World Mental Health Day 2026: How 16 Teachers Prioritize Their Own Mental Health and Self-Care
[Image Description: The graphic is light green with my First Former Buddy Club President logo in the bottom left corner. "Circle of what Teachers Can and Cannot Control" is in center-aligned italicized bright teal text. "Our contributions to staff morale", "Our instructional preparation and strategies", "How much we work outside of classroom hours", "Our willingness to continue learning", "How we show up as role models", "How we advocate for our students", "How we act in and outside of work", "How we stand up to workplace bullies", "Our purpose", "How we respond to students' behaviors, challenges, crises, stress, and unexpected disruptions", "How we take care of ourselves", "Following job responsibilities, policies, and laws especially the Professional Code of Conduct for Educators", "Boundary setting", "Our philosophies", "How we treat other people", "Our communication styles", "Our effort", "Our attitude", "Our character", "Our teaching styles", and "How we express ourselves" is in scattered left-aligned italicized white text inside of a bright violet circle in the middle of the graphic. "Students, families, other teachers, support staff, service providers, administrators, and government leaders' actions", "Curriculum requirements", "Student progress rates", "Whether a student, family, or support staff refuses to complete a task, pay attention, or follow rules", "School and district-wide rules", "IEP team members and support staff refusing to follow IEPs and behavior plans", "State and federal laws", "School lunch menus", "Intruders", "Our salary", "Our diversity", "Colleagues refusing to follow form professional relationships with us", "Who gets hired and where they get assigned", "How big of an IEP caseload we are assigned", "School or center's budget", "School/district schedule changes", "Assessment requirements", "Any students, colleagues, and administrators' home lives and external factors", "Families, other teachers, support staff, and administrators not reading emails and messages that we DID not send nor responding to our phone calls", "Lack of support from colleagues and administrators" is in scattered left-aligned italicized dark purple text.]
I want to introduce this blog post with my own mental health and self-care journey story as a teacher:
Overall, I have nine years of teaching experience and my dream job of becoming a Special Education Teacher finally came true last school year. I was a first-year Special Education Teacher in 4th-6th Grade Autism Support. I was a Long-Term Substitute Teacher for the whole 2025-2026 school year and I had seven students and six paraprofessionals in my classroom. I took a social media hiatus go prioritize protecting my physical and emotional well-being and self-care with indubitable plans to return. This was because of how busy the school year was (Every school year I come home very tired every day from all of the action and fun LOL) and for other reasons that are personal and confidential. Some of the reasons I am not ready to open up about yet with plans to speak out about what I can eventually when I am ready. Some of the reasons I may or may not ever be able to open up about. I have slowly started to open up about what I can in small bits and pieces regarding what transpired at my own pace and comfort level to help others who can relate and to channel this pain for my own healing; however, at the same time, I do need privacy since I only have a limited number of spoons to make it possible for me to be able to open up about so much right now. I am still processing and grieving witnessing the reality of everything that transpired in my old classroom. Talking about it and even just thinking about the shocking and dreading events that occurred is emotionally exhausting. I will open up as soon as I am ready, but until then, please allow me to take care of me alongside taking care of yourselves and each other and hold your loved ones tight.
When encountering any individuals in person and online, it is common for people to assume what their backgrounds are based on their physical appearance and other limited observations that are only snapshots. Yet, in reality, what you see about anyone on social media and through limited in-person observations is only the surface level of what their lives actually look like. As a Special Education Teacher, I will probably be healing from the long-lasting effects of compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress (STS) for the rest of my life. I will also always embrace my healing journey to support others who have had similar lived experiences. Please know that I am safe and feel free to send love and prayers if you wish! 🙏🏻 Thank you so much to everyone for showing respect for this boundary. Your support is greatly appreciated as always🤍
While so much has changed in my life since then, I absolutely saw tons of growth and resilience in last school year's students and I. Besides academics, I taught my students the following:
- How to be strong and heal during their darkest times alongside my own strength and healing
- It is okay to make mistakes and try again because that is part of learning.
- To embrace their imperfections and diversity
- To have a growth mindset
- It is okay to be different and not be okay.
- How to be kind to themselves and all walks of life
- They are worthy of growth, respect, inclusion, happiness, and new beginnings.
