Does this sound familiar? Worries and negative thoughts enter your head at night and become magnified. You check the time. 2.59am. You tell yourself ‘Go back to sleep’. Your neck, back and shoulders ache and you can’t get comfortable. The stress builds! Pretty soon the mind starts racing and worries from your day merge with anxiety about not being able to sleep.
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
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.
Teachers make countless decisions every day—lesson planning, which student behaviour to address, parent interactions and workload management. If you find yourself overthinking, second-guessing or feeling mentally exhausted from constant decision fatigue Anne Bogel’s book “Don’t Overthink It!” offers practical strategies to break the cycle.
Working in schools can be very rewarding but it also can be demanding. The following 5 tips can help to lower stress at times when you feel under pressure. Choose a positive attitude Our attitude has a HUGE impact on our stress levels and our resilience. It is vital to realise that our attitude is NOT imposed on us. We have a choice each and every day. We can choose to be positive and enthusiastic or negative and at the mercy of others. The choice is ours! The attitude that we choose is probably the most important decision that we make each day.
The final term of the school year is a crazy busy time in schools. End of year assessment and reporting, class allocations, timetabling, budgets and planning for next year, swamp us at a time when our energies are low and many of us feel we are running on empty. At the end of the year we are likely to be more sensitive than usual, perhaps a little ‘thin skinned’ and emotional because we are run down and in need of that well-earned break. We shouldn’t be surprised. The same thing happens at this time every year. The important thing is HOW we respond to this challenge. Monitoring our self-talk and our sensitivity are particularly important at this time of the…
Schools are people places filled with multiple relationships. By its very nature this contributes to our stress levels as we have to work with a range of people, with different personalities and a vast array of factors impacting on their mood on any particular day. One of the things that we know through working with a student whose behaviour is challenging is that WE can’t change OTHER people’s behaviour. We can’t really FORCE another person to do something if they really choose NOT to. We can’t change other people’s behaviour. Successful behaviour management strategies provide an environment where students are ‘encouraged’ to make better decisions. Ultimately the only behaviour that we can control is our own. Understanding and accepting this…
In today’s fast-paced world, the concept of “busy” has taken on new dimensions. With the constant influx of emails, notifications and social media updates, many people find themselves perpetually engaged, unable to switch off even when they need to. The line between work and personal life has blurred and many people find it difficult to switch off. As a result, the modern mind is in a near-constant state of activity, under load and struggling to find moments of peace. The Challenge of Disconnecting The digital age, while offering unparalleled connectivity and convenience, has also brought about a significant challenge: the inability to disconnect. Whether it’s the pressure to respond to work emails after hours or the allure of endless scrolling…