A Teacher’s Guide to Wellness: 39 Weekly Activities to Get You through the School Year

By Stephanie Bazzell

Being a teacher was never easy, and their health and well-being has never been made a priority. But when COVID-19 hit, things quickly spiraled out of control.

 

Amidst the ensuing chaos, esteemed educator Stephanie Bazzell realized the only thing left under her control was how she looked after herself. Sharing the best self-care practices she could find with her colleagues, Bazzell not only survived but started thriving. What's more, she soon noticed how her fellow teachers were benefiting from the weekly reminders.

 

A Teacher's Guide to Wellness offers 39 short and simple activities that are flexible enough to do around your already busy schedule, including

 

• boundary setting,
• focusing on what's within your control,
• recognizing burnout,
• asking for help,
• many more.

 

If you want to go from mere surviving to thriving too, get your copy of this short, science-based guide today. After all, the only person looking out for your health is you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amy Tasukada
• Release date: Jul 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201194826

Book preview

Week One

Setting Boundaries

Before your classroom is filled with students is the perfect time to establish some boundaries. Pull out the contract you signed and look at what hours you are being paid to work. You wouldn’t expect other people to work for free, so don’t expect it from yourself.

Grab some paper and write down a clear set of boundaries.

What time will you stop checking work emails?

When time will you stop thinking about lesson plans?

Once you have these times written, put them around—on your computer, the back of your phone, or wherever you usually get work done. More importantly, put the time you stop checking work emails into your email signature; that way, parents and students know your boundary. I’d also suggest setting up an automatic reply during the weekend.

Remember, if you don’t show people your boundary, they will make one for you. The person you need to look out for pushing the boundary the most is you. You will be the one who thinks, One more email or I can put together this lesson plan. Vigorously guard your boundaries the first few weeks of school, and it will make the rest of the year easier.

Week Two

Find Your Counseling

It’s still early in the school year. You’re probably excited about all the possibilities before you. Everything seems possible, and you know this year is going to be awesome.

But it might not be.

Now is the time to find a therapist. You might never give them a call, but right now you have the energy to find one or two. If you ever need to see a therapist, everything will feel overwhelming and simply having the number down means it will be easier for you to call.

A lot of school districts offer a few free counseling sessions, so keep that in mind when you find a few therapists that can work for you.

Write down the information and put it somewhere easy to find.

Week Three