The Ultimate Gift for Teachers Beyond Teacher Appreciation Week
As Teacher Appreciation Week has come and gone, hopefully, the echoes of gratitude and recognition still linger in our hearts. It’s heartwarming to receive acknowledgment for our hard work and dedication, but it all quickly fades away. The appreciation lunch can only sustain us for a few hours. The remnants of the sweet treat we received in our mailbox are now in the trash. The gift mug will be added to our collection and the gift school supplies and tee-shirts continue to remind us of our job. When that acknowledgment fades away, many teachers are still experiencing burnout, stress, and other mental and physical health problems as a result of their dedication to this work. Superior to the tokens of appreciation from others, the ultimate gift for teachers beyond Teacher Appreciation Week is prioritizing our health and wellness.
Nurturing our health and wellness is essential for long-term well-being and effectiveness as educators. No one else can do it for us which makes it more special and fitting during a time like this. Just like students, teachers need to be reminded of things, especially when it concerns taking care of ourselves. Its importance cannot be ignored when teacher responsibilities, absences, and vacancies are increasing all around us. Prioritizing our health & wellness is more important than ever before. It is the gift that teachers need and deserve, and have often avoided because of other pressing matters. Our health must now be that pressing matter that causes us to make a change.
The Importance of Prioritizing Our Health & Wellness
Teaching is a profession filled with passion, purpose, and, at times, profound challenges. Challenges can range from managing diverse classrooms to meeting the individual needs of students to balancing time, and administrative tasks that make the demands of teaching more overwhelming. As educators, we pour our hearts and souls into our work, often neglecting our well-being in the process. However, we must always remember that prioritizing our health & wellness is not a task that we will get to later — it’s a necessity that must be intentional.
Prioritizing our health & wellness includes nourishing our minds, bodies, and spirits so that we can show up as our best selves when we are out in the community, at home, and in the classroom. When we do this, we not only improve our quality of life but also enhance the lives of everyone around us. Below are 5 ways to give yourself the gift of prioritizing your health & wellness.
1. Self-Care
Self-care is a way of prioritizing our health & wellness. Self-care is a word that is still misunderstood. Many relate it to being selfish. However, when your motive is to prioritize your health & wellness, there is nothing selfish about that. Do not allow people to make you feel guilty about preserving your health or being a better you. When that happens, it stops you from fully engaging in self-care and seeing the benefits in your life.
Self-care can be practiced in unlimited ways. However, my clients have benefited from making sure these 5 areas are included in their self-care practices and I’m sure they will benefit you too.
In one of my Favorite books, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” Stephen Covey titles the 7th Habit, “Sharpen the Saw: Principles of Balanced Self-Renewal”. He says that sharpening the saw is the habit that makes all the other habits possible. So if we want to be highly effective we must take care of ourselves.
When we “Sharpen the Saw” or practice self-care we should exercise all five dimensions of our nature regularly and consistently. Those dimensions are our physical, mental, spiritual, social, and emotional. Adding the 5 dimensions of our nature to our daily self-care practices helps us move closer to a more balanced healthier life.
The 5 dimensions do not require the same amount of time or attention and the more we listen to our bodies the easier we will notice when an area needs more attention. Start listening to your body today to identify the dimension that needs more attention in your life.
2. Setting Boundaries
Setting boundaries is not always easy, but it’s essential for maintaining our health and wellness as a teacher. By defining our limits, communicating them clearly, and limiting the hours we spend on work-related tasks, we can decrease the likelihood of burnout, move closer to a healthy work-life balance, and ultimately become more fulfilled people.
Understand that it takes time to get comfortable setting new boundaries and sticking with them. An example of this is limiting work hours. Many teachers spend a large amount of time planning lessons for the next week and desire to limit that time because it takes up their personal time. Moving from working on lesson plans on weekends to working on them for a total of five hours a week during work hours may sound unrealistic. However, take things slow and at your own pace. Try moving from 10 hours of lesson planning down to 9 hours. Use productivity strategies such as avoiding multitasking and timing yourself to help you stay on track. Do the best planning you can with the time you are given and exercise grace during this process. Do not give up and go back to your old comforts. To make new patterns, consistency is the key. Continue timing yourself and increase productivity strategies as needed. The more you do this, the quality of your work will improve with practice and you will learn to get more done in less time.
Other practical setting boundary tips include:
1. Define Your Limits: Take some time to reflect on what aspects of your work and personal life are most important to you. Identify where you need to set boundaries to protect these priorities.
2. Learn to Say No: It’s okay to decline extra responsibilities or requests that infringe on your boundaries. Saying no can be empowering and is essential for preserving your time and energy.
3. Seek Support: Don’t be afraid to reach out for support from colleagues, friends, or mental health professionals if you’re struggling to set or maintain boundaries. You’re not alone, and there are resources available to help you.
For more support with setting boundaries, check out our article titled, “Setting Healthy Boundaries for a More Fulfilling Life”.
