From the Chair: Train for a Marathon, Not a Sprint

I have been staring at a blank Word document trying to come up with some wise words to share with all of you. I usually whip up these newsletters pretty quickly. I chuckle to myself as I sit in my makeshift office, in my basement with a teal wall behind me, sitting on a mini-fridge with a chair as my desk (since everyone in my house is on Zoom meetings at the same time). I realize this is my new “normal.”

I’m making the best of the situation and it is working right now. I’m surviving, as is my family. This doesn’t mean to say we don’t all have different emotions at different times. I have twin sons who are sophomores in high school. I watch as they each deal with grief and loss of school, friends, sports, activities, upcoming driving license test, etc. My message to them – and myself – is “It’s okay to not be okay.” We are allowed to sit in our feelings and process them. However, I also encourage them to look at the positives and hold on to hope. Hope that someday we will go forward to yet another new “normal.” What that new normal will look like, I’m not sure, but it will certainly be different from what we know.

As school counselors, it is hard to feel helpless. How do we help our students, families, staff, our community? I find comfort in telling myself to take it one day at a time. Our district uses the motto “Train for a marathon, not a sprint.” It’s okay to start slow. What will our pace be? What training skills do we need? How will we nourish and hydrate and take care of our bodies? As distance runners know, we start slow and pick up speed as we gain endurance, strength and experience. Once we have our running skills in place, the run becomes easier (although some will be challenging), until we are finally ready to take on that marathon.

Virtual counseling is not what many of us planned when we took on this profession. We thrive on human interaction, a touch, a hug. I spoke with a dear friend today who has been an outstanding school counselor for over 20 years, and she said “I’m not doing this well. I don’t feel I’m counseling with greatness.” She’s a polished, experienced counselor. It made me realize that many of us may be feeling the same way, and it’s okay. We talked, processed, cried and came to the conclusion that we can only do our best, one day at time, and that we need to make sure we each replenish our own bucket.

My message to you: YOU ARE NOT ALONE! We are in this together, learning as we go. Reach out to your colleagues and other school counselors. Check out the MESCA webpage and members-only Facebook page. There are a variety of resources, counselor meet-up sessions, and trainings being offered. Train for your marathon, but train together!

Contact Bonnie Robbins, MESCA board chair, at brobbins@rsu16.org.