Finding Balance as a New Teacher

New teachers must prioritize their own well-being to ensure that they are best able to support their students. Here are some of Behlos-Hernandez’s key strategies:

• Set boundaries with your time: Designate specific times throughout the day to complete tasks like parent connections, emails and grading. If you must work at home, set aside specific days rather than bringing work home every day.
• Prioritize high-impact tasks: Identify the most essential tasks for student success, and let go of perfectionism.
• Respect your personal time: When you have completed the workday, remember to use your personal time for yourself. There will always be more work to do, but most of it can wait until the next day. 

Strategies for Stress Relief

To prevent burnout, it is critical to take time for yourself and practice self-care strategies. These can include: 

• Find a physical outlet: Exercise—whether running, yoga or a simple walk—can be a powerful stress reliever. Physical movement can help boost your mood and increase energy, and it can also help you to sleep better (another important strategy of stress management). 
• Use breathing techniques: Deep, relaxed breaths can often help lower stress. One technique is called box breathing, where you breathe in slowly for four seconds, hold for four seconds, then exhale slowly for four seconds.  Hold again for four seconds, and then repeat a few times. This can also be a helpful technique to do with students, creating a shared reset strategy.
• Lean on colleagues: Having a support system at work makes a huge difference. Others in your school often have similar experiences, or they can provide a new perspective on a challenge you are facing. Take the time to curate relationships with staff and teachers so that you are not alone.
• Make small wins visible: When overwhelmed, write a list and start with two or three simple tasks, helping you regain control while feeling accomplished.

The Bigger Picture: Systemic Challenges/ The Emotional Toll of Teaching

Beyond workload, many new teachers struggle with stress about their students’ progress. Thoughts like “Could I have handled that situation better?”  or “Is my student with challenges at home OK?”can weigh heavily on a teacher, even after the workday is over. 

Additionally, the weight of multiple roles—teacher, mentor, behavior specialist—can be exhausting. When stress builds, it can affect a teachers’ patience and classroom atmosphere. Even young students can notice and feel the difference when their teacher is stressed.

While personal stress management can help with the day-to-day challenges, teachers also face systemic challenges. New teachers are not immune to the stresses caused by lack of funding in education, overcrowded schools, anxiety of standardized testing, or political pressures that impact teaching. Teachers should engage with their union, seek mentorship, participate in professional development and focus on what they can control: creating a positive, engaging classroom environment. Advocacy on the local and state levels, particularly with their union can influence important changes that impact teachers, students and communities. Working together can also help create connections that make teaching feel less isolating and more collaborative. 

Final Thoughts

Teaching is one of the most demanding professions, but also one of the most rewarding. For new teachers, learning how to balance work and life and focusing on their own well-being can be challenging. Implementing time-management strategies, finding a community of support, and prioritizing self-care are among the ways teachers can create a balance and better support their students.