The Art of Actually Resting: A Teacher's Guide to the Christmas Break 

You've made it. Term 4 is over. The reports are submitted, the classroom is packed away, and the summer break is finally here. 

But here's the challenge teachers face every December: 

You're exhausted. Your brain is still buzzing with lesson planning thoughts, student concerns, and all the things you meant to get done before the break. And despite having weeks off ahead of you, you're already feeling guilty about not being productive enough with this time. 

Sound familiar? 

At HARKE Recruitment, we work with teachers every single day. We see how hard you work, how much emotional labour teaching requires, and how difficult it can be to truly switch off—even when you desperately need to. 

This blog isn't about productivity hacks or career planning strategies. It's about something far more important: actually resting. 

Here's your guide to making the most of your Christmas break—not by doing more, but by genuinely recharging. 

1. Give Yourself Permission to Do Nothing 

The Challenge: 

Teachers are natural planners and problem-solvers. Even on holidays, there's a voice saying: "I should be planning next term," "I should be organising my resources," "I should be doing professional reading." 

The Reality: 

Your brain needs genuine rest. Not "productive rest" where you're still thinking about work. Actual, complete mental downtime. 

What This Looks Like: 

• Spending an entire morning reading fiction (not education books) 
• Watching TV without guilt 
• Sleeping in without setting an alarm 
• Sitting in your backyard with coffee and doing absolutely nothing 
• Saying "no" to things you don't actually want to do 

Permission granted: You don't have to be productive during your break. Rest IS productive. 

2. Create Physical Distance from Work 

The Challenge: 

Teaching follows you home. Your laptop has lesson plans. Your phone has school emails. Your brain has students' faces and needs running through it constantly. 

The Strategy: 

Put physical distance between you and work: 

• Log out of your school email on your phone (or delete the app entirely for the break) 
• Pack away your teaching resources somewhere you won't see them daily 
• Create a "no work zone" in your home where you won't discuss, think about, or plan teaching 
• If you're really struggling to disconnect, consider a "brain dump" journal where you write down any work thoughts that arise, then close the book and leave them there 

Why This Matters: 

Your nervous system needs to know you're safe to relax. Constant reminders of work keep you in "teacher mode" even when you're trying to rest. 

3. Reconnect with Non-Teacher Parts of Your Identity 

The Challenge: 

Teaching is all-consuming. It's easy to lose yourself in the role and forget there are other parts of who you are. 

The Opportunity: 

Use this break to reconnect with interests, hobbies, and relationships outside of education. 

Ideas: 

• Take up (or return to) a hobby that has nothing to do with teaching 
• Spend time with friends who aren't teachers and talk about anything except school 
• Explore new places or revisit favourite spots 
• Learn something purely for enjoyment (not professional development) 
• Create something with your hands (cooking, gardening, crafts, building) 

Why This Matters: 

You are not just a teacher. You're a whole person with diverse interests, relationships, and passions. Reconnecting with those parts of yourself is essential for long-term sustainability in this career. 

4. Move Your Body (In Ways That Feel Good) 

The Challenge: 

Teaching is physically demanding—you're on your feet all day, often carrying stress in your shoulders, neck, and back. But by the time holidays arrive, you're too exhausted to think about exercise. 

The Approach: 

Movement during the break shouldn't be punishment or another "should." It should feel restorative. 

Restorative Movement Ideas: 

• Gentle morning walks (no destination, no fitness goal, just walking) 
• Swimming for pleasure, not exercise 
• Yoga or stretching while watching TV 
• Dancing in your kitchen while cooking 
• Playing with kids/pets without it being "structured activity" 
• Gardening or other physical hobbies 

The Goal: 

Not fitness. Not weight loss. Just feeling present in your body and releasing the physical tension teaching creates. 

5. Protect Your Sleep 

The Challenge: 

Term 4 often destroys sleep routines. You've been surviving on caffeine and adrenaline, going to bed late finishing reports, waking early for breakfast duty or excursions. 

The Reset: 

Your break is when you restore healthy sleep patterns. 

Sleep Restoration Strategies: 

• Let yourself sleep in (without guilt) for the first week 
• Go to bed when you're actually tired, not when you "should" 
• Create a calming evening routine (no school email checking before bed) 
• Reduce screen time an hour before sleep 
• If your mind races with work thoughts at night, keep a notepad beside your bed to write them down and release them 

Why Sleep Matters: 

Everything else—your mood, your patience, your creativity, your immune system—depends on adequate sleep. This break is your chance to pay back the sleep debt Term 4 created. 

