140. Finding Calm in the Counselor Chaos

You're listening to the Counselor Chat podcast, a show for school counselors looking for easy to implement strategies, how to tips, collaboration, and a little spark of joy.

I'm Carol Miller, your host. I'm a full time school counselor and the face behind counseling essentials. I'm all about creating simplified systems, data driven practices, and using creative approaches to engage students.

If you're looking for a little inspiration to help you make a big impact on student growth and success, you're in the right place. Because we're better together.

Ready to chat.

Let's dive in.

Hey everyone.

Welcome back to another episode of Counselor Chat. I'm your host, Carol Miller.

And if your school is feeling a little,

well,

extra lately,

you are not imagining things.

December has its own special kind of energy.

I mean, we have schedules, shifts,

routines are a blur, kids are buzzing,

teachers are overwhelmed,

and somehow we're all expected to do holiday magic while keeping the building from burning down.

So today I want to talk about something that feels especially important this time of year.

Finding calm in the counselor chaos.

Because while December will be busy,

we can still stay grounded,

centered and sane in the process.

But before we talk about staying calm,

we need to talk about something Counselors are notoriously bad at noticing in ourselves.

And that's burnout.

I mean, I think we're really good at spotting it in everyone else,

but in ourselves,

oof.

We tend to push through,

smile through it, and tell ourselves,

just get to break.

But my friends,

your body sends clues long before you actually hit burnout. I mean, here are some personal warning signs you might recognize.

You feel more irritated,

more easily than usual.

You dread simple tasks.

You are exhausted even after a full night of sleep.

You're more forgetful. I mean, you have to have that brain fog. You walk into rooms and immediately wonder why you're there.

You catch yourself sighing a lot.

Our small problems feel huge,

and you're in putting out fires mode all day long.

And here's the thing.

These signs, they don't mean you're failing.

They mean you're human.

And recognizing burnout early isn't a weakness.

It's wisdom.

And it lets us shift before things really get too heavy.

I think one of the biggest challenges in December is that we don't have time for full wellness practices. I mean, most of us barely have time to go to the bathroom.

So instead of big self care routines,

December is the month of micro practices.

Tiny two minute moments that really can help regulate our nervous system.

And here are a few that I really love.

The two minute reset Super Easy.

Just set a two minute timer,

sit down,

put your feet flat on the floor,

drop your shoulders,

breathe slowly,

and for two minutes,

do nothing else.

It's so incredible how much your system resets when you just pause.

Another is doorway mindfulness.

Every time you walk through a door, whether it's your office,

a classroom, the cafeteria,

use it as a tiny reset.

Inhale,

exhale,

and set an intention for the next thing you're about to do.

It takes three seconds and makes a world of difference.

Or you can try hand to heart grounding.

Place one hand on your heart and one on your abdomen.

Feel your breath,

let your shoulders drop,

and it instantly tells your nervous system you're safe.

Or there's the 30 second sink pause.

When you wash your hands,

actually feel the warm water slow your breathing.

And this grounds you in the present without adding one more thing to your day.

These little micro moments, I mean, they're tiny,

but they can help build calm into the cracks of your day.

And I think when we incorporate these regularly,

we do tend to feel more energized,

more recharged,

and we do get that little reset.

Now, this next thing I want to talk about.

It could be one of the hardest things for counselors,

and that's letting go of perfection.

And I can tell you it is difficult for me. I am a perfectionist and I like things done a certain way.

But December already puts pressure on everyone.

We want our lessons to be special,

we want our holiday events to run smoothly,

and we want our students to really behave like they're in a Hallmark movie.

But spoiler alert,

they won't.

So here's your permission slip.

Everything doesn't have to be magical.

Everything doesn't have to be perfect.

And if you don't get to put the curling ribbon on your your holiday packages,

it's gonna be okay.

Everything doesn't have to be extra.

Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is to simplify.

Choose the lesson that's easy to prep.

Run the group that doesn't require 10 materials,

let the bulletin board stay half finished,

and pick connection over perfection every single time.

But before we wrap up today,

I want to guide you Through a quick 1 min reset you can use anytime.

If you're driving,

keep your eyes open.

But if you're sitting somewhere safe,

go ahead and gently close your eyes.

You ready?

Let's begin.

Take a slow breath in and a slow breath out.

Let your shoulders drop.

Unclench your jaw.

Soften the muscles around your eyes.

Now place one hand on your chest and feel the warmth of your hand.

Breathe in and out.

Imagine your breath creating just a little more space inside your day.

Notice one thing you're grateful for in this moment.

Maybe it's quiet.

Maybe it's the fact that you're finally sitting.

Maybe it's just the chance to breathe.

Take one more deep,

slow breaths and let it go.

You are doing enough.

You are enough and you're allowed to rest.

Counselors December is intense,

but you don't have to be swept away by the chaos.

You can ground yourself,

breathe,

and move through the month with a little more compassion and a lot less pressure.

And if this episode spoke to you,

please share it with a colleague who might need the reminder too.

And if you have your own micro practices that help you to stay calm,

I'd really love to hear them because I like adding more of these to my little bag of tricks.

You can message me on Instagram ounselingessentials or just send me an email. CarolineLivingEssentials Anyway, thank you for joining me on this episode of Counselor Chat.

Take a breath,

take a pause and take care of yourself.

And till next time,

I hope you have a great week.

Bye for now.

Thanks for listening to today's episode of Counselor Chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and at counselingessentials.org podcast.

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Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at Counseling Essentials until next time. Can't wait till we chat. Bye for now.