Shifting Schools · Well-Being

Set Up a Year of Wellness — Starting Day One

A year of feeling well isn’t built in one grand gesture — it’s built from day one, in the small habits and gentle reminders we set for ourselves before the busy season takes over. Let’s start this one on purpose, putting a few anchors in place and keeping them all year long: your sleep, your movement, your attention, and your connection to the people around you.

The episode

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Sleep

Rest that actually restores
A gentle check-in
  • For yourselfWhat’s one cozy wind-down move worth guarding — even from your own to-do list?
  • For a peerWho could you shoo home early with a “go on, I’ve got this”?
  • For a studentHow can you give a sleepy kid a soft landing — no pop quiz, no spotlight?
  • For a familyWhat would help everyone at home power down — dim lights, a goofy story, phones in a basket?
“How many of us are asking students to manage their screen time from a bedroom where our own phone is charging six inches from our head? — a question worth leaving open this year

Things we’ve been exploring

Loftie Clock

A two-part alarm and bedside clock that helps you wind down and wake up gently — without reaching for your phone. A way to start (and end) the day well. Featured as a Wirecutter pick.

Use code SHIFTINGSCHOOLS for 20% off sitewide
Take a look

Slip Silk Sleep Mask

Winding down is hard. A silk mask is a small, sensory cue that tells your body the day is done — a gentle addition to the bedtime ritual.

Take a look

TUO Fara Circadian Bulb

A circadian-friendly bulb tuned for both the wind-down and the wake-up — especially welcome in the dark stretch of winter.

Take a look

Mobility

Movement that feels good, not like another task
A gentle check-in
  • For yourselfWhen did you last move — or gloriously flop down — in a way that felt good?
  • For a peerWant to grab a colleague for a two-minute walk — no agenda, snacks welcome?
  • For a studentWhere could you sneak in a wiggle, a stretch, or a full freeze — kids’ choice?
  • For a familyWhat’s one way the crew at home loves to move — or flop — together?

Things we’ve been exploring

Backpod

We spend the day curled forward — over a laptop, over a desk, over a stack of student work. This is the counterweight. A few minutes after a stretch and it feels amazing.

Take a look

Naboso — Standing Mat + Neuro Ball

The Neuro Ball is a genuine sixty-second thing you can do between classes or on a break — grounded in sensory neuroscience. The standing mat is a lovely quick reset, too.

Use code SCHOOL for 20% off
Take a look

Gokhale Stretchsit Cushion

Light enough to bring to a meeting — and it’s not a lumbar pillow. A lumbar pillow pushes; this grips your shirt and lengthens. A different principle entirely.

Take a look

Attention

Focus, presence, and a clearer head
A gentle check-in
  • For yourselfHow does your brain actually focus best — and what would keep it happier this year?
  • For a peerWhose focus could you run interference for this week — or who could cover yours?
  • For a studentWhat’s one fun “we’re all here now” kickoff — a beat, a countdown, a cheer — no one singled out?
  • For a familyWhere could you steal five screens-down minutes with your people — no multitasking allowed?

Things we’ve been exploring

Komuso — The Shift

A discreet pendant that slows your exhale to about ten seconds. A steadying tool when you’re feeling anxious — and a way to model regulating in front of students.

Use code SCHOOL15 for 15% off
Take a look

Pso-Rite

At home after a long day, it takes the tension out fast — targeted release for tight hips and back so you can settle and focus.

Use code SHIFTINGSCHOOLS for 30% off
Take a look

Moonbird

A handheld device that gently expands and contracts in your palm to guide your breathing — a way to slow down and reset, no screen required.

Shop our link for 20% off (applied at checkout) — or use code SHIFTING10 for 10% off Moonbird & Moonbuddy
Take a look

Connection

The relationships that hold us up
A gentle check-in
  • For yourselfIdentify one member of your community whose smile brightens your week.
  • For a peerWhat’s one small, unserious kindness you could drop on a colleague — a snack, a meme, a real compliment?
  • For a studentWhat’s one playful way to show a kid you see them — a shared joke, a high-five, remembering their thing?
  • For a familyWho at home is due for a dance break, a bad joke, or an extra-long hug?

Things we’ve been exploring

Global Grub

Cook something new, together. Global Grub kits turn a meal into a shared project — a warm, hands-on way to reconnect with family, friends, or colleagues.

Use code ShiftingSchools for 40% off First 10 orders, through Sept 7, 2026 — while supplies last.
Take a look

eat2explore

Explore a country through its food. A hands-on kit that turns dinner into a small adventure — and a reason to gather the whole table.

Use code EE10 for 10% off
Take a look
Your 4-week challenge

A Month of Starting Well

You don’t have to overhaul your life. Add one anchor a week — sleep, then movement, then a clear moment, then connection. By the end of the month you’re carrying all four, and not one of them had to feel like a chore.

Sleep

Week 1 · Add first

Park the screens outside the bedroom, or dim the lights 30 minutes early. One small cue that tells your body the day is done.

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Mobility

Week 2 · Add next

Sneak in one movement snack — a lap of the hallway, a slow stretch between classes, a stand-up-and-shake. No gym, no Lycra.

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Attention

Week 3 · Add next

Take three slow breaths before the first meeting or the first bell. A tiny reset that says: I’m here now.

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Connection

Week 4 · Add last

One real check-in a day — a colleague, a student, someone at home. A genuine question, not just ‘how are you.’

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Hit Print this tracker above for a clean copy to pin on the fridge or the staff-room wall — then check off a box by hand each day you keep your anchor. Miss one? No guilt — just pick it back up tomorrow. (You can also tap the boxes right here.)

Bring it to your school

A ready-made order request

Want to try these with your department, a class, or as a small back-to-school experiment? Copy the note below, drop in your details, and send it to whoever handles purchasing.

Subject: Trying a well-being tool this term

Hi [name of whoever handles purchasing],

I’d love to bring one well-being tool into [our department / my classroom / a back-to-school pilot] this year. It supports one of the things that shape how our staff and students show up — sleep, movement, attention, or connection.

I’m picturing it as a low-cost experiment — one thing we try for a term, notice whether it actually helps, and keep if it sticks. It comes with a Shifting Schools listener discount, so the trial stays budget-friendly.

Here’s what I’d like to request:

[item] — [what it’s for] — [price, with the code applied]

If it’s useful, I’m glad to share back what we notice — a short note on what made a difference for our people.

Thank you!
[your name]

Small choices, made on purpose.

Wellness isn’t one more thing on the to-do list — it’s the ground everything else stands on. Pick one category, answer one question honestly, and start there.

A note on transparency: several of these makers kindly sent samples for our Start the Year Well episode, and some links may be affiliate links or carry a listener discount. We only feature things we genuinely use and would recommend to a friend.