The 2025-2026 school year was a whirlwind full of so much uncertainty, grief, healing, and so rewarding. My little friends brought forth a lot of tears from me last school year. It was days and days of choosing love, patience, and compassion and choosing to show up even when it was hard. Click on the below hyperlink to view an example of one of the most rewarding moments in my career that keeps me going as a teacher🥹🩷
Related Link:
It is not the grades, awards, or classroom decor. It is when students vindicate that I have made them feel seen, heard, understood, supported, and loved in my classroom. That is forever my greatest accomplishment as a teacher. Furthermore, all of my students came so far last school year, especially two of whom were VERY excited to attend middle school in the 2026-2027 school year and to have my mentor as their teacher in 7th-8th grade Life Skills/Autism Support. This class will always have a special place in my heart.
When I was a paraeducator, I had my work email connected to my personal cell phone; however, from the very beginning of last school year, I disconnected my school email from my cell phone. This was one of the best decisions that protected my overall well-being days before anticipated unfortunate prolonged circumstances immediately unfolded. Furthermore, while healthy and toxic stress are not easy for anyone to manage, I have always been able to work through personal unrelated stress and bad flashbacks. I do this by compartmentalizing, grounding myself in the present, and circling back when appropriate to do so. I also enjoy watching sunsets, sunrises, and listening to calming music to self-regulate. Additionally, I also vented to my mentor and trusted colleagues who taught me to celebrate small and big wins in the workplace and my personal life. One of my biggest wins during that tough school year was on Thursday, December 18, 2025. In all of my eight years of teaching at the time, I had never taken a "just because" personal day off from work. Usually, I took off from work because I had appointments, some other priority, and vacation time. That day was my first ever "just because" personal day off from work in the entirety of my career as strongly encouraged by my mentor. I was so proud of myself.
I have vastly improved at engaging in self-care in many ways as a teacher during this past Extended School Year (ESY) 2026 to during the first month of the 2026-2027 school year. This includes doing the following:
- As much as I still love reading professional development books, I took a break by reading other genres instead during summer 2026. It was so worth it. I learned that I love reading historical and realistic fiction and mystery novels.
- Leaving work at work
- Only checking my work emails on Mondays through Fridays
- Taking my lunch break every day
- Being an assertive self-advocate
- Setting and sticking to boundaries
- Positive self-talk
- Reading and creating affirmations
- Sleeping in
- Reminding myself about my circle of what I can and cannot control (See graphic at the beginning of this blog post!)
- Continuing to channel my compassion fatigue and healing through digital content creation and digital journaling. I use Procreate and recently started uploading videos for my content creation. Daylio is a mood tracker app with a notes section that I highly recommend for digital journaling if you prefer to type instead of handwriting, especially for people with fine motor challenges as part of disabilities.
- Deep breathing
- Increasing my motivation to exercise on my treadmill for 35 minutes twice per week
- Drinking hot tea and at least 1-2 bottles of water per day
- Treating myself
- Retail therapy
- Enjoying the aroma of shower gel when bathing
- Snuggling under my blankets
- Inner child work
- Coloring
- Watching sunsets
- Spending time with my family and very few friends because it is important to have a support system in and outside of work.
1. "I like to listen to music on my long ride home, hang out with family, and watch TikTok!" - anonymous Autism Support Teacher in Pennsylvania
2. "I have learned to leave work at work and when you get home focus on doing the things that you enjoy." - Ashley, infant/toddler teacher in Pennsylvania
3. "I did a number of things including daily gratitude and prayer, church weekly, and spending time with people I love. I get enough sleep and try to eat well." - Lori, former preschool teacher in Pennsylvania
4. "I see so many teachers burning out because all they do is work, and it’s important to find a healthy balance. I prioritize mental health and self-care by leaving all my work at school. I never bring work home, because 1. I’m not getting paid. My contract hours are over lol and 2. when I get home that’s my time to step away from work and rest and reset. I also turn off notifications from my Gmail so that I don’t see incoming emails. I handle emails at work and only at work! Lastly, I don’t feel guilty when I take a day off. We have 10 PTO days, and I make sure I use all of them by the end of the school year." - Ashley, 4th Grade Learning Support Teacher in Pennsylvania
5. "I use a few different mental health tactics. I try to decompress each day when I come home and take a little bit of time to transition into home life. I use yoga nidra meditation frequently, particularly at night, to help stop the monkey mind from chattering, and ruminating on the day or situations that are stressful or challenging. I make sure to reach out to my tribes, whether it is my colleagues and we problem solve together. And my family, for relaxation, connection, and support. Finding balance can be a challenge sometimes, because I adore these sweet little humans, and want to serve them as best I can. It can be all consuming when there are big challenges at preschool, and my anxiety gets ahold of me. I lean on the Lord and my faith and approach it all with compassion." - Pamela, Pre-K Teacher in Pennsylvania
