15 Practical Ways to Regain Control Without Adding to Your To-Do List
What Educators Desperately Need in a System Spiralling Out of Reach
It’s Tuesday morning. You’re holding your coffee like it’s life support, already mentally rehearsing how to explain again that Jaxon’s outburst wasn’t random. It followed a skipped breakfast and a group task that overwhelmed him. Your inbox is already overflowing. You haven’t printed your maths resources yet. There’s a parent meeting scheduled at 8:00am. You check your watch. It’s 8:04am.
And this is ‘technically’ before your day has even started.
The Part No One Sees
There’s something deeply disheartening about how much of teaching happens behind the curtain.
Like writing reports after midnight that no one even reads properly. The planning time that’s swallowed by relief duties, admin tasks, or helping a colleague through their own storm. The smile you keep on when you're held accountable for things you can’t control. The high-stakes observations, the behaviour plans, the learning adjustments… and then there is the emotional labour. Always invisible, but always immense.
Behind every lesson is a teacher quietly holding it all together. The emotional load often goes unseen, but it's always felt.
One teacher told me she feels like her day is made up of “a thousand decisions and a hundred little griefs.” From trying to comfort a child who misses their dad, to gently managing the student who lashes out instead of asking for help. From fielding questions about curriculum content you don’t have time to properly explore, to worrying about the anxious teen who’s slowly withdrawing from her friends.
And all of it lives in your nervous system.
Educators carry these moments home. They sit in our bodies. They climb into bed with us and show up in our early morning thoughts. The result? We’re seeing a spiralling culture of burnout. Escalating behaviours. Unmet expectations. Wellbeing that’s taken so many hits, it’s caused bruising.
The Myth of “Managing Better”
In the midst of this, the solutions being offered often feel like cold tea. Well-intentioned, but bland and far too late.
You’ve heard them all before:
Just set clearer boundaries.
Try yoga or mindfulness.
Take things less personally.
Leave work at work.
Practice gratitude.
Get better at saying no.
Sure. Sounds simple… if you ignore the complex system you're operating in. As if a bubble bath can solve a broken funding model. As if gratitude will quieten the trauma in the classroom. As if the person needs fixing, not the workload.
Here’s the truth. Most of the suggestions above are like trying to sleep on a budget hostel mattress. They give the illusion of support, but leave you sore, restless and still exhausted in the morning.
So what’s the alternative?
It’s not about more resilience or thicker skin. It’s about reclaiming your control in emotionally intelligent ways. That’s what Not Just A Teacher Education exists to support. Not with gimmicks or guilt. But with strategies that actually fit inside your day, your brain and your beating heart.
Let’s walk through how.
15 Practical Ways to Regain Control Without Adding to Your To-Do List
You don’t need another thing to do. You need simple, sensible ways to feel more like yourself again and ease the pressure without creating more of it. That is why these strategies are small shifts, not big commitments. They work because they’re built for real educators with real lives.
Each one helps calm your nervous system, reduce decision fatigue and builds a stronger sense of self-leadership, all without blowing up your routine. Each strategy is designed to meet different needs, from the quietly exhausted to the detail-driven perfectionist. The point isn’t to do them all. It’s to find one or two that fit into your rhythm and stick. They’re tools, not tasks.
Knowing what’s in your control isn’t just a mindset it’s a strategy. The smallest shift in focus can change everything.
So try what works. Leave what doesn’t. Come back when you're ready.
1. Create a “First 90 Seconds” Ritual
Why it helps: The first few moments of your day shape your body’s stress response. A chaotic start activates your sympathetic nervous system, putting you into fight-or-flight before the day even begins. Creating a predictable, calming ritual signals safety to the brain.
Try this: Choose a short ritual you can do every morning before the day rushes in. This could be opening a window for fresh air, turning on your favourite playlist, or drinking your coffee slowly with both feet on the ground. These grounding behaviours anchor your body before your brain is pulled into action.
Simplified version: Just take one deep breath before opening your emails. It’s a signal to your brain that you are in charge of the pace.
2. Name Your State Before You Teach
Why it helps: Neuroscience shows that naming your emotional state, also called affect labelling, reduces activity in the brain’s fear centre. It creates distance from reactivity and activates problem-solving parts of the brain instead.
Try this: Before your first lesson, pause and ask yourself: What state am I in right now? Anxious? Flat? Energised? Follow it up with, What do I need to bring the best version of myself forward?
Simplified version: Whisper one word that sums up how you feel right now. Let it be enough to raise your awareness.
3. Designate One “No-Decision” Day Per Week
Why it helps: Your brain can only handle so many choices before it gets tired. This is called decision fatigue and it contributes to emotional exhaustion. By removing small daily decisions, you preserve energy for more important ones.
Try this: Pick one day a week, maybe Wednesday, where you wear the same outfit, eat the same lunch, or follow a predictable flow. It’s about reducing the micro-decisions that chip away at your mental load.
Simplified version: Pack your lunch the night before to give your brain a head start the next day.
4. Anchor Yourself with a Physical Cue
Why it helps: Repeating a physical gesture creates a sensory-motor association with calm. It helps interrupt overwhelm by activating body-based regulation.
Try this: Choose a physical movement, such as placing your hand on your heart, unclenching your jaw, or rolling your shoulders. Use it regularly in moments of tension to tell your body, I’ve got you.
Simplified version: Rest your hand flat on your desk for three seconds and breathe. It's enough to ground you in the present.
5. Use “Stacking” to Reinforce Healthy Habits
Why it helps: Your brain is wired for patterns. When you attach a new habit to an existing one, it’s more likely to stick. This is called habit stacking and it works by reducing the cognitive friction of change.
