Autumn Self-Care

This is the time of year where the honeymoon is over (see my post about that HERE), but many routines are underway. If you’re a teacher, you get to take a breath before the busy season of completing report cards and holding conferences with families.

How can you take care of yourself while ensuring you have energy for the next wave of busy tasks? Here are 25 tips.

october

1 – Keep eating those fruits and vegetables. I read somewhere that if you eat 8-10 servings of fruit and vegetables every day, it’s almost impossible to get sick. I don’t know if that’s true, but I think it’s worth a try! Try to have vegetables at every single meal.

healthy eating

2 – Stay hydrated. Drink 8 – 10 cups of water every single day. Flush all the bad stuff out of your body!

3 – Work on getting seven hours of sleep. This one is the hardest for me because I tend to stay up to finish “one more task.” I’m trying to tell myself to just put it away and go to bed. See tip #13 below.

sleep

4 – In addition to all the “teacher reading” you may need to do, find a good book that either entertains or inspires you.

Here are some of my current or recent favorite reads:
*Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
*I Really Needed This Today: Words to Live By by Hoda Kotb
*Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynorto
*Takes One Know One by Susan Isaacs
*American Royals by Katherine McGee
*What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
*How to Raise Successful People by Esther Wojcicki
*The Beauiful Strangers by Camille DiMaio
*Park Avenue Summer by Rene Rosen
*Love Does by Bob Goff
*Becoming by Michelle Obama

5 – Pay attention to what you watch on TV. Shows with depressing or “heavy” plot lines, true crime shows or movies, and cable news can all just add to your stress. Find some other, more “feel good” shows or movies to watch instead.

6 – Add flowers or a plant to your classroom. I started out the year with a plant, but it didn’t last long since I don’t get enough sun in my classroom. Now I’m sticking to inexpensive bouquets of flowers from Trader Joe’s or my local grocery store.

self-care for teachers

7 – Speaking of light, can you add some inexpensive lamps to areas around your classroom? Here are some great options on Amazon: tabletop lamp or a floor lamp.

8 – Change up your workout. Try something new that you have been wanting to try. Consider adding some yoga poses and more walking throughout the day.

self-care

9 – Make some plans that you can look forward to. This might be something for the holidays or something a little closer to the current date. It might be something big or just a short errand to a place you enjoy but don’t always go.

10 – Get your hair cut or colored or get a manicure or pedicure. Or all of the above!

11 – Can you add a new cardigan or scarf or piece of jewelry to your wardrobe?

self-care

12 – Clean something out. It might be your car, your purse, your pantry, a cabinet at school. Get rid of as much as you can. Enjoy looking at one orderly area. It gives you motivation and momentum to do more!

13 – Do a brain dump of all the things you are doing well right now. As an Enneagram 3, I am always thinking about what I need to do better or how I need to do more. But I am trying to be more mindful about what I am doing right!

brain dump

14 – Speaking of being mindful, set up a daily quiet time/prayer time/meditation practice. Start with just three minutes and build up to 15 minutes.

15 – Watch out for negativity. It affects you and drags you down more than you probably realize. Pay attention when you feel down or discouraged. Then look back at what or who you were paying attention to before you started feeling down. If it’s watching the news, stop watching it for a period of time. If it’s scrolling Instagram and feeling inadequate, stop scrolling Instagram for a few days. (Or unfollow the accounts that make you feel insecure.) If it’s hearing other people complain in the mailroom or break room, avoid going in that room at busy times or get out as quickly as you can!

16 – Go shopping in your closet. Clean it out, reorganize, see if you can find new outfit combinations!

self-care

17 – Shop for a new planner for the next year. My favorite is the Erin Condren Life Planner, but there are lots of other good ones out there.

18 – Think about your morning routine and evening routine how you might make those times of day more of a calm, orderly, self-care part of your day See my posts HERE and HERE.

self-care for teachers

19 – Change something, but take the smallest of baby steps. If you want to go to bed earlier, try going to bed just five minutes earlier. When you have that down, go to bed ten minutes earlier. If you want to cut down on coffee or soda, cut back by just one cup or glass. If you want to eat more fruits and vegetables, add just one more serving today. Those small changes add up and lead to big change. If you want to read more about making these small changes for big results, see my posts about The Five Second Rule HERE, Atomic Habits HERE, and The Slight Edge HERE.

20 – Try something new. It might be a new workout or a new hobby. Start small, but start doing something that makes you happy.

self-care

21 – Experiment with new Crock Pot or Instant Pot recipes. Some great cookbooks to get you started: Mix & Match Mama Simmers, Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook, and Instant Loss Cookbook.

22 – What can you cut from your schedule? What makes you feel overwhelmed? Could someone else help with that task or can you delegate it or give it up altogether?

23 – Change up your home decor for fall. Take a look at how you might rearrange objects (or furniture!). Buy some scented candles like this one or this one. Add a dried flower arrangement for fall like this or this. Buy some different throw pillow covers for your couch or a chair. Some cute options are HERE, HERE and HERE. Add touches of orange and yellow or black around your house. Here are some favorite fall items on Amazon: table runner, decorative pumpkin, plush throw blanket, wall sign, and buffalo check napkins.

24 – Write with colored pens! Flair pens are my favorite.

25 – Keep a gratitude journal. This is similar to my suggestion about making a list of what is going well. Just list five things daily for which you are grateful. While there are always things we can do to improve and ways we want to do better, we can also be grateful for where we are and what we already have.

I hope you found an idea or two that will help you take care of yourself during a busy fall season. Please share your own ideas!

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