Teaching is one of the most self-less careers you can have which means we are expected to continue giving more to our students every year with fewer and fewer resources. If we are being honest with ourselves, I think almost everyone of us could admit that we have felt the symptoms of teacher burnout from time to time. Exhaustion or insomnia, anxiety, feeling like no matter how much you do, you aren't making a difference, and increased illness can all be signs that you're on the verge of burnout. If you are feeling any of these symptoms, then it's time to start putting yourself first and this list of teacher self care strategies will help you do just that.
A- ask for help… Asking for help isn't something most people do well, especially teachers. Whether you need emotional support, physical support, or help problem solving, just ask! There is no shame in seeking help.
B- balance… Living a perfectly balance life is a far-fetched idea. The key to having balance is recognizing when life is completely unbalanced and having the strategies to fix it.
C- complain less… Holy moly does this hit the nail on the head. Complaining leads to more complaining which in return breeds negativity. NO ONE has time for that. Now, don't get me wrong- venting is a necessary part of decompressing your stress BUT there is a big difference in incessant complaining and venting. It's important to learn the difference. Someone once told me: “If you have time to complain about it, you have time to do something about it.”
D- ditch the things that don’t bring you joy... Think about the things in your classroom, both physical and procedural that don't bring you joy. Now imagine your classroom without them. Take time to figure out what needs to change in order to rid yourself of the things that don't bring you happiness.
E- educate… teachers are notorious for being lifelong learners. I means we would be hypocrites if we weren't. I'm talking about educating yourself in things other than the teaching profession. It's so important to have interests outside of your kids, families and school. I lied to myself for a long time that this wasn't necessary but it wasn't long before I realized that I didn't even know who I was any more because I had given up all the things I had once loved in order to be the “best mom” and “best teacher.”
Teacher Self Care is important.
F- forgive… This is another tough one for me. I think the saying goes, forgive and forget. I don't buy it. It's not easy for me to forgive others because I feel like I'm suppose to forget what they have done and pretend like things are back to normal. The truth is that this is a completely false. It's completely okay to forgive someone and learn from it. You don't have to forget it but you do have to forgive them or it will eat you up inside.
G- gratitude…In teaching, it's so easy to focus on the negative aspects of the job. End each day with 3 things you're grateful for. Write them out, leave them on your desk and read right away the next morning. It's a guarantee to remind you of the good and start the day off on the right foot.
H- Habits… Usually thought of as being negative, habits often have a bad wrap. It's important to build healthy habits. The norm is that it takes 21 days to create a habit but unfortunately, this isn't true all the time. Set goals, persevere and master those healthy habits!
I- indulge… find time every now and then and binge on something that's your favorite- your favorite podcast, tv show, movie series, book, etc. You'll love every minute of it and you deserve it!
J- journal… Dear Diary, today was a great day… JUST KIDDING! Journaling can mean a lot of things. My favorite type actually helps me minimize my anxiety. It's called a brain dump. If I can't get something off my mind, I sit down and set a timer for 5-10 minutes. During that time, I write down ALL the things that come to my mind about that topic. When I'm all done, I'm able to organize it all and my brain is able to process it all better.
Take Care of You so You Can Take Care of Others.
K- know yourself… one of my best pieces of advice is for you to know yourself. If you don't know what makes you happy and what you enjoy then it will take a lot longer to find the right mach for self care activities. Or if clutter makes you anxious, then you need to know that. If that's the case, it's in your best interest to keep clutter to a minimum, etc.
L- listen… you will be in a much better place mentally if you take the time to actually listen to people and the sounds around you. Active listening just to listen is so healthy. It will honestly bring you peace. Don't listen with an agenda.
M- mindfulness… mindfulness isn't just taking time to meditate. It can also be gratefulness, being present and being conscious of your surroundings and how they make you feel.
N- no.. say no. A little louder for those in the back.. It's important to say no to things. Know your limits and what brings you joy. Now, there are somethings that we have to do just because we are responsible adults BUT if it's a voluntary thing and it's causing you stress like being on a committee at work that isn't required, don't do it! It's perfectly okay to say no and you don't need to explain your reasons to anyone.
O- organize… being organized can actually aid in having better mental health. Even if the act of doing the organization doesn't bring you joy, I guarantee you will appreciate the after effects. This can be the same for your home and also your school environments. If your things are organized, you will feel more at peace and so will your students. Who knew organizing was a form of self care?
How to Prevent Teacher Burnout
P- plan… planning out your day leads to better productivity and less stress. take the 5 minutes to create your to do list and number it in order of priority of getting done. It will save you time and energy in the long run.
Q-quit comparing… It's in your best interest to just do you.. trust that who you are and what you're doing for your students is enough. It will always seem like you could be doing more BUT that's just your brain trying to trick . you into believing you aren't enough. Trust me, you are!
R- reflection… most teachers self reflect almost to a fault but it is a necessary part of growing as a professional. It's important to reflect on your day as a teacher. It is also important to reflect on your day as an individual. Did you take care of yourself? What went well? What could go better tomorrow?
S- stop rushing… As teachers, we think we must be rushing around to maximize our time but the truth is that if you stop rushing, you will find that you actually have more time to get things done. Hear me out on this.. How many times have you messed something up because you were rushing? If you had been thoughtful and taken your time from the beginning, you could have saved time by not having to redo the task..
T- track your sleep, habits, moods, etc… This is a big one. If you start tracking your sleep, habits and moods, you will be able to use the “data” (because we all LOVE data and don't get enough of it.. Just Kidding!) then you will be able to pin point the activities that boost your mood, the accurate amount of sleep you need, etc.
Teacher Self Care Strategies
U- unplug… Turn off your social media, set a timer for your apps, or delete them all together. There is something satisfying about not having social media on my phone. The apps I do have, I have a 15 minute a day timer set for them. The other apps I have, I only access on my computer. It's amazing how much more productive I am and how much less stress I feel when I unplug from social media.
V- volunteer… There is something about volunteering that is just good for the soul. Find a cause that if near and dear to your heart and volunteer to help out!
W- work/life balance… This is harder than it sounds but if you create strong boundaries, you will be able to achieve that work/life balance that everyone is chasing.
X- eXercise… Get those happy endorphins flowing! Move your body- go for a walk, run, yoga, anything that gets your body up and going will help!
Y- yoga… Stretching your body and getting it moving is so important to your mental health. Yoga is a definite must try!
Z- Zzzz… healthy sleep patterns… I mentioned tracking your sleep patterns early but it truly is important to know how much sleep your body needs to function at prime capacity. Figure out what works for you and then it will translate into other aspects of your life.
I hope you found these teacher self care strategies to be helpful. If you are looking for some more tips and ideas on teacher self care then be sure to check out these two posts:
