For a really long time I put off going to a geneticist to get tested. Some doctors had already recommended it, but I was always on the fence. To be honest, I think I just didn't want to know, but there were other factors too, like health insurance and overall finances. I finally had the courage to change insurances (I had one that I really didn't like and I didn't even liked my doctor) and I found a wonderful very supportive doctor who referred me to an amazing geneticist at the Cancer Research Center at UCSF. After some counseling and labs I tested positive for the BRCA gene, which basically means that my body may develop cancerogenous cells at some point (there is no guarantee that this will happen or that it won't) that will lead to either breast cancer or ovarian cancer.

For the last couple of years I have been doing all the preventive testing like getting ultrasounds every six months and mammographs, breast MRIs, etc. None of this is 100% sure to detect cancerogenous cells, but the possibility of detecting something early is better than zero possibilities, so I kept doing it. Last year my partner and I started talking about the best option for me, which is to get surgery to remove my ovaries and breasts; eliminating these tissues means eliminating all possible problems that may arise in these areas, and I am a practical person. I believe I should eliminate all problems from the root. This also means that after those surgeries I won't be able to have babies, or that I would have to choose other more expensive alternatives like freezing embryos and keeping only my uterus so I can still carry a baby without ovaries. 

After much talking, my partner and I decided we would have kids and after we were done I would get the surgery. When I found out about the BRCA gene I was mad, because I felt that my timeline had been moved up and I was being forced to make decisions I didn't want to make yet. My partner and I had been together for close to 10 years by then, but we still wanted to do so many things together as a couple, before having kids. We had talked about starting a family before and we both knew we are each other's person, and we want the same things in the long run. There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to start a family with him, but this was not a yes/no decision, but a "when" question. I felt that the freedom of choosing my own timeline had been taken away and it took me a while to come to terms with it.

I finally decided that getting the surgery sooner, rather than later, was more important to me. I did a lot of self-reflecting and realized that I had been working on myself, my mental and physical health for quite some time and that there was nothing in my life telling me that I wasn't ready, except for my need to rebel against something I felt was imposed. I have come to realize now after so many months in therapy that my "go to" is to rebel. I always go against what everyone else tells me, I am still not sure why I do that, but I'm working on it... 

So in July 2022 I took my IUD out, I wasn't able to see my gynecologist until late August, so my partner and I we had unprotected sex but we weren't really keeping track of my ovulation or seriously trying. We tried in again, for real this time, using ovulation strips and we got pregnant at the end of September. I felt both incredibly lucky and happy. I thought it was going to take me so long to get pregnant, because I know how hard it has been for some people out there and I truly feel blessed. I also felt guilty that everything seemed so easy for me. But, I have come to terms with the fact that I am allowed to feel both and that my empathic self just feels more than the average person and that is a blessing, even when I feel all the "bad" feelings deeper. If you are struggling with getting pregnant, I am truly sorry that this is your journey, and I wish you can find what you need to heal and find joy. 

If you read this much.. thank you for letting me share and for staying engaged. I don't want to make this longer than it already is, but I wanted to share my story, my thoughts and emotions with you. I hope this helps you connect with your own story, because each one of us lives differently, and we deserve to be free and authentic about it, with all the good and the complicated. 

​As some of you know, because you follow me on Insta (Thank you! ILY), I am doing a course on SEL facilitation and Yoga Teacher Training. I have always loved meditation, yoga, and all the things that have to do with introspection, but I never knew how to teach them and share those tools with my students. 

This is not an ad for Breath 4 Change (the organization where I'm getting my training), but I have to say that they have been a tremendous help and have provided the tools I needed to feel confident teaching my students to discover who they are and what the want through SEL practices. 

I want to share with you how I have incorporated some SEL practices into my classroom, so hopefully you can find a way to practice these too. So here is how I made it happen:

• I chose four SEL tools to focus on (one per quarter)
• I explained the importance of SEL practices to my students and why I wanted to give them these tools
• I gave them choice - I allow them to sit quietly or step out if they need to, since getting in touch with your emotions can be triggering for some students
• I made sure to explain the purpose and how we were going to do our SEL practice the first time and let them make it their own after that
• I always use the first 5 minutes of class instead of a "warm up" or "bell ringer" for SEL - this way students know exactly what to expect and it helps them settle down for class

These are the practices I have incorporated:

• Quarter 1; Meditation - If you are not feeling confident leading a meditation of your own yet, you can always use apps like Headspace or Clam. You don't have to overextend yourself to make something happen. 
• Quarter 2: Journaling - You can find different prompts online. I use an app called "Lifecraft" for my own personal use, but I also have this resource with 50 prompts in Spanish. You can always do a quick google search as well, there are tons of options. I would suggest to keep a theme for the week (if possible) like gratitude, values, exploration of self, etc.
• Quarter 3: Mindful Movement - this sounds a lot like yoga, but it doesn't have to be. The gaol is just to connect their movement with their breath and setting an intention. It's also a good way to make it fun (like silent disco) and get them comfortable in their own bodies
• Quarter 4: Breathing - There are a lot of breathing practices that can be trigger that's why I left this for last. If you want to incorporate breath work you should really do some research. I strongly suggest doing one of the free webinars from B4C or just give students the space to do their own thing. After providing them with three tools, they can choose what they feel they need. 

