“Working hard for something w
e don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” ~ Simon Sinek
e don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” ~ Simon SinekI was recently asked in an interview how I overcome the stress of the work we do in education. What self-care did I use to negate the effects of all that is required? I felt a bit of panic. I couldn’t say, “Well, I work out…and sleep eight hours…and eat only healthy foods.” These are the things I imagined to be self-care in that moment. Since all of those things would have been a big, fat lie, I basically responded, “I like to do my job and I like to do it well. It is satisfying to me.” Simon Senek seems to see where I was trying to go with that.
But here’s the thing. That was an incomplete answer and it has been bugging me for a couple of weeks. So, yes–I do have a passion for this work. But it is fair to give credit where credit is due.
So I need to say that in addition to that passion, I have a very supportive husband and family who are able to dust me off whenever I come dragging in from a particularly hard day. Being loved the way they love me is a security that leaves me free to be vulnerable enough to be effective out there in the world of work.
And, here’s another piece of how I cope. I have been blessed to work with true leaders, real thought partners. When I need my workday reframed, when I need encouragement or answers, or to vent my frustration–I have turned to these colleagues and trusted them with those needs–and my needs have been met.
Finally, my faith tradition and my family culture have taught me to believe that service is the way to be happy. It is not from getting credit, it is not from getting a gush of gratitude–behind-the-scenes service is how you keep that Santa Clause feeling going all year round. And in serving others, I’m serving God. And since He has blessed me so abundantly–I’m never going to be able to return His many tender mercies in my life, anyway.
So, on the way to the car–those were the “should-have-saids” running through my head. And here’s my big takeaway after thinking about it over the recent days: my self-care strategy is to create deep, meaningful relationships with others–then we sustain each other–come what may.