6. "I deal with a lot of anxiety. So, I got help from my doctor. I also take random days throughout the school year to do things with friends, my husband, and family! I also read, watch TV/movies, shop, and spend time with my dog!" - Anonymous, 7th Grade Science Teacher in Pennsylvania
7. "For me it’s really about being intentional with taking time for myself. I’m a mom as well, so time alone is limited. I try and take an evening walk 3+ times a week where I have an hour or so to myself to just walk, breathe, and check in with myself. I also am strict about only working my contracted hours. I’ve learned to deprioritize certain aspects by finding ways to delegate those tasks, such as grading. I have a TA grade as much as possible. I also have a para that helps support grading when not working with kids, so I just grade the bigger writing assignments and look over the graded things to get a sense for where students are (although I usually know already from seeing their work as I circle the room)." - Erin Castillo, 9th-10th Grade English Language Arts (ELA) Special Education and English Language Development (ELD) Level 3 Teacher, Peer Mental Health Counselor Resources Coordinator, Local Teacher's Union High School Director in California
Related Link:
8. "Honestly, I don't think I prioritize my mental health as much as I probably should. As teachers, we spend so much time making sure our students are okay and giving them everything we can that it can be easy to forget to take care of ourselves. For me, self-care is pretty simple. I love going to the nail salon and having that time to myself where I can relax and not have to worry about anything else. I also love going to the beach, even during the off-season. There's just something about being near the water and having some quiet, alone time that helps me reset. Those little moments of doing something for myself and stepping away from the demands of teaching help me recharge. I'm still learning that taking care of myself isn't selfish. It's something I need to do so that I can continue showing up for my students, my family, and myself. 💚🏫✨" - Erin, 2nd-3rd Grade Autism Support Teacher in Pennsylvania
9. "You’re absolutely right about prioritizing self-care as an educator. The job is never done until summer break and if you do not set limits, you will be working too much at home and will burn yourself out. One thing that I prioritize is doing my nails at home. I will watch a TV show or a movie and apply fake nails. Not only do I enjoy watching TV and winding down, but I feel like having my nails done is a little treat that I like to do it to feel good about myself and feel like I am doing something a little extra to take care of myself." - Kellilyn, Autistic Support Teacher in Pennsylvania
10. "I had to set boundaries for prioritizing a duty free lunch and prep. Even during times when I felt like I shouldn't because a para was out sick, or a student was struggling behaviorly in their special class I would do my best to support from afar and still get the breaks I deserved." -Jenn, former 6-12th Grade Teacher in Alternative Education Setting for Disruptive Youth, former Autistic Support Teacher, Special Education Instructional Coach in Pennsylvania
Related Links:
11. "I definitely believe it’s critical for teachers to prioritize self-care. When I was teaching in the classroom full time, I did this in a few different ways—spending time with people I loved, not bringing work home, and actually taking a break during lunch 99% of the time. But the biggest thing for me was prioritizing working out every day, even when I didn’t feel like it. Planning ahead was the only way I could make this happen because after a long day of teaching, I already had major decision fatigue. If I knew exactly what I was doing for my workout and just had to do it, it made it SO much easier. I found a routine that worked for me and stuck with it until it eventually became a habit. Consistently working out was (and still is) the best thing for my mental health!" -Karina Bolier, former 7th-9th Grade Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher in Utah
Related Links:
12. "One way I support my mental health is by creating healthy boundaries between my work and personal life. I remind myself that I am doing the best I can with the time, energy, and resources I have, and that perfection is never the outcome–––it's the process of learning, growing, and showing up again each day that matters. As educators, we are lifelong learners, constantly adjusting, reflecting, and finding new ways to support our students; teaching is more like a journey than a destination, and we are allowed to learn along the way. I practice positive self-talk and give myself permission to step away, recharge, and prioritize my own well-being. Setting these boundaries helps me show up for my students with greater patience, compassion, and energy while remembering that taking care of myself is part of being the educator I want to be." -Sam Parmerlee, former K-5 Grade Behavior Support Teacher, current Assistant Director of Special Education in Elementary in Indiana
Related Links:
13. "People who choose teaching as their profession will typically serve others before themselves. It took me years to learn (and believe) that is okay to leave school at school. Whether that meant just planning or preparing lessons or worrying about students who were having a tough time, I had to learn that it was okay to leave it all at school so I could be fully present with my family.
