The lives you’ve changed… Emma’s story

Around Christmas last year, primary teacher Emma wasn’t in a good place. She’d had Covid and come through the illness itself, but was due to go back to school and felt she wasn’t ready. She also felt really guilty about taking time off. Fortunately she called our helpline. Here she tells her own story:

“Usually I’m able to find ways to deal with problems, but I didn’t want to talk to work or my family about how I was feeling and I knew I wasn’t in a very good place.”

“I provide cover for classes in all years at my primary school, so it’s an issue when I’m not there. I knew I wasn’t ready to go back physically or mentally and was signed off by my GP, but I felt extremely guilty telling my Head.”

“My headteacher has always been really good at giving the Education Support helpline number out, there have always been posters around my school.”

“I wasn’t in a very good place and I knew I needed to speak to someone there and then.”

“I called the helpline and spoke to someone straight away.”

“Immediately they were very reassuring about how I was feeling, They asked questions that helped me feel I wasn’t being silly, that my anxiety was normal. My family may have said the same but I would expect them to say that. Speaking to a trained professional and hearing them say that was different and it really helped validate my feelings.”

“They made me understand that yes, I had been through something traumatic and I wasn’t ready to go back to work. I shouldn’t feel guilty about it. I had walked to the supermarket and had to lie down for 5 hours when I got home. I had also had Covid through the Christmas holidays and so hadn’t been able to see my family as I would have done normally, or had any time to recuperate. I was seeing

“They asked questions that helped me feel I wasn’t being silly, that my anxiety and how I was feeling was normal.” headlines about schools looking at extending their days and that was not helpful either. It added to my anxiety when I was so exhausted.”

“I would say to anyone – use the helpline as it’s free therapy and you don’t have to wait for it. Not just that, but it’s especially for those of us working in education. I could tell immediately that the person I spoke to understood what the job entails. They are professionals who understand teaching and they are impartial. You can call in your own time and just chat to someone who understands and it really does help.”

Our helpline is available 24/7 and is free and confidential. Please call us if you want to talk – 0800 562 561