Self-Care For Teachers on Summer Break

It’s summer, teachers. I am finally on summer break. This year has been the longest, hardest, craziest year of my career. The past couple of weeks, I’ve been so tired and worn down that I just haven’t had the energy to do anything in the evenings – even things that I know are good for me. I have repeated the mantra, “I’ll do it when summer starts,” over and over again in my mind.

So now that summer is finally here for me (and hopefully for you!), I thought I would share five tips for your most important teacher summer job – taking care of you! Read on to find out more about self-care for teachers on summer break!

Rest

“Well, duh,” you’re probably saying. But I’ll say it anyway. Get lots of rest. Sleep in late. Lounge around outside on the back porch or by the pool or on a beach.

Spend hours playing mindless games on your phone. It’s okay. Really.

Play

Play can come in many forms – reading for pleasure, working on crafting projects, spending time outside, vacations – the possibilities are endless.

Spend time doing the things you love that you don’t get to devote the time you’d like to during the year. For me this includes reading a lot more and spending time working on crafting projects. And usually there’s a trip or two thrown in for good measure.

Complete

Finish a project that you just couldn’t bear to bring yourself to work on during the school year. Whether it’s redoing a room in your house, completing a craft project, or planning a party, use some of your new found freedom towards getting it done.

When back to school rolls around, you will feel so good knowing that the project is completed and you can use all your school year free time (hahahahahahah) to work on something else!

Move

Don’t forget to put movement into your day. As teachers, we are so used to being on our feet at school. During the summers, we become more sedentary, even those of us who are already daily exercisers.

This summer, I’m joining the Cult of getting a Peloton and cannot wait until it arrives. And I’m really hoping it gets me up and moving everyday!

Work (Within Reason)

Okay, as a teacher, I know how hard it is for us to not do any work during the summer. But my suggestion is to hold off for as long as possible. Maybe until the 2-3 weeks before you report back. That’s generally all my brain will allow me. I start getting into that back to school head space in late July and then it’s all things school all the time!

In case you missed it a couple of weeks ago, I have created a summer reading guide for teachers. You can check out that post here.

And sign up for my email newsletter to receive a free, printable version of that guide down below!

Thanks for stopping by today! I’ll see you again (virtually!) soon!

Deedee