Try this: After you shut your laptop each day, jot down one small win in your planner or notebook. It creates closure and conditions your brain to scan for success.
Simplified version: Say one good thing out loud as you walk to your car. It counts.
6. Start a “Mental Offload” Notebook
Why it helps: Unspoken thoughts take up space in your working memory. Writing them down, even messily, helps offload emotional and cognitive load.
Try this: Keep a notebook or scrap pad in your bag. Use it to dump your thoughts between lessons, after tricky conversations, or during non-contact periods. Did you know that The Complete Journal by Not Just A Teacher Education has a designated section specifically designed for this? It also includes a detailed coaching guide full of strategies to support your emotional well-being. Have a look here.
Simplified version: Record a 30-second voice note into your phone while walking between blocks or to the car.
7. Switch One ‘Have To’ for a ‘Want To’
Why it helps: Doing something by choice, not obligation, activates your dopamine system, which builds motivation and satisfaction.
Try this: If you're feeling depleted, swap one small duty, like laminating for something that brings you joy, like updating your classroom display, listening to a podcast, or talking with a colleague you actually like.
Simplified version: Say no to one optional task today. Let it be someone else’s turn.
8. Create a “Work Shutdown” Sentence
Why it helps: Language has power. Creating a mental full stop helps the brain disengage from work mode and recover more effectively.
Try this: As you leave school or close your laptop, say: “That’s enough for today. I’ve done what I could.” It's a cue for the brain to stop looping.
Simplified version: Close your work device with intention. Even the gesture sends a message.
9. Use Your Commute as a Transition Window
Why it helps: If you carry school home in your nervous system, your relationships suffer. A conscious transition allows your emotional state to reset.
Try this: Listen to the same three-song playlist each drive home. It signals to your brain: the workday is done.
Simplified version: Before walking through the door at home, sit in the car in silence for two minutes. Let your system breathe.
10. Choose One ‘Non-Negotiable’ for Yourself
Why it helps: Prioritising just one self-honouring action daily rebuilds self-trust. It’s not indulgence, it’s maintenance.
Try this: Choose a daily non-negotiable that nourishes you, like a proper break, a 10-minute walk, or finishing your tea while it’s still warm.
Simplified version: Drink a full glass of water before heading to your next task.
Before the bell, before the noise, take a moment for yourself. Sometimes reclaiming control requires filling your cup before others.
11. Speak to Yourself Like a Colleague
Why it helps: Self-talk shapes emotional state. Harsh inner dialogue increases cortisol and erodes confidence.
Try this: When something goes wrong, pause and imagine what you’d say to a colleague in the same position. Then say it to yourself.
Simplified version: Try just saying: “You’re doing your best. That’s enough.”
12. Create a ‘Soft Start’ to Class
Why it helps: When the first minutes of class are calm, the entire session runs more smoothly. It reduces dysregulation for both students and staff.
Try this: Begin each lesson with something predictable and low-pressure. Try something like journaling, a visual prompt, soft music, or a mindfulness slide. Let students ease in.
Simplified version: Greet students at the door with eye contact and hold space for a quiet beginning.
13. Don’t Answer Right Away
Why it helps: The brain’s limbic system reacts faster than the logical cortex. Delaying your response by even a few seconds improves your emotional clarity.
Try this: When someone asks something that causes pressure or frustration, respond with: “Let me think about that and get back to you.” It keeps the conversation safe for everyone.
Simplified version: Take one slow breath before replying to anything emotionally charged.
14. Use Post-It Notes as Micro-Mirrors
Why it helps: Visual cues act as nudges. Seeing a word or question at the right moment can interrupt an unhelpful pattern.
Try this: Stick notes on your laptop, whiteboard, or staffroom mug. Phrases like “Is this in my control?” or “Be curious, not furious” invite awareness.
Simplified version: Write one grounding word, “breathe,” “steady,” or “pause” and place it where you’ll see it often.
15. Reclaim the First Five Minutes After Work
Why it helps: Your brain needs decompression time. Starting recovery early prevents emotional hangover into your personal life.
Try this: Spend the first five minutes after work doing something non-school-related. Stretch, lie on the floor, change clothes, or call a friend.
Simplified version: Change out of your work shoes as soon as you walk in the door. It’s a physical signal to shift state.
The Truth About Control
You don’t need to be tougher. Or more productive. Or better at pretending everything is fine.
You need to feel seen. You need strategies that actually make sense in the middle of the mess, not just when everything is calm and quiet. You need reminders that what you’re doing matters, even when it feels like you’re standing in a storm without an umbrella.
There’s no shortcut back to control, but there is a way forward that feels less reactive, less lonely and a whole lot more human.
Most of all remember that you’re not “just a teacher”. You’re a deeply intelligent, emotionally invested human navigating an impossible system and still showing up with heart.
That deserves more than applause. It deserves support that actually works.
Let’s Make It Workable, Together
At Not Just A Teacher Education, we help educators like you reconnect with what matters, without adding more to your plate. Whether it’s through our SOAR framework, emotionally intelligent communication tools, or practical wellbeing strategies that actually make sense, we’re here to support the human behind the role.
If you're ready to feel a little less overwhelmed and a lot more in control, we’re ready too.
Explore our programs, download free tools, or get in touch for something more tailored, because you shouldn’t have to figure this all out on your own.
Visit www.notjustateachereducation.com
You’re not just doing your job. You’re shaping lives. Let’s make sure yours isn’t lost in the process.
