June 2021 – Happy Schools

Good Intentions Aren’t Enough

June 24, 2021

Most of us have good intentions about looking after our own well-being. We also have a pretty clear idea about what we SHOULD be doing. We SHOULD do the most important things FIRST! We SHOULD get some exercise, even when we are busy! We SHOULD stop and eat a healthy lunch! We SHOULD drink more water! We SHOULD be more positive and optimistic in the staffroom! At times we ‘SHOULD’ all over ourselves! However, having good intentions isn’t enough – it’s your actual behaviour that counts! To reduce our stress levels and improve our well-being, we need to have the discipline to stick to the things we KNOW we SHOULD do. Our own thought processes and self-talk have a significant…

Setting goals that aren’t SMART

June 17, 2021

Stevef

Effectiveness

Rare is the person who hasn’t heard about SMART goals – most of us have learnt the theory and many of us have probably experienced some success with them! To revise, the acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. The intent of using the acronym is to help you focus your efforts and increase your chance at success. For example, “I will complete my weekly plan every Friday afternoon,” is in the format of a SMART goal. It is intended to help us keep focused and to achieve. However, at times (probably more often than we care to admit), life doesn’t go to plan and your ability to commit, be persistent and achieve your goal is negatively impacted.…

Sleep is as Important to Your Health as Diet and Exercise

June 10, 2021

Stevef

Resilience

Sleep is something we all do; in fact, we spend around a third of our lives in this strange, unconscious state. A lack of sleep impacts on our physical and mental health. Too little sleep can devastate your body, brain and microbiome (gut bacteria), dramatically increasing your risk of developing a range of chronic conditions. As adults we should be aiming for 7 to 9 hours per night. However, it isn’t just the quantity of the sleep that we get that is important, the quality of sleep has an impact too. In his book, Fast Asleep, Dr Michael Mosley provides advice on how to get a really good night’s sleep. Fortunately, there are surprising and highly effective ways to improve…

How Well Do You Currently Manage Your Stress Level?

June 3, 2021

Stevef

Resilience

It’s not a very comfortable thought, but true nonetheless; staff who work in schools are at very high risk of burnout. All of us are. We don’t have to be new teachers or have a difficult schedule or even teach the worst-behaved students in the school. This makes sense if you consider how we spend our days: sandwiched between the needs of our students, the requirements of the curriculum, the expectations of our society and our own idealism—our desire to effect a positive change in the world. There is comfort in sensibly accepting the knowledge that we are at risk of burnout. Because career stress is not going to vanish overnight, it is up to you to protect yourself from…