Self-care isn’t always easy, especially for people who work in busy sectors like education. Schools and colleges can be challenging and difficult environments and finding the time or energy for self-care can be hard. But this makes it even more important.
As outlined in our Thinking differently manifesto, at Anna Freud we advocate for a whole-school approach, where good mental health and wellbeing is embedded across all aspects of the school community including through leadership and staff wellbeing.
We know that there’s a real synergy between the mental health and wellbeing of staff and students. This approach involves offering staff opportunities to access support and a good work-life balance.
The holidays can provide an opportunity for staff to replenish and reward themselves, while also developing habits to turn to during more stressful times. Here, we share some self-care tips to use over summer and beyond.
Make a wellbeing action plan
A good starting point is developing a wellbeing plan to help you decide how you’re going to look after yourself throughout the summer. You might find it helpful to write down ideas and pin the plan somewhere – like the fridge door – where you see it every day.
To help to keep this up, you could review your plan at the end of each week. There’s no reason not to keep adding ideas throughout the break and adapt it for term-time too.
Start as you mean to go on
If you can, make time for your wellbeing each morning. Starting the day with an act of self-care can help frame the rest of the day in a more positive way. For example, do physical exercise you enjoy (or can bear at least) like a run, pilates or a gym class. It could also be a mindfulness session, gentle stretching or making yourself an indulgent breakfast – whatever makes you feel good.
You’ll probably have much more time during the summer to spend on this, but think about ways to adapt it for the working week. Five minutes of self-care could make a big difference.
Find ways to reconnect with yourself
We work in education because we’re passionate about what we do, and many of us go above and beyond our job descriptions. For example, the average teacher spends eight to nine hours a day physically in school or college, plus extra hours at home planning and marking. This means other interests and hobbies can fall by the wayside.
However, no one’s job is their entire identity. The summer holidays are the perfect chance to do the things you love outside of work, whether that’s travelling, a hobby or spending time with friends and family.
There are ways for staff to support each other throughout the year too. As many teachers report struggling with feelings of isolation, establishing a reflective space with each other through, for example, monthly peer support sessions could make a difference.
Review your boundaries
We know how much pressure school staff are under and, if you’ve felt your boundaries slipping during term time, the summer holidays can provide a good opportunity to re-establish your limits.
For example, removing email apps from your phone can help you escape the pressure of responding to messages immediately and support you having some downtime. You could also set automated responses – both from email and WhatsApp – to remind parents and colleagues of your working hours and when you’re not available, while making it clear how to reach you in an emergency.
Decide on your wellbeing non-negotiables
It’s tempting to make grand wellbeing plans for the year, but it’s good to be realistic and avoid pressures around healthy habits becoming yet another stress. When the holidays draw to a close, you could spend some time thinking about what self-care you will do no matter what.
This could be exercise, protected time with family or a hobby – whatever is most important to you. Saying no to protect your own wellbeing is powerful and should be encouraged and respected by your colleagues.
