Just holding on till the end of the school year? We know how that feels! Want to hit Summer holidays with a smile on your face and energy to spare? Try these tips to pace yourself through these final weeks of Term Four.
Make a list of three things that energise you, and schedule them in every week. You may be busy, but if you’re not taking care of yourself, it’s hard to keep giving back to your students. Love yoga, acupuncture, or a therapeutic massage? Put it in your calendar and don’t move it for anyone.
Try meditating every day, or even sitting still. It only needs to take 10 minutes out of your day, but it can make the world of difference. There are plenty of meditation apps available, or you can just sit outside, look at the trees, and spend a few minutes allowing your brain to relax and unwind. Meditation can be helpful for sleep if you do it before bed.
Sometimes it can be helpful to accept you’re going to be busy for a few weeks, but know it will pass. Some things in your life may need to take a back seat for a while, but you’ll have plenty of time to make that up later. Acceptance can help you relax and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Don’t just give your students a grade, give one to yourself too. Assess your headspace at the end of each working day, with zero being terrible, and ten being fantastic. Any time you dip below five, think about how you can help yourself. Can you phone a friend to talk about it, or reach out for professional support? Take action before you find yourself at zero so you don’t burn out.
Remind yourself about what you love about being a teacher. Is it the “a-ha” moments on your students’ faces when they finally grasp something they’ve struggled with? Is it sending them out into the world with more curiosity than they had before? Is it the relationships you form over the year? Whatever it is, remember to take a look around and appreciate the difference you make in young people’s lives every day.
You’ve worked hard all year, and there’s just the final push to go before you get the break you deserve. Remember that this too shall pass and take good care of yourself.
