President's Letter: Stop and Be Still

Mother Teresa understood the need to take care of oneself.
 
She wrote in her plan to her superiors that it was mandatory for her nuns to take an entire year off from their duties every four to five years to allow them to heal from the effects of their care-giving work. And although school counselors do not encounter the same demands as nuns do, we are subject to compassion fatigue and/or burnout if we do not take care of ourselves.

School counselors rush around all day, directing, talking, emailing, sending and reading messages, running from one emergency to the next, from one student to the next. We are always on, always connected, always thinking, always talking. There is no time for stillness – the needs are too great for us to be still! And after our action-packed day at work, we move on to our second jobs as parents, spouses, students, etc. And what do we do to relax at the end of the day? We end our crazy days in front of the hyperactive television or surfing the never-ending internet.
 
All this action and craziness comes at a cost: we lose time for reflection, for observing and listening. We lose peace.
 
Take a moment to think about how you spend your days – at work, after work, getting ready for work, evenings and weekends. Are you constantly on the go? Are you constantly reading and answering messages, checking on the news and the latest stream of information? Are you always trying to get lots of things done, ticking off tasks from your list?
 
STOP. IT. 
Be still. Just for a moment.
Listen to the world around you.
Feel your breath coming in and going out.
Listen to your thoughts.
See the details of your surroundings.
Be at peace with being still.
 
I know, in today’s world action is expected – inaction is seen as lazy. And when we are forced to be still because we’re in line for something or waiting for an appointment, we often get antsy and need to fill our time. Some of us have our mobile devices, others will have a notebook or folder with things to do (or credit checks to complete), and others will fidget. Being still isn’t something we’re used to.
 
I challenge you to deliberately take a break from all this craziness to recharge and give your brain the downtime it needs to work at an optimal level. I challenge you to become comfortable with being still. When I feel overwhelmed, underprepared, and caught off guard at work, I close my office door and “re-set.” It only takes a minute or two to calm myself so I can be still and find peace. I know my co-workers appreciate my taking a moment to breathe and my students benefit from my intentional grounding so I can be present with them.
 
I want you to give yourself permission to take a moment when you need it. And we all know you’ll need it. There are many, many people counting on you to be the school counselor they need…to be their super-hero.
 
Contact Anna R. Duvall, PSSCA president 2017-2018, at aduvall@lexington1.net.