You have all been through the wringer in 2020! It’s like a fight where the person you’re arguing with keeps coming back again and again. It has been exhausting. It has pushed your limits as a teacher and as a human.

Now you are talking about summer ending and going back to school. However, even though districts have made plans, all you see are the numbers going up. That with all of the mandates (masks, temperature checks, and social distancing), it’s no wonder you are stressed and scared about what is ahead. For these reasons and more, I decided to share six health tips for teachers during a pandemic.

What does being healthy mean?

Being healthy is always a goal, but you often don’t think about what being healthy means. When you think about staying healthy, you might be thinking about your physical health, but your mental and emotional well-being matters. Health affects so many parts of your life, including the most important one: your family. 

Providing healthy tips for teachers during a pandemic (or honestly, anytime) that teaches ways to work smarter and not harder through technology, alleviates stress, and practical ways to make your life easier is of utmost importance.

Tip 1: Get Started with Technology

Whether you are going back to school, teaching remotely, or a hybrid of both, technology is part of the equation. Start from day one, setting the expectations for using technology in your classroom, both in class and online. Learning how technology can make your life easier is essential to your health.

Some of the ways technology can help:

• Digital interactive notebooks with your students
• Use Google Forms to assess your students (if it’s multiple-choice, it will grade it for you)
• Nearpod to control student devices and provide an extra layer of fun
• And much, much more!

I had a teacher tell me the other day she feels guilty if she tries to find ways to make her life more comfortable. My response if you want to be present for your students and your family, you must find ways to make this job more manageable. Technology is one way.

Tip 2: Take Time for Yourself

You must get past the mindset that hard = selfless. What I mean by that is don’t feel guilty for taking time to replenish yourself. You are no good to anyone if you are stressed, unhealthy, and miserable. Self-care is a must if you want to provide students with the education they deserve.

Self-care can take form by:

• Taking a relaxing bath
• Going for a walk
• Reading a book
• Doing a craft
• Anything else that brings joy

All of these actions are healthy ways to escape while trying to navigate the new normal. Distance learning is difficult partly because it is always there so it’s essential to make sure to take a break.

Tip 3: Be Mindful of What You Eat

You may think I’m going to tell you to eat all of your fruits and veggies. Nope, just the opposite. I believe you can eat whatever you want. It would be best if you were mindful of what goes into your body.

I live by three rules related to what I eat:

• Find healthy, convenient options – (this is why I drink my protein shake every morning). I never have to think about what I’m going to eat in the morning. I grab my shake and go and get 24 grams of protein, plus 21 vitamins and minerals. If you’ve never tried an Herbalife shake, you MUST contact me! They are amazing!
• Drink Lot’s of Water – Do it!
• Log your diet – I use the Noom app to help me track my food. I’ve learned that I can eat what I want to eat, but I need to watch my portion sizes.

The Noom app categorizes foods by green, yellow, and red foods. Green doesn’t mean good, nor does red mean bad. On the contrary, foods like hummus, which would be considered a healthy snack, are red. You need to be aware of how much red food you eat.

If you’d like to try Noom, they are offering a 2-week free trial. Here is my link if you’d like to sign-up. I highly recommend it! I’ve already lost five pounds in the first week!

Tip 4: Get Moving

One thing that can be so hard right now is finding time to exercise, especially if you are sitting at the computer a lot. Be sure you take the time to move. Some of my favorite ideas are to:

• Set the alarm every hour to get up and move
• Try to get your 10,000 steps in – If you find you are way below that number, start at 2000 and work your way up gradually
• Take time to stretch – Sitting at the computer takes its toll on the body. Stretch as much as possible.

These health tips for teachers during a pandemic make all the difference when you must sit for extended amounts of time during the day.

Tip 5: Staying Healthy with Friends

One thing that can be so hard right now is socializing. We don’t want to risk getting sick, and we don’t’ want to risk getting others infected. You can find ways to be with your friends to vent and talk and still social distance yourselves.

• Join FB groups with people who are like-minded. – There are a lot of fun groups out there from teachers who use technology to teachers who like to create on their Cricut Machines.
• Join a Health and Wellness Challenge – I put one on almost every month, if you’d like to join me. It’s a great way to stay mindful, set goals, and relieve stress.
• Even though you may be sick to death of ZOOM Meetings, you might try FaceTime or Zoom with friends just to talk and catch up.
• Spend more time with your family

Tip #6: Keep Your Distance

Keeping your distance means more now than ever before, but I’m not talking about people. Keep your distance from negativity, especially on social media.

When I open up Facebook, I see talk about teachers needing to step up and care about our students. I see posts about teachers needing to get back to work as if we haven’t worked this entire time.

We are all working hard to navigate the delicate world of a virtual classroom. We don’t’ need the extra negativity, so distance yourself from situations that don’t build you up. Hopefully, these health tips for teachers during a pandemic can help.

Distance learning, social distancing, COVID, and more have made this year taxing for everyone and especially teachers. As we get back into the world of teaching, whether you’re in the classroom, online, or both, remember to stay well.