Wow, what a year. Now that 2019-20 is officially behind us, it’s time to take a breath. We have survived one of the most challenging and stressful school years ever and we deserve a break now more than ever. Regardless of how your school year will be starting, take the next few weeks to relax, reflect, and renew.

Here’s how teachers can make the most of summer break.

First, for the relaxing part:

Give yourself permission to totally disconnect from school.

Here are some ways to do that:

*Read some books that are just for fun. Here are some on my list!

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

Hello, Summer by Mary Kay Andrews

On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe

Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer

Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner

Lost & Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

The Friendship List by Susan Mallery

Sunrise on Half Moon Bay by Robyn Carr

Beach Read by Emily Henry

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

All Adults Here by Emma Straub

On the Bright Side: Stories of Friendship, Love, and Being True to Yourself by Melanie Shankle

Stand All the Way Up: Stories of Staying in It When You Want to Burn it All Down by Sophie Hudson

*Keep a list of fun things to watch on Netflix or Disney Plus (Hamilton is my summer obsession).

*Sleep – go to bed earlier, sleep in a little later, take naps during the day.

*Think about your summer self-care routine. What are some things you want to be sure you do every day? Every week?

Here are 10 tips to try:

1 – drink half your body weight in ounces of water every day

2 – get up 30-60 minutes earlier so that you can work on something that is just for you. Use that time to read or exercise, write or create something.

3 – take a walk, even a brief one, every day

4 – move your body in some way for 30 minutes every day (walking, yoga, weight training, Pilates, jazzercise, whatever makes you happy)

5 – get 6 – 8 hours of sleep every night

6 – instead of taking stuff away from your diet, try adding 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables every day

7 – deep breathing sessions and/or meditation every day

8 – start a gratitude journal – write down five things you are grateful for every day

9 – buy yourself flowers or a plant

10 – try a new hobby – you can learn to do almost anything from YouTube!

Now for the reflecting part:

*Get a cute notebook and some great pens to make some lists!

*Here are some topics I use.

When I think of something for that topic or category, I can quickly jot it down in my notebook. Writing it down helps me continue to relax, knowing that my “brilliant idea” is safely written down and I can come back to it when I’m ready.

~what worked well this past school year? Think about what worked well when you were in the classroom. Then think about what worked well during distance learning. (In case we are doing some combination of distance learning next year, it will be helpful to remember what actually worked!)

~what do I want to change or improve in the next school year?

~what are some books I want to read or things I want to learn?

And now to renew:

*Think about how you want to feel by the end of the summer. What will make you feel like it was a great summer for you? Will you feel more connected to people you love? Will you feel more relaxed? Productive? Healthier? Do you want to add money to your bank account? All of the above?!

*Now think about what you would need to do in order to have those feelings. Will you need to plan to spend time with certain people? What would make you feel more relaxed and less stressed by the end of the summer? What routines would help you feel more productive? What routines would help improve your health or fitness? How might you earn some extra money this summer?

*I like to use time in the summer to spend time with people I love or to catch up with friends I might not see as often during the school year. Even though COVID-19 is still impacting our social lives, use technology to connect with people you have not seen or talked with in a while.

*Make a list of health & wellness appointments you need to make or keep throughout the year. (Yearly physical, pap smear, mammogram, eye doctor, dental cleanings, etc.) Write down the months when these appointments need to be scheduled.

By the way: nobody says you have to do all these appointments during the summer. Sometimes it’s a good idea to schedule a day during the school year during which you will knock out two or three of these appointments.

*Make a list of recipes or healthy meals to try. During the school year, planning and cooking healthy meals can be a chore when you get super busy. Make a meal plan during the summer and try out some new recipes to add to your rotation.

Summer is a time to step back, take a deep breath, and take some time for yourself. How will you relax, reflect, and renew this summer?

I have been in education for 29 years. Whenever anyone asks me how I have lasted so long and been so successful, I tell them my #1 secret: I take care of myself first.

That sounds wrong, doesn’t it? Aren’t we supposed to be in education so that we can take care of our students?

But think about it this way — if you are exhausted, burned out, or sick, how effective can you be in taking care of anyone else? When you are on a plane, one of the safety tips shared by flight attendants is to put your own oxygen mask on yourself before you tend to anyone else’s mask.