3. Prioritize Sleep
Adequate sleep is essential for overall well-being and cognitive function. Many teachers, often burn the midnight oil grading papers or planning lessons, but sacrificing sleep can take a toll on our health and effectiveness in the classroom. Make sleep a priority by establishing a regular bedtime routine, creating a restful sleep environment, and aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
Establishing a regular bedtime routine is crucial for prioritizing sleep. When we engage in consistent activities leading up to bedtime, such as dimming lights, reading a book, or practicing relaxation techniques, we signal to our body that it’s time to wind down and prepare for sleep. This routine helps regulate our body’s internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day. Additionally, bedtime rituals create a sense of familiarity and comfort, reducing stress and anxiety that can interfere with sleep. Over time, sticking to a bedtime routine can improve the quality and duration of your sleep, leaving us feeling more refreshed and energized during the day.
Creating a restful sleep environment is essential for achieving a good night’s rest. We can start by optimizing our bedroom for sleep, keeping it cool, dark, and quiet. Invest in comfortable bedding and a supportive mattress to promote relaxation and reduce discomfort. Minimize exposure to electronic devices before bedtime, as the blue light emitted can interfere with our body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. We can also consider using blackout curtains or an eye mask to block out light and use earplugs or a white noise machine to mask disruptive sounds. It can also help if we keep our bedroom clutter-free and free from distractions, reserving it solely for sleep and intimacy. This includes no more lesson planning in bed. By creating a calm and inviting sleep environment, we can enhance the quality of our sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated each morning
For a teacher, getting 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night offers a multitude of benefits that directly impact our ability to perform effectively in the classroom and maintain overall wellness. Adequate sleep enhances cognitive function, including memory, attention, and problem-solving skills, allowing teachers to plan and deliver engaging lessons more effectively. Additionally, quality sleep supports emotional regulation, reducing stress, irritability, and burnout, which are common challenges for teachers. With sufficient rest, we can maintain patience and empathy, fostering positive relationships with students and colleagues. Moreover, adequate sleep strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of illness which we are exposed to every day when we are around students. Overall, prioritizing 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night is essential for teachers to thrive both personally and professionally.
4. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness involves bringing your attention to the present moment with openness and curiosity. Incorporating mindfulness practices into our daily routine can help reduce stress, improve focus, and enhance overall well-being. We can start our day with a few minutes of mindful breathing or incorporating short mindfulness exercises into classroom transitions. 2 to 3 minutes can help decrease stress and improve our attention and cognition skills. We can move up to 5 to 15 minutes as time allows for more intense practice.
Participating in a mindfulness activity before lesson planning, answering contentious emails, or at the beginning of the school day helps us to be more intentional about the activity at hand. It also helps us look at the task with more energy and focus.
Practicing mindfulness before going to bed helps us remove thoughts that may still be lingering in our minds about work. Many teachers have had the experience of feeling like we are “always on” which is another way of saying that work takes up a lot of their mental energy throughout the day. It is important to take a break from work to rejuvenate us and rest our minds so that we can return to work feeling renewed.
Some teachers may find it difficult to concentrate on mindfulness when they have so much work to do. However, practicing mindfulness can make it easier to focus on the next task that must be completed. Try it and with practice, it gets easier. Your brain deserves the mental breaks that mindfulness can provide.
5. Explore New Things
Prioritizing our health and wellness isn’t just about eating our veggies and getting enough exercise. It’s also about trying new things and stepping out of our comfort zones. The teaching profession can become very mundane. Planning, teaching, disciplining, grading papers, answering emails, and attending meetings can keep us in a routine that may not edify us mentally or feed our souls. If we are not careful, the drills of work can take over our lives. Whether it’s trying a new hobby, exploring a new place, or making new friends, embracing new experiences can have a big impact on our overall health and wellness. Below are 3 benefits of exploring new things.
1. Keeps Our Brain Sharp
When we try new things, we challenge our brains to learn and adapt. Whether it’s mastering a new teaching technique or trying a new hobby like painting or playing a musical instrument, learning something new stimulates our brain and keeps it active. This can improve our memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills in a fun and exciting way.
2. Fosters Personal Growth
Stepping out of our comfort zone and trying new things can be scary, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. It can help us overcome fears and insecurities, build confidence, and open us up to new possibilities and opportunities that being in the classroom could never do. Whether it’s conquering a fear of flying or animals by traveling to Costa Rica and experiencing the Rainforest Safari or facing a fear of heights by trying rock climbing or skydiving, pushing ourselves to try new things can lead to personal growth and self-discovery.
3. Boosts Creativity
Trying new things can spark our creativity and inspire new ideas. Whether it’s exploring a new art exhibit, attending a poetry reading, or trying our hands at creative writing, exposing ourselves to new experiences can broaden our perspective and stimulate our imagination. This creativity can carry over into our teaching, helping us come up with fresh and innovative lesson plans that engage and inspire students.
Exploring new things can help teachers feel alive and rejuvenated in ways that teaching cannot. We need this to be our best selves. We deserve this because everyone deserves to be alive and fulfilled.
As teacher appreciation week has come to an end, let’s remember that the greatest gift we can give ourselves can extend far beyond that week and should benefit us throughout the year. By prioritizing our health and wellness, we honor our worth and well-being. We recognize that our jobs are only a portion of what makes us who we are and to be even better at it, we must take care of ourselves. As we navigate the journey of educating the next generation, let’s commit to nurturing ourselves with the same care and compassion we extend to others. When we prioritize our health and wellness, we not only become better educators but also happier, healthier individuals.
Covey, S. R. (1989). The seven habits of highly effective people: restoring the character ethic. New York, Simon and Schuster.
