Self-Care Summer:
How Teachers Can Benefit from Therapy Over Summer Break

Summer break can be a remarkable time for teachers to rest and reset. After months of lesson plans, managing a classroom, facing challenging behaviors, administrative tasks, student demands, difficult parents, the list can go on and on. You deserve time to rest and reflect on what you need after taking care of the needs of so many others. While this may be a time to rest, it can be difficult to slow down. It can be even more difficult to process the last year on your own. Summer can be an excellent time to focus on yourself, including your mental health. Therapy is a powerful tool at your disposal.

Is Teaching Taking a Toll on You?

Teaching can be a deeply rewarding profession, and it can also be both emotionally and physically draining. You aren’t just responsible for academics. Oftentimes teachers wear multiple hats on a daily basis. It can be overwhelming to try to balance teaching with conflict resolution, counseling and caregiving, however, many teachers are expected to do all this and more.

There can be an excessive amount of emotional labor that also goes into teaching. While you may love your job, it may also be impacting how you feel and function. Facing chronic stress can result in overwhelm and burnout as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. If you find work stress is leaving you feeling exhausted and depleted, it’s time to reach out for support. It is easy to write off how you are feeling during the school year, saying that you don’t have time. Summer break can be the perfect time to look into getting the support you need and deserve.

Summer: The Ideal Time for Therapy

  1. Room to Reflect
    During the summer you aren’t constantly bombarded with work related tasks. You can have time to focus on yourself and explore ways to improve your self-care and learn valuable skills to make next year your best year yet.
  2. Preventing Burnout
    You can only feel overwhelmed for so long before you begin to burnout. You can’t ignore burnout or pack it away with the rest of your school supplies, it will wait for you in the Fall. Working with a therapist can help you to learn valuable skills to manage distress and set healthy, sustainable boundaries.
  3. Reconnecting with Who You Are
    With so much on your plate during the school year it can be easy to lose sight of what you enjoy. Don’t lose your sense of self. Therapy can help you reconnect with what you love, your values and feel more like yourself again. When you are the best version of yourself you can show up better in all areas of your life.
  4. Creating Healthier Habits
    When you are in the habit of doing something it makes you more likely to do it. Unfortunately, many of us collect more unhealthy habits than healthy ones. Counseling can be an excellent place to reflect on this and build healthier patterns for yourself. Therapy can help you explore how you cope and find ways to respond in a healthier way and even manage distress more effectively. Learning new ways of responding over the summer can make these reactions feel like second nature once the school year begins again.
  5. Processing Trauma
    Unfortunately, many teachers can experience trauma at work. This can be through events you experience or through those that students disclose to you. You deserve a space to process what you have been through. Therapy provides a confidential space to work through these complex emotions without judgment.

How to Get Started

Therapy is not a one-size-fits-all process. Finding a therapist that is right for you is imperative. You may find benefit in approaches such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Your counselor will tailor your treatment to meet your unique needs and goals.

Ultimately, therapy during the summer is not just about “fixing” something that’s broken. It’s an investment in long-term wellness. When you take care of yourself it will have a ripple effect on how you show up for your students. Self-care can inspire positive change for all of those you encounter.

Carolina Counseling Services in Fuquay-Varina, NC contracts with licensed therapists who can help you to be the best version of yourself. Online sessions are also available making getting the care you deserve even easier!

Providers are in-network with many major insurances including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield and many more! Call now to get started, you deserve it.