6. Reconnect with People Who Matter 

The Challenge: 

During term, relationships often take a back seat. You're too exhausted for social plans, too mentally depleted for meaningful conversations. 

The Opportunity: 

The break is when you rebuild those connections. 

What This Looks Like: 

• Quality time with family without work distractions 
• Catching up with friends you've been "meaning to see" 
• Actually being present in conversations (not mentally planning Monday's lesson) 
• Rebuilding intimacy with partners after months of being too tired 
• Reconnecting with extended family or old friends 

Important Note: 

This doesn't mean filling every day with social obligations. It means choosing meaningful connections and being fully present for them. 

7. Process the Term (But Don't Dwell) 

The Challenge: 

Teachers often carry the weight of the term—the students you couldn't reach, the lessons that failed, the conflicts that weren't resolved. 

The Healthy Approach: 

Give yourself space to acknowledge and process the term, then intentionally let it go. 

Processing Strategies: 

Week 1 of Break: 

• Journal about the term (what went well, what was hard, what you learned) 
• Talk with trusted colleagues or friends about your experiences 
• Acknowledge your feelings without judgment 

Week 2 Onward: 

• Consciously redirect your thoughts when they drift to school 
• Remind yourself: "That term is over. I did my best. I can think about next term later." 
• Focus on present-moment experiences 

What to Avoid: 

Ruminating endlessly on what went wrong. Replaying difficult moments. Worrying about students you can't help during the break. 

You did your best. Now it's time to rest. 

8. Say No to "Should" and Yes to "Want" 

The Challenge: 

Teachers are deeply conditioned to put others' needs first. The break often becomes filled with obligations—family expectations, social commitments, household projects you "should" get done. 

The Permission: 

You're allowed to prioritise what YOU want during YOUR break. 

Practice Saying: 

• "I'm taking a proper break this year, so I won't be able to..." 
• "That sounds lovely, but I'm prioritising rest right now." 
• "I'm keeping my holidays really low-key this year." 
• "Maybe next year—this break I'm really focusing on recharging." 

What You're Allowed to Want: 

• Quiet 
• Solitude 
• Simple pleasures 
• Doing "nothing" 
• Minimal social obligations 
• Staying home 
• Not traveling 
• Not hosting 

Your break. Your rules. 

9. Rediscover Joy (Without Productivity) 

The Challenge: 

Teaching is serious, emotionally heavy work. By December, many teachers have forgotten what pure, unproductive joy feels like. 

The Invitation: 

Do things purely because they bring you joy—not because they're productive, educational, or improving you in any way. 

Ideas: 

• Binge-watch an entire TV series guilt-free 
• Read trashy novels 
• Listen to music and dance around your house 
• Bake something complicated just for fun 
• Spend an afternoon at the beach doing nothing 
• Play games (video games, board games, whatever you enjoy) 
• Revisit childhood hobbies or interests 

The Point: 

Not everything needs to serve a purpose. Sometimes joy is the purpose. 

10. Plan a Gentle Return 

The Challenge: 

The final week of holidays often brings anxiety about returning to school, which undermines all the rest you've achieved. 

The Strategy: 

Plan a gentle, gradual return to work mode. 

Week Before Term 1: 

• Spend one day (not the whole week) doing light prep 
• Check in with your classroom/resources briefly 
• Review your calendar and plan the first week 
• Mentally prepare without spiralling into stress 

What to Avoid: 

• Spending the entire final week in work mode 
• Checking school emails constantly 
• Overhauling your entire teaching practice 
• Creating elaborate plans you'll never execute

The Goal: 

Return to work feeling rested and ready—not exhausted before the term even begins. 

The Bottom Line 

Teaching is one of the most demanding professions—emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

You don't get a break to "catch up on work." You get a break to recover from work. 

This Christmas break, give yourself the gift of genuine rest. 

Not productive rest. Not self-improvement. Not career development. 

Just rest. 

Your students need you rested and well in 2026 far more than they need you burnt out but perfectly planned. 

Need Support with Your Teaching Career in 2026? 

Once you're rested and ready, we're here. 

Exploring new opportunities for 2026? 
Browse current roles: www.harke.com.au/jobseekers 

Thinking about a mid-year move? 
Register your interest: www.harke.com.au/submit-resume 

Want to connect with our team? 
Get in touch: www.harke.com.au 

From all of us at HARKE Recruitment: Thank you for everything you do. You've earned this break. Rest well.