Self Care in Teaching

This year my goal was to practice more self-care throughout the year.  I feel like during summer I get to do everything I love and feel really free, and then the school year comes and by the end of the year I feel like a shell of a human.  That's not ok.

So, (enter) self-care.  This meant:

• Going to bed at a reasonable time.  I start going to bed at 9 in hopes of being in bed by 10.  That gets me 7 hours of sleep which seems reasonable.
• Don't give up on a work out each day.  I enjoy going to the gym and getting my sweat-on and it is an excellent de-stressor.  I always have time for a workout. 
• Practice Mindfulness More.  The more research I see on Mindfulness the more I am convinced it is essential to a healthy life.  Additionally, THIS article says it is good for my students too so this is a 2-for-1 and who doesn't love a 2-4-1 deal!?
• Be social DURING the week.  That's right, fun can happen during the week too.  I made a goal to do something social at least one day a week.  This has been a little more difficult for me to follow through on since it relies on other people to also be dedicated to this, but I am still going to work towards that goal.

With that, I wonder what other teachers do to practice self-care during the year?