How to recover from after school exhaustion faster
Crashing on the couch with your favorite TV show can feel great - But have you ever noticed that after a couple of hours you don’t actually feel very rested? And then it’s hard to peel yourself away from the couch?
I feel like we’ve all been there.
If you relate, here are some simple changes so you can get the rest you need, and you can get back to the work-life balance you’re craving.
Give yourself full, guilt-free permission to do NOTHING
Rest means giving yourself full, guilt-free permission to not do anything productive. If you’ve ever said something like “I can sit down, but I’ll finish this lesson plan while I do”…that’s not true rest. Calm feelings of guilt when you allow yourself time to do nothing by reminding yourself that every human body is entitled to daily rest - We’re all either doing it or need it, too. Another loving reminder is that you can’t keep serving your community with kindness and compassion if you are not also giving yourself loving compassion to rest.
Choose your rest based on what type of tired you are
There are different types of tired and different types of rest. If you are physically tired, perhaps you let yourself lie down. If you are mentally tired, maybe you take a gentle walk outside or stretch or move your body in a way that feels great. If you are emotionally tired, maybe you take a moment to meditate, journal, or process your feelings. If you are tired from a lack of sleep, take a nap.
Put the screens away while you’re resting up
Especially if you are mentally or emotionally drained, screen time likely won’t help you rest up. TV shows and social media are designed to keep stimulating are brains so that we stay interested for longer. Screens are also where a lot of us do our work, so our brains are at least somewhat associating the stress of work with those same screens we’re using in our leisure time. To make your rest time more rejuvenating, consider something like reading a book, having tea with a friend, or simply taking a nap.
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Comment below! What is your biggest obstacle to authentic rest during the school year?
Your ideas can help other teachers reading.
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