GUILT…

GUILT. This past year has had me feeling this emotion quite a bit on all fronts. Probably because my family expanded to include a baby girl. So I was being pulled in a few different directions. There are a few definitions, but this one feels like it fits the most for me: “a feeling of having done wrong or failed in an obligation.”

You don’t even have to have a major life change to feel it. I felt it before my daughter was born, but this past year and into this school year, it seems to have popped up much more frequently. So I’ve worked to try and let it go. Insert Elsa from Frozen singing…

For me, guilt has crept up into the three major areas of my life: home, work, and my blog/TPT store. This is how I’ve tried to combat it:

Home: This area has taken priority for me. My daughter is growing up SO quickly and demands a lot of attention! Daycare drop off, pick up, bath time, reading books, feeding, etc. There is a lot to do. I returned to work to finish out the last three weeks of school at the end of last year. I thought I’d feel super sad to leave her and that I’d hate being at work. But I didn’t. I liked being back at work. I liked seeing my coworkers drop in my office and my students’ smiles when they saw me. When school started up again in the fall, I knew my daughter liked daycare and was happy every day when I picked her up. I think I’m a better mom when I do go to work. I realize it’s not the same for everyone, but work gives me purpose (on top of being a mom, of course). I don’t really check email anymore at home. When my contract hours end, I switch off my “work brain.” That guilt has actually been easier to let go of.

Work: I used to have really fun activities planned for most sessions. I used to prep a lot on the weekends and tried to make lots of new activities for my students. This year, I’ve haven’t spent as much time planning. My students’ goals all still get hit, but maybe not with all the pizzazz as before. I have felt guilty that I haven’t researched as much for the kids who are stumping me. This guilt has been a little bit harder for me to let go of. I tell myself that as long as I’m doing my job and doing it to the best of my ability that it’s ok. I’ll get back to the point where we’re doing more fun activities probably when my daughter is older. And actually, I don’t feel that my students have noticed the change!

Blog/TPT: This area is probably the one that’s been put on the back burner the most. Some days, I just don’t have inspiration for new blog posts or products. Some days I’m just too tired to even really think about it. I definitely haven’t made as many activities as I normally do. But I tell myself that this is ok too. I’ll get back to it. It’s just on a little vacation now.

So what do you feel guilty about? How do you let it go? I’d love to hear in the comments!