Why counsellors need to switch off over the break

It’s December. For many of us, this means a winter break. 

A perk of being an educator is that breaks are built into the school calendars. Unfortunately, sometimes these take place right before university deadlines: the October break comes right before early action and early decision deadlines; and the December break comes just before the January regular decision deadline. This means that we might be answering emergency emails or pushing students to submit their last-minute applications during breaks. 

Even when there are no looming deadlines, our passion for our jobs and our ever-growing to-do lists might lead us to crack open our laptops during breaks.

Certainly, there are school breaks that need to be devoted to essential work – our week-long breaks in October are likely to be filled with making a dent in our recommendation letter requests. However, if you do not have a looming to-do list, it is worth taking a full break. 

Here are five reasons why we need to make sure we take a break, and five ways to make sure we approach it seriously.

Five reasons counsellors need a break

 1. We are not counselling machines 

Breaks are not a luxury – they are an absolute necessity. 

Even if you exhibit productivity levels that seem inhuman at times, it is only human to need breaks. Otherwise, burnout can and will creep in. 

2. We are not just counsellors

Our work can be quite consuming during the school year – so we need time to cherish and nurture the non-counseling parts of our lives.

College counselling is a demanding profession. Especially during peak application seasons, we need 100 per cent of our energy and focus to devote to our work. This makes the extended holidays even more valuable. 

We need to cultivate the activities and relationships that are not just based on work during the holidays – these reflect deeper identities and values.

3. To reduce compassion fatigue 

If we are constantly on, even during the holidays, this will lead to burnout. Coming back refreshed from holiday is not just a nice thing – it’s a necessity if we want to be fully present for our students and our work when we return. 

4. To model good habits for our students 

We encourage students to look after their well-being and mental health. If we don’t heed our own advice, that is a form of hypocrisy. So let’s delve into our rest time fully and model this aspect of responsible professionalism and commitment to well-being for our students. 

5. Because we’ve been given it 

Not many professions have built-in holidays. As educators, this is a special perk of our job and not using it properly would be doing yourself a disservice.

Five ways to make sure we take a break

1. Take care of work beforehand 

You don’t want to leave any work unfinished and have it weigh on your mind during the holiday. This might involve giving students milestones for the regular decision deadline way in advance. 

To tackle a long to-do list, divide it up into “nice to have” versus “urgent and essential”. You can then complete the truly urgent and essential tasks before the break, leaving the rest (the nice to haves) for your future (well-rested) self. 

Another tool that might help you structure your to-do list is the Eisenhower matrix. This helps you to categorise tasks according to how urgent and important they are. 

2. Turn off notifications and communicate boundaries to students 

Let’s admit it: one of the best emails to write is the out-of-office auto-response. Turn off notifications or even delete work apps on your phone. Communicate to students that you will be out of the office. 

If you think it’s truly necessary, set up an emergency channel by which students can reach you. But don’t make it easy for them to find you, and clearly delineate the circumstances that would necessitate emergency contact. 

3. Build your own ‘box of rest’

This brilliant idea is from Claudia Hammond’s book Art of Rest. A box of rest would “contain the items that will best induce restfulness for you”. 

It naturally looks different for everyone. Some items from mine include my living room couch, interesting non-fiction books, a notebook and pen, running shoes, a playlist of lo-fi music and my piano. 

4. Expand your idea of rest

Did you know that there are seven types of rest? Hopefully, this won’t make you anxious about not resting enough or in the proper way, but will help you to expand your idea of rest beyond lounging in bed (although that’s a perfectly acceptable form of rest as well).

5. Tune out completely and don’t feel guilty

Clear your headspace of all work-related matters as well as any possible feelings of guilt. You deserve this break. 

Bonus tip: Why not read a book about rest? Reading is known to be a restful activity, so you would be killing two birds with one stone. Here are two recommendations: 

• Art of Rest, by Claudia Hammond
• Rest, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang.