October 2023 – Happy Schools

Take the Initiative This World Teachers’ Day

October 26, 2023

Working in schools can be tough and demanding. Much of the work that staff in schools do, goes unrecognised. It can take years before we see the impact that we have had. The lack of respect for the work of staff in schools and the impact they have, has contributed to increased staff turnover and made recruitment more difficult than ever. As a result, staff shortages are common and attracting people to join the profession is challenging. However, our work is very important and can also be very rewarding. We have the opportunity to change people’s lives every single day. If we only focus on the problems and challenges of our profession and can’t find and talk about the positive…

Increase Contentment By Avoiding Comparison

October 19, 2023

Stevef

Resilience

One of the greatest protective factors against unhappiness and a low mood is social connection. Quality friendships, ones that allow you to just be who you are without judgement, decrease stress and anxiety and they build self-worth and belonging. However, something is harming quality connection and it’s becoming a cultural epidemic… comparison and competition. Understanding the following definitions can be helpful in recognizing our behaviour. Comparison – the consideration or estimate of the similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people. Competition – the activity or condition of striving to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others. Comparison and competition lowers self-esteem in the ‘losers’ because they feel ‘less than’ and ‘not enough’. For the ‘winners’,…

Letting off Steam the Safe Way

October 12, 2023

Stevef

Resilience

Anger gets a bad rap and sure enough, can cause a lot of damage if it’s not contained or used in a healthy way, but it is a normal and helpful emotion when used appropriately. Anger has a very definite purpose or else we wouldn’t experience it. Anger can be very informative and knowing how to work with it effectively is an essential life skill. When you embrace anger and learn from it, you’ll find yourself feeling empowered, setting healthy boundaries and building respect. Anger is a protective mechanism. It occurs when one of a few things happen: basic boundaries are violated and you’re under threat, feelings are being frequently suppressed instead of expressed, a need is not being met…

Celebrate the Wins at Work

October 5, 2023

Stevef

Activities

I don’t think we focus on the positives nearly enough. This is true in our personal lives, but also in workplaces, where around two-thirds of people say they do not feel their efforts and achievements are acknowledged or valued. To put it another way, there is not enough celebration of the wins. Celebrating the wins at work has several benefits: It makes you and others feel good: When we focus on making other people feel good by celebrating their wins, everyone wins. We get the feel-goods as well. It is also important to remember, we can celebrate people’s wins in their personal lives as well. It shows progress towards important goals: Yes, the big wins can be celebrated but even…