I started back at work this week, and the adjustment is real. After the slower pace of summer, the shift to a structured routine affects not just me but everyone in my family. Full transparency: my 5-year-old also started Kindergarten, so it’s a whole new routine for everyone in the house. Change is good, and I love change, but it can also be hard.
As I return to work, I’m reminded that I need to rebuild my stamina for a full workday, along with all the other tasks I continue to juggle. This year the transition is taking longer and feels harder. Is it age? Is it the job? Or is it something else? Regardless, it’s another opportunity to reflect on my values, my intentions, and how I’m spending my time.
“For now, I feel called to re-establish my purpose for this year: to align it with my values, write it down, create a visual reminder, and return to it often, especially on the harder days.”
Before school began, I spent time reflecting, and one message came through clearly: boundaries. Boundaries around my energy and where I invest my emotional output. To stay true to my values and listen to my intuition.
A few nights ago, I tossed and turned in bed and noticed my thoughts returning to work to do lists, emails I needed to send, and other concerns. Just a week ago, my thoughts were filled with joyful family plans, what activity we’d do next, what trip we’d take, and how we’d fill our days.
It’s amazing how quickly our minds and bodies adapt.
As I lay there, frustrated I was awake and perseverating on work thoughts, I reminded myself: this isn’t what I want to be doing right now. I told myself to focus on my breath, relax my body, and eventually I returned to sleep.
That night waking was a wake up call: where do I want my thoughts to be? A reminder to keep working on my purpose and values. I know I want to make a larger impact, though I’m still uncovering exactly what that looks like. Perhaps that is the work of this year, pushing into the unknown. Boundaries and balance will be essential to support this growth.
Boundaries aren’t just physical, they’re mental.
Physical boundaries might mean leaving my laptop at school so I’m not tempted to work at home, or setting a firm cutoff time to leave the building.
Mental boundaries are trickier. It’s not just about doing work, it’s about thinking about work at all hours.
Research backs this up: Teachers who struggle to “mentally detach” from work outside school hours report higher levels of burnout and emotional exhaustion (Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015). Protecting both physical and mental boundaries is essential for long-term sustainability.
Meditation has been one of the most helpful tools for noticing when my mind slips back into work mode. Many studies show mindfulness practices reduce stress and improve emotion regulation for educators (Roeser et al., 2013). For me, keeping up with daily meditation and practicing presence in small ways has a huge impact on my self-awareness and overall happiness.
Boundaries aren’t just about closing your laptop, they’re about freeing your mind.
As educators, maintaining balance and boundaries helps us conserve energy and show up more fully for our students. This is easier said than done, of course, but small shifts add up. Here are a few to consider:
✅ Leave school no later than one hour after dismissal.
✅ Bring work home only one day a week.
✅ Use part of your planning time for something that fills you up.
✅ Limit venting about work at home, try setting a five-minute timer.
These small shifts align with research showing “that opportunities for recovery and balance outside of work play a critical role in sustaining teacher engagement and well-being (Hakanen et al., 2006).”
As the beginning of the year gets underway, and this one feels more challenging, I plan to double down on my practices of balance and boundaries.
✨ Which practice could you start with this week?
✨ What other strategies help you create balance and boundaries?