Psychologist Shawn Achor highlights seven key principles of positive psychology that help people thrive. In schools, these aren’t “nice to have” ideas — they are practical strategies that improve performance, relationships and wellbeing.
I’m a big fan of the reality TV show, “The Block”. Through watching the program, I realised that I am envious of tradies, especially tilers. At the end of each day a tradie can see the results of their work. A sparky can see the lights they installed, a plumber can count the toilets they have unblocked, a painter can see the walls they have painted and a tiler at the end of their week can see the beautiful bathroom they have produced.
In “The Book of Awesome”, author Neil Pasricha provides a catalogue of universal little pleasures we all share. The book is intended to help us focus on the many little things that give us pleasure rather than the few things that annoy and frustrate us. In his book Pasricha highlights the things we take for granted. This philosophy applies in schools too!
At times we can be our own harshest critic. Are you one of the millions of people who compare yourself to others, judge yourself harshly and are frequently hard on yourself? Do you worry about not being ‘enough’ or not having ‘enough?’
Here are 7 things that will help NOW Reduce the number of decisions you need to make in any given day – Decision making is incredibly tiring under normal circumstances – when we’re feeling overwhelmed, even more so. Some ideas for reducing the number of decisions you make each day include eating the same thing for breakfast every day, getting up at the same time every morning, developing a work uniform and doing a meal plan so you don’t have to decide ‘what’s for dinner’ at 5pm.
Staff who work in schools, give so much — your time, energy and heart — to support your students and school community. But in the midst of caring for everyone else, it’s easy to put your own well-being last. Looking after your mental health isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity
Doing something to help others can make us feel good. Engaging in acts of kindness is one of the more reliable ways of boosting OUR mood. This is no surprise. The science of positive psychology has furthered our understanding on the impact of acts of kindness on the person who performs them. Choosing to do things for the benefit of others, activates pleasure centres in the brain.
Working in schools can sometimes feel as though we are running on a never-ending treadmill, constantly in pursuit of the lifestyle we aspire to. At times it can feel like our work is not appreciated. The website ActionForHappiness.org provides the following guidance on 10 keys to happier living.
For many people complaining has become a habit. The “No Complaining Rule” is not intended to eliminate all complaining, just mindless, chronic complaining. An even greater aim is to turn justified complaints into positive solutions. In last week’s Happy School article, it was suggested to start with a personal “No Complaining Fast”. In phase 2 we look at strategies for changing bad habits.
Negativity affects the morale, performance and productivity of our teams. Complaining and negativity are a kind of cancer in an organisation. It grows hidden beneath the surface, if not caught it eventually spreads.