LINCOLN (SNR) – Dr. Courtney Miller, director of clinical services at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling, spoke on self-care at a Jan. 11 staff meeting at St. Michael School in Lincoln.
The Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center (IHMCC) has served the Diocese of Lincoln since 1995 and it strives to “Counsel the Doubtful” as its mission, while developing, protecting, and preserving, the Catholic culture. It is an apostolate of Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska.
Dr. Miller said self-care and being mindful of obstacles to a balanced life are helpful tools to health challenges and avoiding burnout.
Repeated studies across the nation have shown increases in teacher stress and anxiety over the past two years. Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, remote learning, public unrest and personal problems have made life challenging.
Ashley Rockey, principal of St. Michael School, said teachers are facing barriers that are extraordinary.
“We recognize the students and families of St. Michael School are going through a lot right now, as are our teachers,” she said.
“Our mission at St. Michael School is to make saints and disciples of all. We take implementing and practicing this mission each and every day very seriously and in order to do so effectively, we need to take care of our teachers,” she added.
Dr. Miller had the St. Michael teachers take a “Self-Care Assessment” to help them learn about their care needs by spotting patterns and recognizing areas of their life that need more attention.
“Self-care” means taking time to do the things one enjoys, taking care of oneself and making it a priority, setting self-care goals, making self-care a habit, setting boundaries to protect one’s self-care, et cetera. Dr. Miller said a few minutes of self-care is better than no self-care, unhealthy activities don't count as self-care, and one should keep up with self-care, even when feeling good.
Rockey said she has worked hard to provide opportunities for rest and self-care for the teachers and staff this year. In November, on “National Stress Awareness Day,” teachers and staff had the opportunity to receive a chair massage from a professional massage therapist, one staff meeting was replaced with Eucharistic Adoration and guided meditation in front of the Blessed Sacrament, along with other smaller ways to show staff appreciation like “jeans days” and the like.
Learn more about the Immaculate Heart of Mary Counseling Center at immaculateheartcounseling.org.
