gift guide: teacher self-care

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Teacher self-care can come in many forms. One thing I’ve been trying my hardest to do this year is find proactive ways to manage stress and take care of myself to avoid sinking into the “need teacher self-care ASAP” mode that I have been in many times before. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite proactive and preventative self-care tips + products for your Christmas list or buy-now right lists.

It’s so important that we take time to invest in and do things that make us feel good, healthy, and confident. Here are some of my favorite things! 🙂

gift + list ideas little details

1. Herbivore Botanicals Self Love Bath and Body Ritual Kit: after once use of this body scrub, I felt the dryness of my winter fully disappear. Taking care of our skin can be the last thing on our to-do list when we’re in the middle of pure craziness. Sometimes we just need a couple smell good skin care products and a pair of new pajamas to persevere through the long haul of dark days until winter break.zz
2. Geometric Hoop Earrings: we all have different self-care needs. If you’re looking for a fun feel good pair of earrings to add a feminine pop to your all black outfit– these little beauties are perfect! They are less than $20 and a flirty-and-fun earring that can be worn all year round!
3. Letter board Wall Frame: maybe quiet reminders of your inspiration or loved ones is the type of love and care you need to surround yourself with. How cute is this picture frame and letter board? One of the things I love the most about my guest room is there are pictures of all the people we love in it. Sometimes just looking at pictures and feeling your heart warm up is just what one needs.
4. Rose Quartz Roller: honestly, i’ll try anything to avoid my wrinkles from deepening. I’m not opposed of botox by any means, but I’m not a fan of needles… so… I’ve been rolling my rose quartz all around my head and i’m LOVING it. I’m honestly starting to see results. It stimulates and massages your face which activates cell growth and renewal. It takes 2 minutes a day and this lovely little tool is less than $20. It’s WORTH IT. Taking 10 minutes every night to invest in my nightly skincare routine is one of my favorite and routine self-care tricks.
5. The Five Minute Journal: I bought this November 26, 2016 and it had such a positive impact on my life. I’m not going to lie though– I’ve never finished it. About half way into the journey, I realized I was finally at a place of gratitude and appreciation for my involuntary transfer and slowly it slipped from my routine. On the harder of weeks, I will pick it back up and practice focusing on the positive. This has got to be a self-care tool on every teachers Christmas List. it’s wonderful, helpful, positive, and affirming.
6. Story of my Life Journal: Sometimes the best way to decompress and take care of yourself is to journal the day away. This cute little journal is a great way to document the banananess of your teacher life. Science says that writing it down and getting it out (especially for introverts) is a great way clear your head and begin to feel emotional relief.
7. Drybar Straightening Brush: This is on my Christmas List this year for self-care reasons. When you’re guilty or snoozing your alarm a couple too many times and have a big meeting before AND after school (you know those days), running late 4 minutes behind schedule is enough to kickstart a full on teacher mental breakdown. After reading the reviews for this brush, I love the idea of turning it on and brushing your hair for a couple minutes and have a sleek, volumized, and straight look.
8. BeautyBio Bright Eyes: Teacher tired is real… It’s important to relax at night and do something that makes you feel… proactive in all the exhaustion? For me, using eye masks does the trick. I’m still not sure if they actually make a different or not… but our minds are powerful and the feeling that they do is enough for me!
9. Marble Jewelry Box: One of my morning stressors is mix-matched stuffed earrings and tangled necklaces. Sometimes self-care is being proactive in figuring out ways to keep to sane during the week. This cute little box is adorable,trendy, sturdy, and holds some of my favorite pieces. Part of it is for the cuteness factor, but it’s 100% functional too!
10. Best Teacher Mug: Cute mugs full of strong coffee or herbal tea is one of my favorite things. During winter break I will usually do some sort of detox tea to restart my system after months of halloween candy, eating my students incentives, and comfort food. This mug is beautiful and supports small businesses!
11. Rae Dunn Journals: Back to that whole journaling thing… why not have one for your classroom and one in your bedroom! You never know when you need to write down some brilliant ideas or let out some positive or negative emotions. This pack was too cute so I had to include it… and only $5.99!
12. Eyeshadow Pallet: For those of you who re-energize by a night out on the town… how cute is this eye shadow pallet? It has SUCH good reviews and only $15! It’s one of Ulta’s highest rated eye shadow pallet’s right now. This palette has 14 romantic and warm shades that are perfect for any season. One thing I love about makeup is the only seasonal change I make it shade of bronzer and lipstick… but every thing else is year round!
13. The Lip Scrub: With stress level and season changes, our lips suffer to the max. This is my FAVORITE lipscrub and apart of my Sunday routine. After the first use it leaves your lips moisturized and feeling 100%. When there are so many things out of our control during the day, being able to come home and do something so mall that can make us feel so good is worth it.
14. “One Day at a Time” inspirational bracelet: surrounding yourself with positive vibes is one of the best proactive self-care strategies. I am obsessed with these inspirational bracelets. They come in 3 different colors: gold, silver, and rose gold and have a variety of different messages. I’m adding the fearless bracelet on my Christmas list this year. I really do need the reminder every single day. I can’t believe it’s only $16.99!
15. Gold Double Tier Shelve: It makes me feel better when I’m organize and take time to organize… yet finding a reason to actually turn off gossip girl and start my organizing is impossible. Sometimes you have to buy things in order to kick your bottom into gear! This gold organizing shelf is glamorous and versatile… high quality and can be used at home or in your classroom.
16. Lip Balm: This is my go-to lip balm from sephora. I first bought this last year and haven’t been able to find another lip balm that I love more. There is a slight tint that add a feel-good-pop to your lips. It’s silky smooth and doesn’t get all crusty or however else you would describe that white build up that occurs when you’re dehydrated, cold, stressed, and having to or by choice, talking to much. I couldn’t recommend this balm enough.
17. 14 day detox tea: this is one of the detox teas I’ve done and really enjoyed. Once you read up, you’ll know a little bit more about why I love it… but there have been times where i’ve thought I had a gluten intolerance or IBS. The reality of the situation is I’m stressed, can’t stop-won’t stop shoving jalepeno chips and half-baked ice cream down my throat, and i’m simply not being kind to my body. Doing a detox and a restart has been helpful in making sure I’m taking care of my healthy eating habits and realigning any… strange things that happen from stress eating… you know what I mean….. right?
18. Cranberry Rose Candle: give me all the pretty smells… or a bath… or a pitch black room with a yummy candle… and a good book… or netflix… but I had to have a candle!
19. Onward: cultivating emotional resilience in educators… this has been one of my nightly rotation books and it is 100% worth every penny. One of the first chapters is about self-awareness and I learned so much about myself in a short period of time. Everything I learned has helped me proactively take care of myself throughout the school year and during the hard times. This last month has been filled with things I couldn’t even make up if I tried… and yet I am in a good place and feeling in control. I started the school year off reading this amazing book. If you’re struggling this year and looking for some practical and enlightening strategies… buy this book now, put it on your Christmas list, borrow it from a friend, but get your hands on it! It’s single handedly the most helpful book I’ve read in my teaching career. A longer blog post will follow 🙂

I can’t wait to hear what products you love, what products I should add, or try!

What other holiday gift guides would you like to see this year!?

with kindness  |  ashley