Take Your School Self-Care Routine Home

We spent the last few weeks going through how to create a Teacher Self-Care schedule N.O.W. (not only on weekends) but what happens when we’re on our sunny summer break?

Summer is no time to let up on your self-care routine.  Sometimes it may be even more important to find ways to build these moments into your days when they are not so filled with routine.

So to review, here are the 4 ways to build a self-routine: create moments for QUIET TIME, INTENTION SETTING, REFLECTION, and TRANSITION.

Here are some ways to build this framework into a less than routine summer schedule:

QUIET TIME:

Make a plan for getting up a LITTLE earlier than the rest of your household.  You can shift each day depending on where you are or what you’re doing, but even giving yourself 5-15 minutes of quiet BEFORE the rest of the house gets up can make all the difference in the world. 

Also, this will not go perfectly, so just do your best and see if you can make this happen on SOME days.  Remember, SOME is much better than none.  And don’t be afraid to experiment with quiet time at other points of your day.  It works great at the beginning of days, but that might now always be feasible. By at least making plan, you will be more apt to follow through more often.

INTENTION SETTING:

If it’s easier, shift this practice to the previous night.  Leave your intention somewhere you can see it in the morning and start your day with this intention in mind.  This can be particularly useful if you are feeling rushed in the morning.  Can you put today’s intention on a post it on your refrigerator, in the kitchen, or on the mirror of your bathroom? By posting it somewhere you will be and doing it the previous night, you may be more apt to remember it throughout your day.

REFLECTION:

This may be easier to shift to the end of the day as well.  Something as simple as creating a daily gratitude reflection at night before bed using a journal or even an app on your phone may be a great way to reflect on each day fully.

TRANSITION:

You may be moving from one activity to another throughout your day in a different way than during the school year.  Can you use this transition time to incorporate a few moments of mindful movement or some kind of self-care moment between activities that need your full attention?  This can be a full workout, a walk around the block, purposefully drinking a glass of water, taking a few deep breaths of fresh air, or listening to a favorite song.

So again, your transition times can look vastly different over the summer, but planning for a self-care moment in your day can be a habit you build in now that may bubble into the next school year.

I wish you the best as you transition from school to home routine.  Let me know any of your tricks to creating some of these mindful self-care moments when you’re not in school.  I’d love to pass some on.

Here’s to a wonderful start to your summer.

By the way, if you are looking for some support with looking for ways to start your summer vacation N.O.W. please check out Teaching Well’s Teacher Wellness Coaching and schedule a FREE Teacher Wellness Coaching call.