Half-Term Wellbeing Hacks for Teachers

Around 78% of all school staff are stressed, according to the Education Support-produced Teacher Wellbeing Index 2023.

If you are a teacher or work in a school this won’t come as news to you, and in my roles as the wife of a Primary head teacher and a wellbeing coach, it is definitely what I see playing out.

The challenge for teachers now, as they gear up for May half-term, is working out how to get the most out of just one week away from the classroom to rest and recharge - how can they find the energy and resilience to get through the final sprint to the summer break?

In this post, I’ll share my top five tips for putting your own health and wellbeing front and centre, while still getting all those jobs that you’ve been wanting to catch up on at home done and enjoying quality time with family and friends.

1. Be Realistic

Teachers commonly give themselves a long list of household jobs to do during the holidays that they feel guilty about for putting off during term-time when they didn’t have either the time or the energy to do them.

What happens is they either cram these jobs into the holidays at the expense of the rest and recuperation they need. As a result, they neglect spending time doing the things that boost their wellbeing.

Alternatively, they feel overwhelmed by their long to-do-list, so end up not getting even half of it done and go back to work feeling guilty - and with an even longer list for next time.

The best way to counter this is to write down the list of outstanding jobs on a piece of paper, so they are out of your head. Then go through the list and have an honest conversation with yourself about which ones can be delegated, deferred or, actually, which ones fall into the ‘no-one is going to die if they just don’t get done’ category.

Consider if you could you pay someone else to do a job, such as to clean the oven. Or could you get the family involved in tidying the garden for summer? Do you really need to sort through your paperwork now, or could it wait until the darker winter evenings? Do you really want to iron the bed linen or are you just imagining the disapproving look on your mother’s face if you don’t?

Which items can you realistically cross off in the time you have without burning yourself out and, crucially, will make the most difference to your stress levels over the coming weeks?

2. Start With Relaxation

Exhaustion means that the first two or three days of the holiday can be lost in a haze of catching up on sleep and low energy as your body comes down from the cortisol and adrenalin fuelled high of stress.

By scheduling in a deeply relaxing activity at the very beginning of the holiday you can help your body to adjust much more quickly, leaving you more energised to enjoy the rest of your time off.

Perhaps book a deeply relaxing holistic treatment, such as :

Or maybe organise a spa day, yoga class or another relaxing treat as early into the break as you can.

3. Prioritise Sleep

The Teacher Wellbeing Index shows that more than half (51%) of education staff experience insomnia or difficulty sleeping. It can be tempting to ‘catch up’ on lost sleep by over-sleeping on holiday mornings and then going to bed later in the evenings just because you can.

However, sticking to your school wake-up and sleep times helps your body to regulate your sleep pattern, meaning you get more consistent, good quality sleep all year round. The detrimental effects of poor sleep on stress levels, physical and mental health are numerous and disturbing, and the number one thing you can do to improve your wellbeing is to prioritise your sleep.

Exhaustion, however, must be avoided, so if you need to nap in the afternoon during the holidays, then have one. Try and take the nap as close to the middle of the day as possible and limit it to half an hour.

For longer term support with insomnia and sleep issues, insomnia coaching can really help.

4. Do One Thing That Brings You Joy

Plan at least one activity for the week that makes you smile, laugh out loud or just warms your heart. It really is the best medicine for a stressed-out mind, body and soul.

Meet a friend for coffee, watch a comedy show or sign-up for a fun activity or class that gets you creative and having a giggle.

5. Plan Ahead

How can you get ahead with a task that you will need to do between now and July, so it doesn’t cause you added stress once you are back in full work mode?

Could you buy, sign and address all of the birthday cards you’ll need to post so all you have to do is pop them in the post box on the correct day? Could you batch cook some meals for the freezer or create a monthly menu plan, so food prep takes less of your precious time and energy during term-time?

Ask your friends and colleagues what they do to get ahead and save time and share ideas.

It Won’t Happen Overnight

You can’t effectively manage chronic stress built up over months and years in only nine days, but you can do some simple things to start prioritising your wellbeing and ensure you don’t burn out by July.

For more support managing stress, avoiding burn out, improving sleep and finding more time for you, consider working with me one-to-one for a wellbeing boost or book a free consultation call to find out how I can help.