So I am telling you to do the same thing. Make a plan for your own self-care first, before you start thinking about the upcoming school year, before you make plans for your own kids, before you start planning for remote learning or hybrid learning or any other kind of learning.

Self-care isn’t about spa visits or long, leisurely soaks in a bubble bath (although both of those sound awesome). It’s more about the day-to-day habits we can implement to take care of our physical and mental health.

We have to make a plan for how we will take care of ourselves first.

I have several posts about self-care on this blog because I think it is SO important. But here are ten basics of self-care to help you get started.

1 – Get enough sleep. For most people, that’s 7 – 8 hours of sleep every night. While that may not happen every single night, that needs to be your goal. Set yourself a bedtime, figure out what time you need to start a “bedtime routine,” and work on getting that necessary sleep every night. You can read more about how to develop an evening routine in this post.

2 – Get up earlier in the morning. Use some of that quiet early morning time to do something for yourself. Maybe you’ll have a quiet devotional time or maybe you’ll work out in some way or maybe you’ll take that time to sip coffee and read. But allow yourself some time just for yourself in the morning before your busy day begins. Here are more tips on developing a morning routine.

3 – Exercise in some way for 30 minutes every day. You can walk, do yoga, go to Cross Fit, work out with a DVD or a streaming service like Beachbody on Demand at home — whatever works for you. But find time every day to move your body. Exercise is actually a form of meditation and gives you more physical energy. Find something you love to do and schedule it!

4 – Eat 6 – 10 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. Regardless of what else you’re eating, try to add in more healthy, plant-based foods. (I like to think that it helps cancel out any junky stuff I might eat – like Doritos or Goldfish. I know it isn’t true, but it makes me feel better!)

5 – Keep a gratitude journal or use an app like the 5 Minute Journal. Take time to think about five things for which you can be grateful every single day. No matter how badly any day might be, finding some good things in that day will help you keep a positive mindset.

6 – Consider writing in a journal every day. This isn’t necessarily the “dear diary” type of journal, although it can certainly be that if you want it to be. Just write about whatever comes to mind, whatever is bothering you or stressing you out. You will get better clarity on what you can do differently, just from writing about it. It’s the cheapest form of therapy out there!

7 – Find someone you can talk to about school stuff. It might be someone in your family or another teacher friend. Your school will probably assign you a mentor, and that is awesome, but I also find it helpful to find other people in your school who embody the characteristics you want to have as a teacher. Get to know them and adopt them as “unofficial” mentors.

8 – Read something every day that is just for you. This could be your favorite fiction, People magazine (my guilty pleasure), nonfiction, a devotional book, a self-help book, whatever. Spend some time, even just five minutes, reading something that is not related to education and that helps you connect to other important parts of your life. (Or that helps you just escape for a bit!)

9 – Consider listening to podcasts or books on Audible. I used to complain about never having enough time to read during the school year and then Audible came along! Now I have no excuses. I can listen to books on Audible or listen to a podcast episode while I am cooking dinner, cleaning, folding laundry, or walking my dog. Some of my favorite podcasts include: 10 Minute Teacher Podcast with Vicki Davis, Cult of Pedagogy with Jennifer Gonzalez, The Big Boo Cast (with two of my favorite writers – Sophie Hudson & Melanie Shankle), the CEO Teacher Podcast with Kayse Morris, and the RISE Podcast with Rachel Hollis.

10 – Walk for a few minutes every day. This could be part of your regular workout or it could be a separate time of day. You can listen to music, a podcast, or just enjoy some peace and quiet. You can walk alone or with someone else. Just get outside and walk. The fresh air and exercise will clear your mind and help you get back to whatever you are doing with a better perspective.

Now — will every day be perfect? No way. Will you be busier in certain “seasons” of the school year than others? Of course. But having a plan for self-care makes it more likely that you will get to all (or almost all) of these important tasks every day. You are worth it and you deserve it! Take care of YOU first.

**By the way — this post is part of my new course on Teachable: Calm the Overwhelm of Back to School Planning. Use the coupon STSL for $10 off until July 25!**