I am 9 years into teaching and I have to say that it is one of the hardest but most rewarding jobs out there. If it wasn’t for setting boundaries and finding ways to take care of myself, I am not so sure I would have made it this long. So, for any of you dealing with burnout, try several of these self-care ideas for teachers and see how it changes your life.
15 Ideas for Self-Care
- Don’t take work home
- Coffee/Loaded Tea + Water
- Take a break during plan & go for a walk
- Get a mani/pedi
- Get a massage
- Order something small that makes you happy
- Get a haircut, wash, dye, etc.
- Spend time with family
- Go shopping
- Spend time by yourself
- Create something & be crafty
- Write in your journal
- Clean
- Give a gift to someone else
- Take a vacation – go somewhere new
My Favorites
I absolutely love teaching because I feel like I can influence the future. However, when I am in the grind, I get overwhelmed more easily than normal, and that’s the time I realize I have to do something to lift my mood and take care of myself. I need to refill my cup before I can pour into others.
So, I have a few favorite self-care things that I like to do. I love to get my nails done and be by myself. I am around others all day, and there is something about having a solemn and quiet space to just breathe.
Create a Balance
Some advice that I got a few years ago was that I needed to create a balance between work and home, and I’ve been working on that ever since.
My first couple of years, I was having to take work home because I didn’t know the material or know how to teach it. But after those few years, all my lessons were made and I could just teach.
Along with teaching, though, comes the grading of the all the papers. In today’s society, everything is instant and the students want to know immediately. However, I have made a promise to myself this year to not take any papers home to grade. IT IS LIFE CHANGING. I can finally turn off the teaching side on the way home and switch to being a mother and wife. It is absolutely freeing.
What do others say?
I found a good article HERE that has some really great material on self-care for teachers. You should definitely check it out.
What do you do?
What types of self-care do you do as a teacher to uplift yourself and refill your cup?
