As someone who works a pretty demanding job, scheduling some ways to relax is crucial. This means you switch off, recharge, and prepare for the next working day.
When you constantly work without a chance to switch off properly, you will eventually hit an emotional wall and experience burnout. You risk losing motivation and may even start resenting your work. This is often why we see teachers burnout within their first 5 years of teaching – so much work to be done, but new teachers don’t put in the time to relax! Below are 5 ways to relax to prevent burnout!
5 Ways to Relax:
1. Spend time with people who support you.
Sometimes, you just need to switch off the work phone and surround yourself with people who love and support you. Making the active choice to turn on your work phone (or work brain in my situation) is hard! But the more that you practice doing it, the easier it gets over time!
One of my favorite ways to relax is to get with friends and family at a local restaurant – for drinks, snacks, lunch, dinner, whatever! The main point is to just spend time with people that support you. Bonus points if they also understand the stress you experience through work and/or life.
2. Pursue a hobby or an interest.
With work firmly off your mind for a while, take some time to indulge in a hobby you’re interested in! This is a great way to get more practice are turning off that work brain to be able to fit in more ways to relax into your life and schedule.
Switch off your work life and focus entirely on your chosen hobby. Throw all your efforts, energies, and attention into making new memories and enjoying yourself. This can be as simple as reading or getting into something more creative. I have some teacher friends that take dance lessons or take pottery classes!
3. Take a social media break and escape from the world.
One option for your downtime is to leave your social media behind and work email!
Consider booking yourself into a hotel or a private cottage or house. Detach yourself from social media and make yourself temporarily unavailable. It’s such a great way to relax. New surroundings can be such a refreshing way to take a breath. Keep your phone with you, turn social media off, reflect on life, and enjoy the world around you. It’s even more fun when you can travel with your family as well!
4. Start exercising.
You could take some time to start looking after your body. Challenging yourself to workout and get your endorphins flowing is a great way to relax.
Not only do workouts help with your body, but they are also great for your mental health. With the summer coming up, I recently joined the YMCA and I’ve felt so much better these past few weeks! I also have taken up going on walks during my prep period when the weather is nice and doing family walks as well!
5. Focus on self care.
Taking the time to practice self-care, in whatever way works for you. If you need ideas, check out this post with 100 different self-care ideas that you can do as a way to relax.
It’s important to work hard and take some time to reflect, recharge, and renew your body and mind. You can only be at your best when you feel positive and well-rested, so use your downtime to inspire yourself.
