By Charles Sosnik
Sometimes you need to let everything go — if only for a little while.
I’m not telling you to give up on responsibilities. I’m saying that when stress reaches a boiling point, the healthiest choice can be to stop, take a deep breath, and allow the pressure to ease. Stress doesn’t have to be carried constantly. If you set it down for a while, it will remain where you left it and you can return to it later with renewed clarity.
When worries are carried without pause, they become heavier and harder to bear. I’ve seen stress quietly destroy people’s health and well-being. Colleagues and loved ones who never let their concerns go retrenched from social life, afraid to leave the house because they felt weighed down. It was heartbreaking — and it didn’t have to happen.
The times in which we live
We live in a period of unusually complex and numerous stressors. This is especially true for educational leaders — school and district administrators who have been shouldering significant burdens for years now. The weight they carry includes responsibility for students’ learning and safety, teachers’ support and morale, technology systems, transportation staff, parents’ concerns, and public opinion amplified by media scrutiny. Every decision can feel like a tightrope walk: one misstep could trigger a cascade of problems.
To those administrators I ask: When was the last time you truly paused? When did you last set your responsibilities aside and stop worrying about everything for a bit? When did you last laugh, enjoy something purely for yourself, or simply smile without feeling guilty about time away from work?
You are carrying a heavy load. Try putting it down for a moment. Take two long steps away and don’t look back. How does that feel? A little lighter, perhaps? Now pick the load back up, if you must, but remember that you can set it down again. At lunch today, try leaving it alone for an hour. When you go home, imagine placing your concerns on the front porch and leaving them there for the evening. Allow yourself an entire night without actively thinking about those burdens. If your thoughts drift back to your stresses, deliberately shift your attention: talk with your partner about their day, ask your children what interests them now, or simply listen. Small moments of connection can restore perspective and reduce anxiety.
No need to panic: Help is here
There’s no need to panic about leaving your worries briefly unattended — you can return to them in the morning. The point is to give yourself permission to recharge. Even a single evening of genuine rest can restore energy and make the work ahead feel more manageable.
If you need support with longer-term challenges that contribute to your stress — like teacher shortages or student attrition — there are organizations and resources designed to help schools and districts address those systemic problems. Having practical, research-based solutions in place can reduce the burden you carry daily, making other challenges easier to manage.
And if the load becomes overwhelming again, remember the simple tactic: put it down and breathe. I know an administrator who set his problems aside for nearly a week, took a short trip with his family, and came home rediscovering why he loved his spouse. It sounds small, but stepping away can lead to important perspective and renewed energy.
If you want to explore support and resources, consider reaching out to people whose role is specifically to help schools and districts. For example, the Learning Counsel’s Chief Academic Officer, Chris McMurray, can be contacted at [email protected]. He works with schools on research-driven strategies and practical tools to ease pressure points; his role is focused on helping educators find sustainable solutions.
Remember: you have options, and you don’t have to carry every weight all the time. Setting things down briefly is not shirking responsibility — it’s responsible self-care. You’ll be happier, healthier, and often more effective when you return to work with a clearer head.
About the author
Charles Sosnik is an education journalist and editor who serves as Editor in Chief at the Learning Counsel. An EP3 Education Fellow, he draws on deep connections within the education community to bring context to the evolving education narrative. Charles regularly contributes columns and articles to influential education outlets and is known for combining practical insight with thoughtful storytelling. A Southerner who often jokes that he’s “an editor by trade and Southern by the grace of God,” he writes to help leaders think, cope, and find workable paths forward.