Teacher self-care has always been a hot topic in the education field. Now more than ever, with the recent global health crisis the importance of self-care has been at the forefront.

Frustration and tired, teachers had to be able to pivot from traditional teaching in the classroom to virtual online teaching at a moment’s notice. The difficulty for teachers to maintain physical and mental health during this time was accelerated from making material for asynchronous and synchronous learning, learning new online teaching programs and platforms, all the while trying to keep students engaged and motivated, and keeping their family’s healthy and safe.

During this time self-care was easily overlooked and when it was time to return to the classroom, some teachers walked away from the profession altogether. Even, I walked away from teaching special education and returned to general education because of the amount of frustrations and level of burnout that I experienced.

What is Exactly is Self-Care?

It’s not an easy question to answer because self-care is different for everyone. However, the main definition of self-care is varied but boils down to any activity undertaken to gain or maintain an optimal level of health. It should never be something forced or not enjoyable. It should refuel you and make you feel better rather than create more stress.

Self-care isn’t something that has to cost money, although as you begin to see benefits you may want to take on self-care options that have a price tag. But you can start off with free and easy ways to start a self-care routine.

For teachers, it’s usually the one thing they are missing in life because of how busy and stressed their work life and possible home life can be. In this case it is not easy to take care of ourselves – especially since we are always taking care of everyone else.

Why is Self-Care Important

The importance of self-care directly affects many areas of your life because not taking care of yourself often results in not doing a great job at taking care of many of the important things around you; especially at home, with family and friends and even in the classroom. In fact, can you really afford not to take care of yourself?

Self-care will create a balance and satisfying lifestyle. When you pay attention to your needs, you are opening the way to living a balanced life. This can then lead to a life filled with enjoyable activities, good relationships, satisfaction with teaching and leisure time with friends and family that bring you joy.

Developing a Self-Care Plan

When you think about self-care you may have difficulty finding what would be the right self-care for you. And at times, you may not even know you need it. But keep in mind you’re looking for things that will allow you to achieve your optimal physical, mental and emotional health. That means doing things because they help you feel better, not because you think you should be doing them.

Here are some examples:

For physical self-care you can go for a walk, put on music and dance around the house, take a bath, eat nourishing foods and get the right amount of sleep.

For emotional self-care you can be kind to yourself when you make mistakes, reflect on your feelings about a certain topic in writing, say no to the things that don’t feel right and determine and stick to your emotional boundaries. This can be difficult as teacher but know your limits!

When looking to spiritual self-care, you can meditate, write in a journal, read about a religious tradition you’re not familiar with and walk in nature contemplating the natural wonders around you.

Your social self-care means having a reliable network of supportive friends, honoring your commitments to other people, spending time with family, meeting new people and asking for help when you need it.

When it comes to the teacher life self-care includes making time to eat a good lunch and taking a lunch. Often there would be times I would work right through lunch and not even realize it. Also, taking advantage of professional development opportunities, having clear boundaries and advocating for yourself, like not take accepting class coverage or attending a meeting that means staying at school beyond contract time.

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Teacher Self-Care Ideas

The best way to start working on yourself is with some simple things.

1. Deep Breathing

When you notice you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, just stop and take a few deep breaths. This will help to get more oxygen into your body because as you get stressed you tend to breathe shallowly, not getting enough oxygen. This is a quick exercise you can do in your classroom, at home, or anywhere for that matter. There’s nothing so urgent that you can’t spare a moment or two for a couple of deep breaths. You will be amazed at how a simple thing like breathing can make you feel better. Recognizing that you’re feeling stressed and stopping to breathe is a great self-care tip.

Try a technique called “box breathing” it is an easy method to get yourself grounded when you’re feeling stressed and anxious. First exhale any air in your lungs. Then, slowly breathe in to count of four filling your belly first then your lungs. Hold your breath for four seconds then exhale slowly for a count of four.

2. Setting Picture Scene

Another simple method is to find a picture of something soothing to look at. What kinds of images instill calmness in you? What feelings do you get when you think about the beach, palm trees, sunshine? Find a picture of that to gaze at. How about the sky, clouds and birds flying? Find a scene like that. Does looking photos albums of friends and family give you the warm and fuzzies? My wallpaper and desktop backgrounds always have a beach or family vibe. I’ve also started incorporating a self-care quote or bible scripture to help me stay grounded.

When you’re feeling stressed and anxious look at those scenes or photos for a few moments and notice how much more grounded you feel.

3. Meditation

Near the top of any list of simple and cost free self-care practices you will find meditation That’s because it’s easy to do no matter where you are and just a few minutes can have you feeling grounded and ready to deal with the world or classroom again. Meditation combines breathing and mindfulness which are both helpful to restoring emotional balance. This is also something great you can do as a class with your students that can calm everyone down!

4. Laughing!

Sometimes what you need is a good laugh. Although I’m known to laugh a lot, I still need a self-care break throughout my day, but laughing really breaks you away from a feeling of negativity. Try making a YouTube playlist of funny videos to watch for a few minutes. Or take a look at some teacher memes. Also, making a list of inspirational videos and quotes, plus fun adult coloring you can tap into when you need a quick break is very uplifting and calming.

5. Walking

I talk about this in my course Reclaim Your Life for Teachers, and that is taking just a quick daily walk. I know we don’t have a lot of extra time during our teacher workday, but a walking is a big stress reliever. In fact, if you are teaching from home, it’s recommended that people who sit most of the day working should get up at least once per hour and move around for five or ten minutes. Doing this is one of the best ways to practice self-care. So if you are at school, try to use your plan or lunch break to go on a quick walk around the school track which can also give you some great fresh air.

Teacher Self-Care Kit: Developing a Plan

Start developing your self-care plan. Check out this FREE Simple Self-Care Starter Kit that includes:

• Self-Care Ideas/Plan
• Daily Self-Care Planner
• Inspiration
• Self-Care Quotes/Affirmations
• Bullet Journal Template Action Plan

Click here for your self-care starter kit!

Teacher Care Crate

Check out the Teacher Care Crate to add to your self-care plan and grow your self-care kit!

Final Thoughts

Once you determine how you want to start your self-care and incorporated some of the self-care ideas, congratulate yourself on starting the journey of self-care and a balanced and satisfying life. You’ll likely find that your days are happier, and your stresses are fewer. And that’s the point of self-care.

If you want to continue a full self-care journey for teachers check this course: Reclaim Your Life for Teachers! use code: TEACHERLOVE for a special discount.