It’s been awhile since our last communication as we have been in the process of revamping our website! It’s still Educator.Health but has a new look! We have a new tab entitled Free Resources where you will find past blog posts and newsletters, and upcoming free resources.

We know reflection is key to learning. When we assess how our day went, we learn and grow. The 3 questions Dr. Chatterjee suggests you ask yourself each evening increase your self-awareness, which is the foundation to making any change and growth.

This episode focuses on the power of journaling. Journaling can be a transformative experience because you are having a conversation with yourself. Journaling helps you take what is in your head and get it out on paper.

With respiratory illnesses so rampant right now, we thought a reminder about the benefits of salt water gargling was timely!

With Thanksgiving behind us and more holidays ahead, it’s a great time to take stock of your relationship with your phone. If you celebrated Thanksgiving with others, did you notice anyone being on their phone instead of being present with the group? Did you take solace in your phone if you were stressed or needing a break from festivities?

Every day educators encounter situations that increase stress levels. Our fight or flight response is activated, which triggers the increase of cortisol. This stress can get stored not only in our minds, but also in our bodies.

Did you know stress shrinks your brain?

It’s true! When we’re stressed, we pump out more cortisol. Too much cortisol over an extended period of time can actually damage cells in our hippocampus, causing it to become smaller.

7 grape tomatoes. 1 mozzarella stick, a bunch of grapes. 5 crackers.

Hummus. Carrots. Apple.

Cliff bar. Cut up fruit.

Sound familiar? This might be your lunch or a colleague’s lunch - every day! Teachers make tens of thousands of decisions a day, so taking the decision-

It’s here…the gear up to the start of school! You might be feeling a range of emotions from excitement - greeting new students, a fresh start, a return to routine - to sadness - seeing the summer draw to a close and a different pace of life - to any of the varying emotions in between.

Some of the feedback we have received is that you would like some recommendations for podcasts or other electronic resources.

Did you know that there’s a mineral that helps with calming? Yup, magnesium. Unfortunately, statistics show that 50-75% of Americans are deficient in this wonder mineral.

Springtime is upon us - the blooms and greenery make us want to be outside enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer in this season (although those with allergies might be enjoying it from the inside!) We might be feeling that pull to slow down, but springtime in schools can cause our internal wheel to ramp up, thinking about what we still need to teach before our students move on. Overwhelm starts to creep in and we think, “I just have to get through this…”

School breaks can be a welcome relief from our regular routine - a chance to do some things you might not get to do during school days, a chance to relax and unwind, a chance to see family and friends. But sometimes breaks can be a whirlwind, leaving you feeling out of balance when school resumes. Which kind of break did you experience?!

We are always looking for tools to help maintain a positive mindset. Maintaining a positive mindset can sometimes be a challenge at school with everything you are juggling from the moment you walk in the door.

Hello all! In an effort to reduce information overload, we skipped this week's blog post in lieu of our February Newsletter.

In one of our recent Educator.Health workshops, Laura did a live demo for how to make sauerkraut! It is super easy to make and costs a fraction of what you pay for prepared fermented foods in the grocery store, so this is a win all the way around!

At a recent workshop, we served seaweed and honey bran muffins; guess which one people liked better?! You probably guessed it…the muffins were just a tad bit more popular than the seaweed!

We have been asked for recipes so we thought we would share one of our favorite soups: White Bean Parm Soup. Not only is it simple to make, it is vegetarian, a great way to increase your plant diversity, and is loaded with protein, fiber, magnesium, iron, and folate.

What a welcome surprise to see Today featuring a segment on the health benefits of kindness! David Cregg, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and co-author of a study conducted at Ohio State University, published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, was featured. He states, “Social connection seems to be one of the most powerful ingredients for flourishing in life.”

Do you feel like you are always on the go? Rushing around to get out the door in the morning and to school on time? Cramming everything you need to do in your precious prep time? Slammed with problems the minute you walk into school? We know this isn’t great for our health, but we also know how difficult it can be to take care of ourselves during our busy school days.