From Burnout to Balance: 5 Self-Care Practices for Educational Leaders
- Eli Casaus
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
In this blog post I focus on practical self-care strategies for school leaders to sustain energy, passion, and effectiveness.
Let’s face it—educational leadership isn’t exactly a spa retreat. Between morning bus duty, putting out metaphorical (and sometimes literal) fires, and remembering to breathe during back-to-back meetings, it’s no wonder many school leaders feel like they’re running on caffeine and fumes.
Burnout isn’t a badge of honor. It’s a warning light. And if we want to lead with passion, presence, and purpose, we have to take care of the person doing the leading—you.
Here are five self-care practices designed specifically for educational leaders that go beyond bubble baths (although, no shade if that’s your thing!). These strategies help sustain your energy, fuel your passion, and boost your effectiveness.
1. Build Boundaries Like Your Sanity Depends on It (Because It Does)
You can’t pour from an empty coffee cup. One of the most powerful acts of self-care is saying “no” (or at least “not right now”). Create time blocks in your calendar for deep work, mental rest, and actually eating lunch. Set a “no email after 7PM” rule. And if you find yourself scheduling meetings during your “self-care time,” kindly escort yourself to the mirror and give yourself a pep talk.
💪Self-Care Boost: Try using calendar reminders to protect your time—label them "Leadership Recharge" so people think you're doing something extremely official.
2. Get Moving (Even If It's a Victory Lap Around the Building)
Physical activity boosts energy and lowers stress—two things every school leader needs by the gallon. You don’t need a full CrossFit circuit during your planning period. Start small:
Take walking meetings.
Do 10 minutes of stretching or light yoga before work.
Park a little farther away on purpose (and use the walk to practice your deep breathing).
💪Self-Care Boost: Recruit a “movement buddy” on staff. You’ll hold each other accountable—and maybe even start a lunchtime wellness challenge.
3. Protect Time for Purposeful Reflection
It’s easy to go from one crisis to the next without ever pausing to process. But reflection fuels clarity and growth. Carve out 10–15 minutes a few times a week to ask:
What energized me today?
What drained me?
What am I learning about myself as a leader?
💪Self-Care Boost: Keep a leadership journal. You don’t need perfect grammar—just real, honest thoughts. Bonus points if your journal has a motivational quote on the cover.
4. Feed Your Soul (Not Just Your Inbox)
Self-care is about filling your cup—not with emails, but with joy. What lights you up? Reading? Music? Gardening? Making TikToks about hallway behavior expectations? Whatever it is, schedule it. If it’s not on the calendar, it won’t happen.
💪Self-Care Boost: Create a “Joy List”—10 things that make you smile—and commit to doing at least one of them every week. (Yes, naps or scrolling TikTok mindlessly count and are ones I do often.)
5. Find Your People (and Let Them Lift You Up)
Leadership can feel lonely, especially when everyone looks to you for answers. But you don’t have to carry the weight alone. Build a support system:
Join a leadership network or mastermind.
Schedule regular check-ins with a coach or mentor.
Find peers who get it—and get you.
💪Self-Care Boost: Start a “Leadership Huddle” with other administrators to share wins, vent safely, and swap memes. Trust me—it’s healing. When I first became a principal, three other guys and I started a Voxer group that eventually transformed into a group text chat too called “The Sandbox”. It was just one of my great support systems.
Final Thoughts
Educational leadership is a calling—but it’s also a marathon, not a sprint. If you want to keep showing up for others, you’ve got to show up for yourself. Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s strategic. It keeps your flame lit in a profession that needs your light.
So take a breath. Take a break. Take back your balance.
Are you ready to invest in yourself as a leader? You’re worth it, leader. And your school community is better because of the whole, healthy, and human version of you. I’d love to empower you as your Leadership Coach!
