The Bandage on the Elephant

practicing gratitude. Including these positive psychology tips and strategies is an important move toward the promotion of well-being, but there is still one dangerous pitfall leaders need to know about and avoid as they promote and support self-care: individual self-care is not enough.

The Bandage on the Elephant

As a leader, are you reading this chapter on self-care and thinking about how you can support your staff to look after their health? Instead, think for a minute about your own health and self-care strategies. How would you feel if, in the next few paragraphs, I laid out some plans and ideas for you to increase your exercise, eat healthier, and practice breathing exercises? What if I also explained how doing these things regularly would improve your well-being and make things much better in your schools and workplaces?

Some of you would think, “Bring it on. I would love some tips on how to be healthy!” However, some of you would find this annoying. You know these plans are important, but with the increasing demands on your time and all the new mandates you must implement, you likely don’t have time to put them into practice. Reading more about what you already know is an issue, but when you don’t have time to apply that knowledge, it feels like a colossal waste of time, not to mention proof that I totally don’t understand you.

“We are learning completely new systems and how to work in masks [due to COVID-19 restrictions] and in cohort groups. Everything is upside down, and classroom teachers are reporting a lot of stress. My colleagues and I can’t connect and collaborate in the same way, and we are missing that too. We are finding ways to make it work, but at the end of the day, teachers are feeling a whole new level of exhaustion. I know the intention is good, but when that wellness email invades my inbox every week, I just want to scream!”

—Secondary teacher (personal communication, January 2021)

You are likely familiar with the phrase the elephant in the room, which refers to a big, obvious problem or factor everyone is aware of but no one acknowledges. Well, if the room is the education workplace, an elephant in that room is the