A dear friend teaching in the same school told me I needed to find a way to deal with the stress. She noticed that my spark had burnt out and helped me develop some stress-busting strategies. It wasn’t easy, but with her support, my love for teaching was reignited and I was able to get through the year and actually enjoy it!

Here are some things I learned that year that may help refresh your own well-being:

After a few months in Amman, my family had adjusted to life there and we all agreed to stay longer than a year. At that point, we decided to investigate better educational opportunities. The academics at the private school in which I was enrolled were not at American standards, especially in English proficiency. A friend of mine, who was also an American living in Amman, told us about Brightways Global Academy. It was the only online private school for Americans living overseas I could find that would provide me with an American high school transcript. It seemed the perfect fit for me, so I enrolled.

Cultivating connections with youth is at the heart of my practice as a child and family therapist. I provide counseling services at Community Connections on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska, primarily for children in foster care.

I attended my first PHlight Club in April 2019, and it’s challenging to put into words how powerful it was. It was truly a life-changing experience.