Breathe, Teacher, Breathe: Have A Gentle Summer Reset

dollyoksman
Jun 11
4 min read

Updated: Jun 13

Hello, fellow teachers! We made it. Great job! Please take a moment to pat yourself on the back for a job well done and for giving your best. Summer break has arrived. Yay! 💃🥳

Another school year—brimming with lesson plans, heart-to-heart conversations, packed schedules, papers to grade, progress reports, and to my fellow special education teachers, IEPs to write, meetings to attend, and tender moments that only a teacher truly understands—has come to a close.

Teachers are always looking forward to summer break because it is the time for teachers to reset. Summer is a sacred invitation for teachers to pause and reflect. To breathe. To rejuvenate. To return to your soul.

You, Awesome Teacher, let this summer be the time for you to...

1. Reclaim Stillness—The Divine Whisper Within

Summer is not merely a break from the classroom. It’s a classroom of its own—where silence teaches, rest restores, and stillness reveals. Amid the busyness of the school year, it’s easy to lose sight of your inner world. But in the hush of summer mornings, God whispers.

Take time each day to sit in silence.

No to-do list. No agenda. Just be.

Whether you choose a morning devotional, contemplative prayer, meditation, journaling, or a simple walk with nature—let this be a sacred appointment with God and with yourself. Ask not just for strength for the year ahead but for a deeper reunion with yourself and with God.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10

2. Pour Love Into Your Own Cup

As a teacher, you pour into so many—students, parents, colleagues. But this summer, you are being called to pour into you. Summer break is your season to receive.

Nourish your body with rest, movement, and delicious, nutritious food.
Feed your soul with music, creativity, good books, and things you love to do.
Speak to yourself with kindness. Look in the mirror and say, “I am worthy of love and rest—not because of what I do, but because of who I am.”
Go out with people you love to spend time with who uplifts you and makes your soul sing.

Self-love is not indulgence. It’s obedience to the truth that you are God’s beloved. And when you love yourself well, you return to your students and school not just as a teacher—but as a whole, radiant soul.

Get my book, Finding Your Lost Self: Your 30-Day Journey to Self-Love, also available on Amazon, to learn more about how to deepen your love for yourself.

3. Reflect With Purpose and Journal– The Teacher Within

Teaching is a calling, a vocation that is not for everyone. When you decide to answer the call, you have the strength and inner joy to face the challenges that come with the job. However, during the school year, many teachers feel that they lose this joy, and they experience exhaustion and burnout due to the overwhelming stress. You might be one of them. Thank God for the summer break. This break offers us teachers the space to look back with grace and look forward with intention. Ask yourself and journal:

What drained my spirit this year?
What made me feel alive and aligned?
What boundaries do I need to set?
Where did I see God show up in my classroom?

These reflections aren’t just about teaching better. They’re about living fuller—rooted in joy, authenticity, and alignment with God’s calling for your life.

4. Create Soulful Rituals That Last Beyond Summer

Summer is also a great time to establish routines that nurture your soul. Use this sacred pause to establish rhythms that would help you experience balance year-round. For example:

Morning Grounding: Take a few minutes to express gratitude, read Scripture before the day begins, or practice deep breathing. You can use a Guided Breathing Light, available on Amazon, to help with your practice. Please note that when you order products with links on Amazon from this blog, I will receive a commission.
Midweek check-ins: A walk or journal session to process emotions and reconnect.
Evening resets: Light a candle, pray, rest without guilt, or savor a cup of stress relief tea. Try this stress relief Yogi Tea or Cup of Calm Tea, which you can order on Amazon.

Let your spiritual practices be as intentional as your lesson plans—crafted not just for effectiveness but for intimacy with your Creator and compassion toward yourself.

My fellow teachers,

If you’ve felt lost, empty, or like you’ve been running on autopilot—summer is your rescue. Let this be a season where you finally choose yourself. Choose to heal, to rest, to listen, and to trust that you are not alone. Let God restore you in ways that no professional development course could ever achieve. Let His love rebuild you—not just into a better teacher—but into a more whole human being.

This summer, may you…

🌞 Soak in the light.

🕊 Reconnect with the Divine.

💗 Fall in love with your soul again.

Because when you are nourished, you become a living sanctuary for others.

And when you are loved, you will teach love from the inside out.

Here’s to your sacred reset.

Please visit our website, lovehealbelieve.com, and take advantage of our free resources to explore this summer.

With all my heart,

Dolly Tampos Oksman

Transformational Speaker | Self-Love Advocate | Joy Guide

About Dolly

Dolly Tampos Oksman, MA, MAED-SPED, is a Transformational Speaker, Author, Certified Wellness Coach, Special Education Teacher, and Behavior Analyst. She is the Founder and Owner of Love. Heal. Believe. LLC.

Dolly experienced chronic stress that affected her mental and emotional health. However, when she entered the convent to be a missionary nun, she learned the secrets of how to live a fulfilled life with inner peace and joy. Today, she is sharing those secrets with you.

Dolly is on a mission to help you develop a deeper love for yourself and find long-term solutions to stress. Her new book, Finding Your Lost Self, which is also available on AMAZON and her programs & Services will take you on a step-by-step journey to a happier, healthier, and calmer life with less stress.