOU YOUR NEXT STEP. LET ME HELP YOU FOCUS ON WHAT WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE BUSY DAYS AHEAD.
The next time you allow yourself to kick back and let the fatigue surface, know that it is your time to give it its due. You will know when you are due to do that in order to regroup and replenish yourself!
*********************************************************************************************
Current:
“Self-care for Student Teaching and Beyond”, Augsburg College Student Teacher Workshop September 10,2004
“Self-care from the Inside Out”, St. Anthony Community Services
Oct. 7, 7:00-8:30 P.M., 2004
Permission granted to copy and share this newsletter with others. When printing the article section please include attribution and contact information as below.
Mary Z. McGrath Ph.D., Speaker/Author/Educator
Reflections Resources, Ltd.
Phone: 952-894-7707 Fax: 952-890-3229
E-Mail: info@maryzmcgrath.com
http://www.maryzmcgrath.com
“Self-care keeps you there!”
[ Back to Top of Page ]
|