I hope this is useful and that you can feel confident in sharing these practices with your students. The most important part is to start!! You will get better with time as you continue to practice teaching/leading these SEL practices. 

take care of her - almost all of my family lives outside Peru - so I went back on Thanksgiving and I decided I would go again on the last day of school before Christmas break. I traveled to Peru three times in three months.... it was exhausting and I still don't know how I pulled that off... ohhhh, by the way, at the time I was also finishing my master's in Spanish Literature, so my plate was already full and this pushed me even more. ​

This was as unpredictable as life is... and I was not prepared for it.. but who is? We are not prepared for life, so we make choices and those choices either make us feel better or worse. I always choose whatever will make me feel better, because in the long run, acting in alignment with my values is always rewarding and I don't regret any of my decisions, even the ones I consider were mistakes. 

So I apply this same concept when I decide if I should grade over break or not... what will make me feel better now and what will make me feel better in the long run? 

This year I was stressed, burnt out, anxious and exhausted at the beginning of December; I knew these were consequences from putting aside my meditation and yoga practices and other routines that help me find balance in my day to day life. I had forgotten to take care of myself for the last few weeks, and because of it I had no more energy to give; so I chose to ignore the piles of paper and take it slow. I finished the semester feeling tired, but I didn't have a complete breakdown; I was very aware of my needs and I was able to take care of them when we finished school on December 16th.  I knew if I tried to do any grading, lesson planning, prepping for the first week back I would have a complete breakdown and I chose the alternative. I chose to work for a couple of hours during my vacation time, and do it without jeopardizing my time alone or my time with family and friends. 

The year my grandmother passed away, the day before I was supposed to arrive in Lima to take care of her one more time, I realized that finding balance between work and life is not black and white. The overwhelming chaos of my life those months was not unbearable... it was hard... really f*** hard, but I did it! Somehow I realized  that teaching is part of my life.. and as unpredictable as life is, so is teaching.  We adjust our lives for our personal needs, and teaching is part of my life so it's just another factor to consider when finding balance. It is a job, but it's a job that is part of who I am. It is part of my purpose and as long as I understand that is one piece of the puzzle I can move that around until it fits in my life schedule... not necessarily my work schedule. 

This year, I decided to leave work at 4pm everyday because I want to spend time at home, but if I need to or want to I can stay longer. I can also choose to take work home if that will bring me peace of mind the next day. I can also choose to grade on the plane, if I'm traveling, because I know I won't have any distractions. I can also choose to ignore all the grading and planning and get to school and wing it, because maybe that is what I needed that day. Life is so unpredictable, that we have to adapt every single day... and creating a rule that will fix it all is not the answer. 

I love structure and I love organizing my day every day the night before... I love a plan of action, but I also understand that we have to honor our energy and our needs. Being able to recognize that is the hardest part, and choosing based on what is best for us is really hard when we are surrounded by noise - especially noise in the form of social media. I hope we can all get to know ourselves better - body, mind, soul - so we can choose based on us. 

I know this post was really long.. thank you for letting me share part of my story with you. ILY!!! ​

Un abrazo,    
- ​Jimena     

The first day of school is perfect for these activities:

• Journaling on the past year: questions like "where are we?", "how did we get here?", what have we learned?", "how will our experiences serve us in the future? are perfect to start reflection on how we want our year to go.
• Vision Boards: this can be a fun, engaging, artistic activity that will help your students think of their future and what they want for themselves. You can pair this activity with some executive function mini lesson where you ask them "how will you get there?" and ask them to create a plan to make their vision a goal
• Goal Setting: there are plenty of TpT products that talk about S.M.A.R.T. Goals and pretty cool worksheets that you can use with your students. I LOVE displaying their SMART goals in a bulletin board in my classroom, so they can have it as a reminder. I also think it's a great idea to ask them to choose a song that motivates them to accomplish that goal, and create a class playlist! 
• Remind them of your community guidelines/expectations/classroom rules. Students forget easily... so it's important to establish strong relationships by talking about why we have community guidelines and how it helps us be a stronger community that helps and supports each other.

I really hope these ideas are helpful. I highly recommend to plan at least your first day back BEFORE you go on break, so you are not stressing out during the break and you have plenty of time to rest. 

If you do HAVE TO work the Sunday before going back to work I suggest to put it in your calendar for a specific time and only work during that time. Be your most productive self during 1-2 hours of your day and then forget about it!!! (This is why I highly recommend to work in the morning if you can.. just get it out of the way!) I also recommend using the Pomodoro technique, which will help you put all distractions aside. 

I'm sure you will be great!!! Don't be too hard on yourself!! 

