Self-care is important for everyone, but most especially for teachers. Our jobs are all about serving others, and we simply cannot serve others well without taking care of ourselves. Self-care has become a popular topic in the past few years, and a lot of what is being shared now is misleading. No, you do not have to perform a complicated home spa routine to take care of yourself. In fact, that can become expensive. You know what makes me feel good? Saving money. Read on for FREE self-care ideas for teachers that you can implement today.
Firstly, know that self-care is all about you. It is whatever makes you feel good. Some things on this list may not apply to you, and some things that do apply to you may not appear on this list. Secondly, for this blog post, we are going to define “free” as anything that you don’t have to pay for or that you already spent money on.
For this post, I broke down free self-care for teachers into four categories: rest, relaxation, happiness, and planning ahead. Listen to your mind and body to determine what you need. There can be overlap. For example, something that you do for self-care can make you happy, and can be relaxing at the same time.
Free Self-Care for Rest
A typical day for a teacher is long, and often draining. When we arrive home, there is even more to do, including continuing to work for school. At some point, you need to rest.
Nap: Don’t we all wish there was still nap time in schools for elementary and even secondary school? This one is hard for me personally with a baby and so much to do around the house, but sometimes I just really need a nap to recharge before I can tackle anything at home. Just make sure it is a “cat nap” that gives you an energy boost. It is often recommended that you set a timer for 20 minutes to avoid waking up feeling groggy.
Watch Something: YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, cable, whatever you are already paying for. Sometimes we just need a short escape from reality.
Most importantly, give yourself a break from doing work. It is very easy for us to work continuously. Our to-do lists are never-ending. Give yourself permission to take a break from work. If you start to feel guilty about it, remind yourself that taking a break will refresh and re-energize you, and that is in the best interest of your students.
Free Self-Care for Relaxation
Rest and relaxation go hand in hand. Many of the things you do to rest are relaxing as well.
Read: You can read all the books that you have collected with the intention of reading. Try to avoid the urge to shop for books. Check out what’s available at your local library. Many libraries have options for checking out e-books, so you may not even have to leave your home.
Practice Yoga: There are tons of free videos on YouTube that will guide you through yoga flows. I especially love the channel Yoga with Adrienne. Yoga allows you take care of your mind and your body.
Light Candles: Personally, I like to burn one of the million candles I have at home. I find just being home and not leaving the house at the end of the day relaxing, so I light candles to remind myself to be present in the moment when I’m home for the day.
At Home Spa: Disclaimer: This is only going to be “free” if you have been hoarding the necessary supplies. If not, you can always search for DIY treatments on Pinterest. Oftentimes you can make face masks using supplies that you have at home, just do so cautiously. Many people like to relax by taking bubble baths, using face masks, or doing at home spa treatments.
Free Self-Care for Happiness
Carve out time for your hobbies or to pursue your interests: What are your hobbies or interests outside of teaching? Spending time on your hobbies and interests is a great way to give yourself space from teaching. Remember when you were a student, and there was push to be a well-rounded individual when you applied to college? We seem to lose that as we get into our teaching jobs. Your hobbies and interests add more color to your life, and it gives you something to connect with your students over.
Spend time with loved ones: Oftentimes, I feel like I cannot have a social life because of my job. Do you ever feel the same way? Not to get all preachy here, but our time on this earth is limited, and so is the time of everyone around us. We will never regret the time we spent with the ones we love, but in the end, we may not be so happy with the time we missed.
What makes you happy? Again, this will be different for everyone. Personally, I like to decorate my home. I stopped spending money to do this, and started rearranging, and rediscovering the decor that I already had. What I love about decorating my spaces (in my home and in my classroom) is that the effects are long-lasting. For months, every time I walk into a redecorated space I instantly feel happier.
Free Self-Care for Planning Ahead
This is my favorite domain. This is my main area of self-care, and I need to do some work in the other domains more frequently to create a more balanced life. Essentially, planning ahead helps my week run more smoothly, and prevents a lot of stress and anxiety.
Plan Your Week: You do not need a fancy planner, but taking some time to sit down once a week and plan ahead can really clear your mind. Write down your appointments, and anything else you want to accomplish for the week. This practice helps me to stay organized and allows me let go of some of the things I need to remember, essentially lightening my cognitive load.
Meal Prep: Meal prep transfers the time you spend cooking for the week. Instead of having to spend time each night cooking, you batch cook over the weekend. It also solves the daily “what is for dinner?” conundrum.
Plan Your Outfits: Every Sunday night I like to look up the weather forecast for the up-coming week, and plan out my outfits accordingly. This saves me the time and stress of trying to decide what to wear every morning.
Organize Your Spaces: A clear space means a clear mind. I enjoy not just the benefits of having organized spaces, but the act of organizing as well. Organizing can be very therapeutic.
More Self-Care Resources
Remember, as teachers, we want the best for our students, which sometimes means doing what is best for ourselves. Do whatever makes you feel happy and whole, whether you need to rest, to relax, or to plan ahead. What will you try today? If you need more help deciding what to try to and how to make it work for you, check out the free self-care planner that I designed.
Want more information about self-care? Here are some additional resources:
- Check out my video: What No One Tells You About Self-Care.
- You can also read “Top Self-Care Strategies for Teachers” by Kayse Morris.
- Learn more about “Physical Self Care for Teachers” with Learn Grow Blossom
Are you starting to feel a little burned out? Check out my post about Real Ways to Prevent Teacher Burnout to start the process of recovery.
