Inherit in being a special education teacher is the desire to care for others – to make sure that your students, many of whom are affected daily by disability, are learning, are happy and are cared for. But, what about you?

As I signed the contract for my first teaching job, I promised myself that I would work hard everyday, give teaching my all AND take care of myself. I said, “Lauren, you’re going to keep running, eat healthy food and sleep well…EVEN when you’re really busy!” My self-care journey between that point has vacillated between “incredibly healthy” and “I don’t have a lot of time, so I’m going to eat an Ellio’s pizza for dinner, take NyQuil because I have a pounding headache and, oh no, I can’t stop thinking about Student X because they had such a difficult day, and now I’m going to have to wake up extra early to write my lesson plan for the day because I don’t like the one I already wrote…” You get the picture!

So how do you take care of yourself in such an emotionally demanding position? 

Likely, you’re a special education teacher because you care about children. That’s not going to change. However, you can make a commitment to yourself to take care of your mind, your body and your spirit.

Take care of your mind

Have you ever had a moment when you’ve realized that your memory doesn’t feel as intact as it used to be? Have you felt that sinking feeling when you’re writing a lesson plan, and all of sudden, you can’t quite form the sentence that feels like it’s on the tip of your tongue? When your mind is overloaded with students, IEPs, lesson plans, upcoming meetings, conversations you need to have with your colleagues, observations and more, it can be difficult to practice activities that keep your mind strong and alert. For me, choosing an activity to do daily to keep my mind healthy was not too hard – I love brain games like the ones on Lumosity, and playing word games with my friends à la apps like Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends. I also love, love, LOVE reading. However, when you’re stressed out by the daily goings on of being a special education teacher, it’s easy to forgo the things you love that keep your mind healthy. So, I follow these 2 steps:

1. Go to a special spot (for me, it’s my loft – my family doesn’t go up there, it has beautiful, large windows, and I have it decorated just the way I like it).

2. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Think: you can spend 10 minutes easily on Facebook. Dedicate those 10 minutes to you, and to your mind! Don’t take calls. Ask your partner to watch the kids. Do whatever it takes to just be alone, and engage in an activity that you love that keeps your mind healthy. I usually add this time to my “spiritual time” as well (read below).

In addition to carving out some special time, make your brain a priority. For more ways to keep your mind strong, check out Medical Daily’s article on other habits that keep your brain in shape.

Take care of your body

Taking care of your body is one of the most important things you can do. The healthier you are, the more energy you will have to support your students and be active in the classroom. Finding it difficult to maintain an exercise or healthy-eating routine? Consider using an app!

Pact, a free healthy-living app, rewards users for setting and meeting health, fitness and lifestyle goals. Choose the number of times that you would like to commit to going to the gym or running/walking 10,000 steps, the number of healthy vegetables and fruits you’d like to eat, and the number of food logs you’d like to keep on partner applications, and set an amount of money that will keep you accountable. Fail to meet the goals, and pay up; meet the goal and earn a small cash reward! Since beginning use of the app in December 2014, I’ve challenged myself to going to the gym/using my Jawbone Fitness tracker to meet my 10,000 step goal at least 4 times per week. I’ve also challenged myself to keep at least 5 food logs using My Fitness Pal, which keeps me on top of what kind of foods I’m ingesting and snacking on during the day. Additionally, I set a goal to eat at least 15 fruits and veggies per week (which Pact tracks via photographs you send in and Pact members vote as actual fruits and veggies – so that means you can’t snap a pic of your McD’s fries and have it count!). Pact determines if you’ve met your goal on Sundays – so there certainly have been a few manic weekends when I’ve gone for long runs just to meet my target, or binge-ate strawberries and blueberries from my fridge – but it’s definitely worth it. I’ve earned more money than I’ve had to pay and (most importantly) helped redevelop some of the healthy-living routines that I lost in the daily stress of being a teacher.

Take care of your spirit

I’m not here to tell people to join a church, go to yoga or totally transform their life to meet some spiritual quota – what you consider spiritual is unique, and up to you. My challenge is to find something that genuinely makes you feel GOOD, and commit to practicing it for at least 15 minutes per day. For me, my spiritual “awakening” came after reading May Cause Miracles by proclaimed “Spirit Junkie” Gabrielle Bernstein. The book, which focuses on the thinking patterns that we can employ to make radical shifts in our happiness, asks readers to take a 40-day journey toward self-love and acceptance. I followed the steps, and literally emerged a happier person. Since reading the book, I’ve committed to spending (at a minimum) 15 minutes per day doing something that makes me feel positive, whether it is meditating, stretching, reading a self-help book, praying or talking to a friend who gives me positive energy. It can be anything – but I don’t allow myself to miss this time. There have been days when I’ve come home with tears in my throat, my mind locked on a student who is struggling deeply, or a difficult conversation I had with a colleague. Those days, it is hard to switch mindsets and do something positive for myself. However, I can attest – the more that I engage in the activities and thinking that keeps my spirit healthy, the happier I am and the more I have to give to my students and co-workers.

So, remember: Keep your mind strong, and sharp. Choose and commit to physically healthy activities – and hold yourself accountable. And, arguably most importantly, keep your spirit strong.

Teachers, I’d love to know – what do you do to keep your mind, body and spirit healthy? Share below!