3 Tried & True Tips to Keep that Summer Feeling

Happy September! Wow, where did summer go? Well, I’ve actually been in school for the last three weeks, but it never fully feels like school is really here (at least in my head) until Labor Day! How to keep that summer feeling? Read on!

What is it that makes summer such a sweet time of year? It's that feeling of relaxation and lazy days. . . now that's hard to do when there are lessons to plan and papers to grade, but. . .

Always keep a good book on hand! I tend to get so caught up in reading only professional books about education or read only children's books during the school year! I truly have to force myself to read "just for pleasure" books for me! I don't have much extra time to read once school starts, but I keep books loaded on my iPad to read on the go (and on the Kindle app on my phone), as well as an audiobook loaded on my phone through the free library app: Overdrive.  I continuously update my Goodreads "to read" list, so I'm never out of book suggestions!

Here are few that I read (or listened to) over summer: (You can see they're a mix of adult fiction, memoir, young adult fiction, and non-fiction)

 Make time to exercise! In the summer, I'm so good about taking early morning walks, or practicing yoga, or getting out to bike ride. Once school starts, however, I'm back to bad habits of not having enough time making working out a priority.  (Now mind you, I am in no way imaginable, a hard core fitness fanatic, so forcing myself to spend 30-45 minutes sweating is a CHORE!! And I hate sweating!)  Having a good audiobook or podcast on my phone makes me eager to get outside to walk and listen, even if just for half an hour (because that's all the time I have!)  I feel so much better and start off the day with a clear head.

Another fantastic and QUICK tried & true tip is pilates! I discovered The Balanced Life with instructor, Robin Long, an online pilates community. First of all, Robin is absolutely adorable. She's positive (but not too cheery, especially in the mornings!) and encouraging and all her workouts take only 10-30 minutes! That's it! I've noticed a difference in my strength & flexibility, and it's such a great start to the day that I don't mind getting up earlier. (And if I'm being truthful, I EITHER walk OR do pilates, but not both unless it's the weekend. . . sigh. . . I wish I was one of those people. . .)

I'm such a visual person; my last tried & true tip is to keep those summer memories alive through pictures and images! I keep favorite summer pics on my phone and I've turned a few into my phone home screens, so I can breathe and smile at the calming scene. Download one (or all!) of the home screens! Just click on the image below (and obviously the image will not have all my screen shot info: time, date, wi fi, etc. LOL)

Remember to take care of YOU and make time for yourself! If we're grumpy, our students quickly pick up on our bad mood! Happy teacher = happy class. You can check out more great ideas on my Teacher Care Pinterest board or check out my 4-part blog series on The Well-Balanced Teacher.

Here's to keeping that summer feeling all year long!