Remote teaching can be an adventure of a lifetime.
You get to experience amazing things where you are too: places where hardly any non-Indigenous people ever get to see, hunt and gather traditional bush foods, fishing, hiking through red dirt country, parties with new friends and colleagues, 4WD on some of the most remote tracks in the world, camping, concerts and events in the middle of the outback… and more.
But while you are out living and breathing remote culture, language and life… things go on back home.
Missed birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, funerals, the birth of nieces/nephews/friend’s children, festivals, carnivals, events…
It can be hard managing your feelings. On one hand you are loving life and rising to your new challenges. On the other you are struggling with FOMO as you see your friends and family sharing their adventures back home.
How to manage FOMO
- Schedule regular video calls with your family and friends back home. Even though you are not there you can still stay in the loop and enjoy sharing stories.
- Make plans for things you can enjoy with your family and friends during holidays back home or in a new location together
- Invite your family or friends to join somewhere in the outback on a holiday
- Have an online event together- watch a movie together on video call, plan a video call dinner, go for a walk together on video call
- Take leave or leave without pay to go to special events- schedule in dates for important family and friend events such as weddings, milestone birthdays. Take leave for funerals or births. You will likely have some extra leave for these things as remote teachers- and most often your leadership team will understand within reason.
- Journal your feelings
- Reflect on what you do have.
- Invite a local friend out for a walk, a trip to the waterhole, a weekend camping trip
- Look for events in your local region that you can book in to attend
We cover mental health and more in our Thrive Memberships for new remote teachers. We also have a range of courses that you might be interested in. See the page here to learn more.