For meditations: 
​💜 Headspace: This is my ultimate favorite!!! The premium version is free for educators!!!! I LOVE The Wake Up, which I watch every morning while I drink my first cup of coffee. AI also love all their meditations and how flexible they can be. I like to do a 10min meditation, but there have been times were I have only been able to do 5 min, and that's ok. The most important thing is to not skip the practice. There are so many different types of mediations in the app; there is literally something for every need. This is the app I use every morning and it has really made a difference on how I start my day.

💙 Calm: I love their bedtime stories, but they don't provide a lot of stories unless you have the premium version and it's not available to teachers for free anymore. If you can get it, it's pretty great!!! It helps me wind down at nights and I fall sleep right away! Sleep is also self care... we need a goodnight sleep if we want to be productive!

For journaling:
💚 Lifecraft: This app gives you a different prompt everyday and you write for 8 minutes. I like that the prompts are totally random and sometimes I don't think it will get me thinking too hard about myself, but somehow it always does. The timer is integrated and it allows you to record your mood each morning next to the journal entry. You can also have multiple journals - I have one for my morning prompts and one that I use at night for gratitude. I use the premium version so it synchs with iCloud; but I think it's totally worth it and not expensive at all!!!

For developing and tracking habits:
💛 Fabulous: This app is great to help you build habits, but you have to pay for it, and to be honest I would rather keep track of my habits on a monthly calendar where I can see progress throughout the month. It gives good coaching advise, so if you need the extra push, maybe this is for you. I gave it a try and although I won't keep it, I think it might be helpful for some people.

I hope this has been helpful!!! Apps are wonderful tools, but it's important to use them with intention. Everyone has different needs, so I hope you find something that works for you! 

Tampoco quiero salir, porque no quiero gastar... estoy en plan de ahorro... pero ¿entonces qué hago? ... me tomó unos días adaptarme y encontrarme, pero la realidad es que mi personalidad no es "relajarme" sin hacer nada... para mí es importante mantenerme activa... así que esto es lo todo lo que tengo planeado para las próximas semanas:

1. Leer: ¡¡¡en una semana ya leí dos libros!!! esto es algo que me fascina hacer y nunca me siento enfocada mentalmente para hacerlo mientras estoy trabajando. A veces lo hago, a veces no me puedo concentrar... es complicado. Me agrega más estrés leer mientras trabajo, porque siento que me estoy agregando cosas a la lista de pendientes, pero durante las vacaciones sí lo puedo disfrutar. Recomiendo que tengan una lista de Goodreads para que lleven la cuenta de sus libros leídos y pendientes. 

2. Termina un proyecto en casa: puede ser cualquier cosa... desde reparaciones, limpieza general, donaciones, etc. Haz algo que te mantenga activo y que ayude a mejorar tu ambiente en casa. Cuanto más cómodos nos sentimos en un espacio podemos elevar nuestro estado de ánimo y ser productivos o relajarnos. 

3. Actualiza tu lista de Netflix, Hulu o cualquier otra suscripción: muchas veces al estar ocupados no es nuestra prioridad organizar nuestra biblioteca digital, pero es importante agregar un "me gusta" a los títulos que ya vimos y quitarlos de nuestra lista, para que el algoritmo reconozca nuestros gustos, pero que no nos llenemos de una lista interminable de títulos que ya ni reconocemos. Este es un proyecto personal y que te mantendrá ocupado un rato, especialmente si lo que buscas es matar hora. 

4. Sal a caminar, explora tu ciudad: Parece algo muy obvio, pero el simple hecho de salir a caminar y tomar aire un rato nos hace sentir muchísimo mejor. Como mencione antes, no quiero gastar dinero en cosas innecesarias, porque estoy en plan de ahorro, pero ¡salir a dar un paseo no cuesta nada! Incluso puedes quedar con amigos para verse y caminar juntos, así no tienes que gastar en salir a comer o tomar algo con ellos. Disfruten de ser turistas por un día, pueden buscar en Wiki Travel todos los lugares interesantes para visitar en tu ciudad. 

5. Haz algo que siempre hayas querido hacer antes: esto es muy subjetivo... todos tenemos algo que siempre hemos querido hacer y nunca nos hemos atrevido a hacer o no hemos podido por falta de tiempo. ¡Ahora es el momento de lanzarte a hacerlo! Para mí, esto es dejar libros por toda la ciudad donde vivo. Siempre he querido ser una "Book Fairy" pero nunca he tenido el tiempo. Hace tiempo compre stickers y separé algunos libros, pero ahora que estoy de vacaciones he dejado a un lado un pila de libros para regalar y ya todos tienen stickers... estoy lista para comenzar a regalárselos a cualquier persona que los encuentre. ¡Tú también puedes encontrar algo que te guste!

Espero que esta lista les haya servido de inspiración... y que este verano también se sientan activos. En lo personal, me ayuda mucho tener un plan, si no lo hago siento que me quedo tirada en la cama todo el día, me duele el cuerpo, me siento desmotivada, etc... es importante que cuidemos de nuestra salud mental y mantenernos activos es gran parte de eso. 

  
Un abrazo,      
 - Jimena