Why Spring Break Rest Makes You a Better Leader

As school leaders, spring break can come with mixed emotions. There’s relief in knowing the daily pace will slow down, but there’s also a real sense of pressure...the mental checklist of everything we could finally “catch up" on like emails and projects we’ve been postponing all year. Rest, if we’re honest, can feel like an option, but we should view spring break as a critical leadership opportunity!

By the time spring break arrives, most leaders are carrying more stress than we realize. The weight of decisions. The responsibility for staff morale. The emotional needs of students and their families. The constant problem-solving that happens long before the school day begins and long after it ends. Even the most resilient leaders feel that pressure accumulating on a daily basis.

What spring break offers is not just time away from the building, but space to reset your nervous system. When leaders rest, our perspective widens and the sense of urgency that controls so many of our school days finally begins to ease. I am a much better decision maker when I've had time to slow down, think, and rest, and I'm willing to bet that you are too!

One of the most important truths I’ve learned is that leaders set the tone not only by what we say, but also by what we do. When we treat rest as a leadership priority, it gives our staff permission to do the same. When we openly value rest and relaxation, we reinforce that well-being is not in conflict with excellence, it supports it.

Resting during Spring Break also strengthens our relationships. Leadership is relational work, and relationships require our presence. When leaders are depleted, our patience wears thins and our work can become transactional. Rest allows us to return to school with greater curiosity and emotional availability. We notice more and can respond more thoughtfully. We can lead from a place of intentionality rather than exhaustion. Knowing this, it’s important to say what rest isn't. Rest doesn't mean we're disengaged. It doesn't mean ignoring our responsibilities or abandoning our work. True rest is purposeful. It may look like stepping away from answering emails for a day, or it may look like spending much needed time with our family. It may even look like solitude or doing something that has nothing to do with school. This type of rest is absolutely necessary to preserve our mental health!

For many of us, the discomfort with rest is rooted in leadership myths we’ve absorbed over time: that being busy means we're being effective, that always being available to others shows that we're fully committed to our jobs, and that our leadership is proven through self-sacrifice.

Spring break invites us to challenge those beliefs. Sustainable leadership is not built on depletion, it is built on balance, boundaries, and care. When leaders return from spring break well- rested, our staff, students, and families can sense it. Our interactions feel more positive and we are more patient and understanding with others. Rest doesn’t remove all the challenges of school leadership, but it can help improve how we approach them.

As you experience Spring break, consider what kind of leader you want to return as and let rest be part of the answer because as the remainder of the year unfolds, school leaders need stamina and we need more joy!

If you enjoyed reading this blog, please consider sharing it with one of your colleagues! Please visit my website at www.racheledohoeket.com for more leadership resources!

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