Self-care
Staff self-care tips Promoting the wellbeing and mental health of all staff in Australian Schools We all know that a focus on self-care and wellbeing has untold benefits for the success of a school community. The health, wellbeing and safety of Australian school staff underpins their performance, capability, satisfaction and engagement. This is even more relevant during this current period in time when the world is grappling with the COVID-19 crisis. School staff have rewarding roles that involve complexities and challenges that may impact health, wellbeing and safety. National mental health agency headspace has a number of self-care
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Western Teacher June 2020
strategies and approaches school staff can use to strengthen wellbeing, resilience, engagement, connection, help seeking, and gain early access to support. A school community, especially its staff, can create a culture of self-care by making it an explicit focus. Whilst individuals may differ in what strategies work for them, support for self-care from school leaders can strengthen this culture. This might mean prioritising time, resources, and a small budget towards staff self-care.
The benefits of self-care are invaluable and some of the best ideas can be free. The following tips may seem simple, but can make a big difference to the overall health and wellbeing of school staff. With practice and integration of these small strategies into every day routine, self-care can become part of an individual’s life and a school’s culture. Benefits can include feeling calmer, clearer, more energised and focused, and this may increase contribution, performance and productivity. Here are some suggestions.
Clock off time In Australia we find it difficult to find the right work/life balance. Many of us struggle to fit our workload into the day. We arrive early, leave late, skip lunch, and work on the weekends. Make the decision as a team to leave on time on the same day every week for the month. No one has a chance to feel guilty because we have all committed to it, even the principal.
Mindfulness meeting Mindfulness has enjoyed a surge of popularity in recent years in schools – and with good reason: research and evidence into its benefits are clear. As a team commit to starting every staff meeting with a quick mindfulness session; only three to seven minutes can do the trick. Simply download an app such as Smiling Minds, Calm or headspace and enjoy a few minutes of stillness before the meeting commences. For some of us, it may be the first time that week that we have sat still, and it really is a gift.
