Crises are inevitable and can have a direct or indirect impact on the social-emotional well-being of all involved. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven itself to be a crisis that resulted in both direct and secondary trauma. It had an effect not only on staff and students but also on school leaders, who were significantly affected either by the pressure of supporting those in their care, the impact of the crisis itself on their personal lives, or both. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on the social-emotional health of school principals as they monitored pre-kindergarten to grade-12 schools. It addressed what was learned and how these experiences could inform future practices. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher interviewed principals who led schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to do so post-crisis. The researcher interviewed ten building principals who monitored schools prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-pandemic. This study discussed five themes that emerged during the course of the investigation. First, it described the ever-evolving role of school principals, pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-pandemic. It then discussed the effect of the pandemic on the compassion satisfaction of the principals and how it changed as the expectations of the job changed. This study also outlined some of the barriers to social-emotional health that principals faced. It also outlined some of the personal traumas suffered by principals and the ways in which they faced those traumas. Lastly, this study discussed what principals learned that will help prepare them for future crises. It is incumbent upon school principals themselves to ensure that their social-emotional health is protected by fortifying their mental well-being with career-sustaining behaviors. School districts can support their principals with professional development, emphasizing the importance of practicing self-care and providing the opportunity to practice it. Doing so will decrease the rate at which principals leave education altogether and ultimately positively impact staff and students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]