Another thing I like to do for my mental health is exercise. Most days of the week I do some form of exercise before the school day begins. I like this because it helps me feel more awake and ready for the day. More importantly, I know that I've already done something for myself before I give to my students, and then, my family for the rest of the day.
The last thing that I do is put less pressure on myself. Earlier in my career, I thought that my students deserved me to be the best I could be all the time. I was starting to feel burnt out after a while. Now I think my expectations are more realistic. I try my best and know how much I care, but if things don't go as planned or I don't get to everything I wanted to do, that's ok. I focus on the things that went well and keep moving forward." - Jamie, High School Special Education Teacher in New Jersey
14. "Self-care and mental health are non-negotiable parts of how I teach because I've learned that I can't pour from an empty cup. I make space for joy through spontaneous dance parties and live music at least once a week. And I check in with myself across the several types of rest (physical, mental, emotional, social, sensory, creative, spiritual, and/or cultural/identity-affirming) rather than assuming a good night's sleep is enough. Protecting my teacher identity & well-being has been an evolving practice, one I've had to reshape as I've gotten older and moved between countries and cultures. Over time, I've come to see that caring for myself isn't separate from my work; it's what allows me to show up fully for my students." - Lauren Case, high school science teacher originally from Florida who has taught in several international schools across Asia for the past 10 years
Related Link:
15. "I have never been a full-time teacher so my hours in the classroom have not been a majority of my time during the week, but it can still be a place of stress and worry. For me, my main mental health struggle has been anxiety. There have been days when it was a major struggle to get to class and teach as though nothing was wrong. My main efforts to combat anxiety have been to take some time to lay face down and do measured focused relaxation of all my muscles. This helps a great deal with the physical tension that I get when in an anxious state. Interestingly, one of the most helpful things I can do when consumed with negative emotions is to get out and do something distracting, something like teaching. So, the act of being a teacher and getting going in the classroom is an amazing way to shake off the weight of a bout of anxiety." - Christina Orthwein, Ceramics Professor at Bryn Athyn College
Related Links:
16. "I spent over 40 years working in Early Childhood Education, mostly in administration. There have certainly been many phases and changes in our field, but it’s always been both the most challenging and rewarding commitment. I was not only responsible for my own mental health, but also that of the teachers, children and families at my centers, plus my own husband and children at home. It was like solving a Rubik’s cube, trying to meet one need without sacrificing another. At the beginning of my career, I felt like if I just tried harder, worked longer, DID more… I could be successful and feel peace. That obviously does not work. In my later years, when I started to feel overwhelmed, I found that if I stopped DOING, and prioritized breathing and relaxing both my mind and body, I could find my grounding again. I also hope that by encouraging the people I was responsible for to do the same, they actually gave me the space and grace to be vulnerable. Creating my “village” also created my path to maintaining wellness." - Lynne, former substitute teacher/Southampton Center Assistant Director/Behavior Support Director at Schoolhouse Learning Center, current Family Specialist at Early Learning Resource Center Inc. in Pennsylvania
Did you enjoy and find this post helpful? If you want to see more content like this, please follow me on Instagram and like my Facebook page if you have not already by clicking on the hyperlinks below:
Instagram: @firstformerbuddyclubpresident
📢The Inclusive Corner broadcast channel's ✨LAUNCH DATE IS OCTOBER 1️⃣9️⃣ AT 5️⃣:0️⃣0️⃣PM EASTERN TIME! This is 6️⃣ MONTHS before my disability advocate influencer page's 🔟TH BIRTHDAY🥳🎂🧁🪅🎉🎊🎈✨ The Inclusive Corner broadcast channel will be EXCLUSIVE TO INSTAGRAM USERS ONLY with free restricted access to educational content about education and advocating for the disability community. After lots of thought and love, I have designed something that truly represents my mission to create a supportive, stigma-free space for everyone who is in the disability community and on a healing/teaching journey. I cannot wait to continue bringing you more free access to real, raw conversations about disabilities, trauma, healing, intersectionality, education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and everything in between. Thank you so much for being a part of this community–––The 🌎 is a better place with you in it and I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE HERE! 🩷
Facebook: First Former Buddy Club President
Give feedback! Questions? Compliments? Suggestions? Let me know in the comments section below and/or email me at ehoffbuddyclub@gmail.com !
If you repost any of my content to your own page, please tag me in the post and keep my logo visible. Thank you💕
Comments
Post a Comment