How to Create Mental Space Before Winter Break

If your brain feels like a browser with 37 tabs open, this post is your permission slip to pause and exhale.

The end of the semester hits different when you’re a teacher.

The holidays are coming. Grades are due. The copier is jammed again. You’re carrying lesson plans, student concerns, parent emails, and emotional exhaustion—all while trying to hold it together for just a few more weeks.

It’s no wonder your brain feels like it’s running on fumes.

But here’s the thing: creating mental space doesn’t mean adding more to your list. It means giving your mind a chance to unload, reset, and breathe—before you step into winter break.

A Winter I Carried It All the Way In…

I’ll never forget the winter I spent break physically on vacation but mentally still in the classroom.

I lugged my teacher bag home and told myself I’d “just catch up.” But instead of resting, I spiraled: replaying student behavior issues, questioning my lessons, and spending hours catching up on all the papers I never graded.

That break didn’t restore me. It buried me.

And that’s when I learned: you can’t reset what’s overloaded. You have to empty before you organize.

The “Mental Unload” Practice

Here’s a simple 10 minute ritual that helps teachers create breathing room before break. Think of it like decluttering your mind the way you’d tidy a messy desk.

1️⃣ Brain Dump (5 minutes)

Grab a notebook or blank page. Write everything down—school, life, random reminders, holiday stress. Don’t filter. Don’t organize. Just unload.

Why it works: Psychologists call this externalization. Research from the Journal of Experimental Psychology shows that writing down your worries reduces mental load because your brain no longer has to hold everything at once.

2️⃣ Pick 3 Priorities

Look at your list. Circle the three things that truly matter between now and break. Only three.

Why it works: Studies on decision fatigue show that too many priorities drain focus and energy. By narrowing to three, you give yourself permission to let the rest wait.

3️⃣ Choose 1 Thing to Release

Find one thing on your list that’s weighing you down but doesn’t actually need your attention before break. Circle it. Then say it out loud:

“I’m releasing this for now.”

Why it works: Saying it aloud signals closure to your brain. Neuroscientists call this a “verbal release” and it helps create the feeling of letting go, even if the task still exists.

Habit Shift: Empty Before You Organize

We’re so quick to reach for planners, apps, or color-coded systems. But the truth is: you can’t reset what’s overloaded.

Just like you’d empty a cluttered drawer before reorganizing it, your mind needs the same reset. Empty first. Then organize.

Why This Matters (Especially Now)

Teachers often enter winter break carrying weeks, or months, of unresolved stress. And instead of feeling restored, they spend their time off replaying the semester in their heads.

But when you practice a mental unload, you step into break lighter. You protect your time for actual rest, family, and joy.

Research backs this up:

Mental clutter fuels burnout. The American Psychological Association notes that a constant cognitive load increases stress and reduces resilience.
Rest improves performance. Sleep and downtime consolidate memory and creativity, meaning your brain actually teaches better after a reset.
Letting go matters. Studies show that reflection + intentional release reduces rumination (the endless mental replay teachers know too well).

Final Takeaway

You don’t need another checklist. You don’t need to “finish everything” before break.

You need mental space.

👉 Before break, take 10 minutes to try the Mental Unload. Brain dump, pick three priorities, and release one thing. Notice how your body feels afterward.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is create space.

Remember, winter break is meant to restore you. But it can’t if you carry the whole semester in your mind.

By emptying your thoughts, choosing what truly matters, and releasing what doesn’t, you give yourself permission to pause.