Key points:
- Reflect on your level of fatigue and identify which type of rest you need
- AI and teacher burnout: Can technology really help?
- To boost teacher morale, reimagine the teacher role
- For more news on teacher burnout, visit eSN’s SEL & Well-Being hub
Today’s teachers are coping with a wide range of stresses, from chronic student absenteeism to limitations on what you can teach and parents pressuring you to change grades. It’s understandable, then, that 59 percent of teachers report feeling burnt out.
To support educators’ mental health and well-being, a free online event called TeacherCon featured experts who shared actionable ways that teachers can tap into the power of rest, breath work, and belonging. One of the speakers was Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, author of the book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, who shared eye-opening ideas about the importance of rest. According to Dr. Dalton-Smith, the most energizing thing you can do for yourself and your students is to build your resilience by getting the rest you need. This doesn’t mean simply sleeping more. In fact, Dr. Dalton-Smith lays out seven types of rest. Based on my experience in the classroom and training educators around the country, here are some practical ways you can make time in your busy schedule to incorporate restorative practices that invigorate you and ultimately benefit your students.
How you can get the 7 types of rest
Creative rest unlocks creativity, inspires new possibilities, and is essential for problem-solving.Activities like watching cooking shows, appreciating nature, listening to music, and pet therapy can provide restorative creative rest. You can get this type of rest anywhere: A recent study showed that looking at images of bodies of water, such as oceans, can activate the brain’s creative rest response, regardless of location.
Emotional rest: As you work with students, parents, and peers, you do a great deal of emotional labor. Activities that help recharge your “emotional batteries” include:
- Journaling or other creative outlets
- Maintaining adult friendships that provide emotional support and don’t require anything in return
- Text threads with a small group of teachers to provide a support system during challenging times
- Classroom exercises that highlight the importance of authenticity and self-care
Mental rest deficits can make it harder for you to focus and concentrate. Restorative practices such as meditation or deep breathing provide mental rest and can improve concentration. After a particularly challenging day, you may find yourself ruminating at night over stressful events or conversations. Writing these thoughts down can help you break free from “monkey brain syndrome.” Dr. Dalton-Smith also suggests escaping from anxiety-induced rabbit holes through a mindfulness tactic she calls “mind cheer,” which is simply focusing on a chosen word to soothe your brain.
Physical rest can take many forms. Something as simple as taking a break to stretch can improve your circulation. Adjusting the ergonomics of your monitors, chairs, and desk can also make you more physically comfortable. Gentle, restorative activities like yoga, stretching, and breathwork are also great ways to release tension and build focus at the beginning or end of a class.
Sensory rest: Like most professionals, teachers depend on computers and mobile devices that make constant demands on your attention. Excessive notifications can trigger sensory overload, which leads to irritation, agitation, rage, or anger. Turning off as many notifications as possible can help, as can taking breaks in silence, wearing noise-canceling headphones, or resting with your eyes closed to limit sensory input and help reset your senses.
Social rest: Teachers are surrounded by other people all day long. Finding the time and space to be alone and just breathe, even for a few minutes, can be enormously restorative and deliver the energy boost you need to give your full attention to your students.
Spiritual rest: Many educators choose their career because it offers meaning, purpose, and a sense of contributing to the greater good. When day-to-day stresses deplete this feeling, you can find solace in your personal spirituality. Dr. Dalton-Smith also recommends that, if you are feeling stressed, you take the time to focus on areas where you feel like you’re making a difference, such as with individual students.
A key first step toward getting the rest you need is to reflect on your level of fatigue and identify which type (or types) of rest you need. Once you have that figured out, these restorative practices offer simple but effective steps in the direction of self-care that you richly deserve.
Today’s teachers are coping with a wide range of stresses, from chronic student absenteeism to limitations on what you can teach and parents pressuring you to change grades. eSchool Media, Featured on eSchool News, SEL & Well-Being, Teacher Well-Being, fatigue, help, need, news, teacher, teacher burnout, Technology, visit eSchool News
