How to Relax as a Teacher (without just wasting time)

Help for the Teacher Soul During this Stressful Situation

There is a lot of help (and overwhelm) out there about distance learning, navigating teaching during coronavirus, and tips and tutorials. But what about on a human level?

Are you having trouble focusing and needing to just zone out? And yet, you feel so lost and depressed if you just veg out?

Help is here. These are some ways to nurture your teacher soul while still feeling productive. Some days right now, you need rest blended with a rewarding feeling that comes from productivity and creativity.

This is for all of you teachers stuck at home during this tough, unprecedented time! You are stressed out and overwhelmed with everything on your plate. You need ways to soothe your soul, while feeling like you're not wasting your precious time while so much still needs to be done to help your students.

You may struggle to binge-watch tv or some other mindless activity that feels like a waste of time, but you just need a mental break from all the overwhelm of distance learning. Here’s something you may not be remembering:

Self-care is just as important as helping your students. There is a reason that on planes, before takeoff, they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting anyone around you. Think of self-care that way too.  You need to take care of yourself first. Then, you can adequately support your students.

These are scary and unknown times; it’s OKAY if you need a little more self-care than usual.  If you’re still reluctant to just sit around and binge-watch tv, here are some ideas you can use to relax and take care of your teacher soul, while still being productive:

SnowDay Magazine
SnowDay Magazine is a brand new creative lifestyle magazine just for teachers!  Created by Math Giraffe, SnowDay is a premium book-style magazine that is available quarterly for creative educators of all subject areas and all grade levels.  We are passionate about creativity inside and outside the classroom, and are focusing on fueling all the many facets of the teacher life & soul.

Each issue is a book-style magazine, and filled with beautiful pictures and inspiring articles specifically for teachers.  Issue One includes things like:

•  Plants in the Classroom
• Building Wealth on a Teacher Salary
• Nutritional Coffee Hacks
•  Papercrafting and Bookbinding
• ...and so much more!

If you’re not ready to pay for a physical issue yet, SnowDay offers a free 40 page "MiniMag" too!  This sample magazine will show you the unique blend of life and soul that we offer in our full issues.

Enter your email here to sign up and be a part of the SnowDay teacher community.  SnowDay will send over your free e-magazine, plus more to fuel your entire soul.  
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Whether you’re reading the free digital issue or a premium full issue, it’s perfect for reading in a bubble bath or curled up the couch with a mug of tea or glass of wine!

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Click the image to order Issue 1 or download the FREE Mini-Magazine

​Look at Specific Hashtags on Instagram
Instagram can be addicting and make you feel unproductive if you’re not using it in a strategic way.  There are plenty of ways you can use Instagram to inspire creative thinking, but one of our favorite ways is to explore hashtags.  Here are some of our favorite hashtags to dive into as of late:

• #targetteachers
• #teacherfashion
• #teachertribe
• #iteachtoo
• #classroomdecor
• #globaleducation
• #reggioinspired
• #playtolearn

Listen to a Podcast while Moving your Body
This can be as simple as popping in your headphones, pulling up a podcast, and going for a walk around your neighborhood or folding a basket of laundry.  You might want to listen to podcasts specifically for teachers; here’s a recent post from Math Giraffe, 6 Podcasts to Support You if You Teach Teens.  Or, you might need a break from the world of teaching and just want positivity flowing through your earbuds.   If that’s the case, here are some inspiring podcasts, we love:

• Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations
• The Chasing Joy Podcast
• Meaningful Work, Meaningful Life Podcast
• Affirmation Pod

Adult Coloring Books
This is a trend for a reason.  Coloring has so many benefits for adults, too!  According to Psychology Today, adult coloring books have been shown to influence anxiety levels and depressive symptoms.  

You can find virtually any type of coloring page out there!  Just go to Pinterest and search “free adult coloring page” and add your desired character/scene/quote/etc.

DIY Doodle Note Templates
This activity has similar benefits to the Adult Coloring Book trend, with one huge addition: this will jumpstart future lesson-planning, saving you large amounts of time in the future.

Creating something with your hands gives your brain an amazing emotional boost! 

There is a blog post all about how to do it on the Doodle Note Club blog, DIY Doodle Note Templates.  All you need is a pencil and paper, and a few simple stencils.  You can just use jar lids and pattern blocks if you don’t have fancy stencils.  Watch the video on this post for inspiration

Click the image to watch the video and make your own!

​Teacher-Specific Lifestyle Quizzes
On my SnowDay Magazine website, I made some online quizzes just for teachers!  These free, fun quizzes help answer questions like:  

• What’s your teacher style?
• What kind of classroom plant should you get?
• And does your classroom have good Feng Shui?

These light-hearted quizzes will let you take a breather from this crazy world, and help you fuel your teacher soul!

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Click the image to take the fun teacher lifestyle quizzes I created.

​Optimize Pinterest
You’ve most likely gone down a Pinterest rabbit hole, so you already know the creative space’s potential impact on your life. Optimize that by looking through and following specific boards.  

For instance, let’s say you teach middle school social studies at a Catholic school.  You love Math Giraffe’s content, although all of the math education pins don’t pertain to you.  You can go to my “Boards” and follow only my Catholic Education board and boards for teaching teens, like Teaching Teens and Tools for Teaching Teens!

You can specifically curate your Pinterest Board to show exactly the types of pins you want to see!  No more wasting time scrolling through meaningless content.




Now, we want to hear from you!  What is your favorite way to relax?

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