It seems like every other post on social media these days is centered on teacher self-care. We hear from our admin team about the importance of self-care as they send us a list of more programs we must manage and more content we must teach. It is almost laughable. Almost.

When teachers say we are tired, we are not lying. We are exhausted. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. We have been lauded as heroes and in the same breath scapegoated and vilified as the very reason why students were not back in school at the height of the pandemic.

Now, many of us feel that we just have nothing left to give. So, teacher friends, the question is…how do we take care of ourselves in a way that is meaningful and beneficial? How do we restore some of that shine to the diamonds that we are?

Take Time for You

We know that we have excuses a mile long as to why we can not take just one minute for ourselves. We are mothers, fathers, care givers to elderly parents, or our plates are just too full with work obligations. But, can we tell you a dirty little secret? Self-care is not selfish. Let us say that again…self-care is not selfish. Teachers instinctively are caregivers. We give and give and give and often ask for nothing in return. But if these last few years have taught us anything, it is that you can not pour from an empty cup. It is perfectly okay to take thirty minutes to one hour a day for just yourself.

Set Up Clear Time Boundaries

Stress and burnout go hand-in-hand. Burnout is often caused by not knowing when to say no, not knowing how to say no, prioritizing others before yourself, unrealistic expectations, and not being appreciated for what you do. Sound familiar?

Setting up clear time boundaries consists of how you manage your time, how you allow others to use your time, how you deal with favor requests, and how you structure your free time.

So what can you do when you feel your time boundaries are being violated? Make your boundaries clear and be consistent. Setting a time boundary sounds like this: “ I am unable to stay late today.” Or, “I am unable to help you this weekend.” You should also always honor your time boundaries. Before saying yes to anyone, check your calendar. Also, check in with yourself. How does saying yes make you feel? If you are feeling put out, stressed, or frustrated, decline the invite and use that time for yourself.

*Did you know we have a whole lesson on responsible decision making for our students? Time boundaries is part of that lesson, and it is a game changer. You can check out the link here.

Make Your Goals Manageable

Making sweeping changes to your lifestyle does not happen overnight. If we know anything about New Year’s Resolutions, it is that they often fail. Why? Because our goals are too lofty or they are not specific enough. Making small changes to our daily or weekly routines can have a huge impact on our overall mental and physical wellbeing. What you decide to do to support your self-care is up to you, but some things that we know have helped us these past few years are:

Exercise - We both have a Peloton bike, and we make sure to make time to workout, either on the bike, or through the app at least five times a week. Even a quick 10-15 minute exercise will create lasting benefits throughout your day. Why not take a quick walk during your lunch break? Grab a friend and make it a weekly routine.

Journaling - We love to create and use bullet style journals. Staying organized, creating check-lists, and setting small and achievable daily goals make our type A, enneagram number one, teacher hearts so very happy.

Sleep - “Twenty percent of Americans have a sleep disorder (one in four people are afflicted with insomnia; 22 million have sleep apnea), and the average non-disordered sleeper is only getting 6.8 hours a night.” Sleep is so very important to our overall health and wellbeing. Make sleep a priority. Try to get at least seven or more hours of sleep a night to keep your body healthy and strong. Want to read more on why sleep is so important? Check out the book Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. It is a great read!

Read for pleasure - It is so hard to squeeze in time to read, especially when we have so many other things to do throughout the day. A Teaching Distillery teacher hack is that we listen to audiobooks on the regular. We listen to our audiobooks to and from work, while getting ready in the morning and while meal prepping or cooking dinner. It is a great way to squeeze in those times to read. The best part is that if you have a library card, all of those audiobooks are free through the Libby library app.

Call or visit a friend - When we are stretched for time or are feeling stressed out many of us resort to holing up at home and spending hours upon hours working. Self-care may look like taking a break from the screen and calling a friend. Maybe, it is actually going out with that friend and letting off some steam. Double score if that bestie hang involves a nice long walk, or…maybe a relaxing pedicure?

Drop or limit that sugar - This one is last (and definitely least for our taste buds) but, sugar really does a number on our overall health. One way to start feeling better almost immediately is to drop or limit the amount of sugar you include in your diet. We know that ice cream is such a well earned treat after a long day. And yes, you better believe that cookie or donut in the break room is calling our names when they get dropped off by some well meaning parent. However, the deep, dark, and dangerous side of sugar is that it leads to “higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease” which are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Making a lifestyle choice for the better takes time. Whether it is improving our diet, exercising more, getting better sleep, or trying out meditation, creating a new habit requires patience.

“According to a 2009 study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit. The study also concluded that, on average, it takes 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” heathline.com

Bottom line, there is no quick fix when it comes to self care and we need to be patient as we build new healthy habits.

What Self- Care Really Looks Like for Teachers