Practise being optimistic.
Even if you don't fully believe it just yet, try making your thoughts benefit you, rather than creating further barriers. If there is trouble brewing, you know that making a conscious choice to make it worse isn't going to help. Practise optimism so that it will eventually become habit; make a choice that seeks to improve a situation. At first, it might not remove the barrier, but at least it won't add an extra one! Celebrate your success. In a game of balance, it's vital that you celebrate what you do well! Keep realistic goals and do a little something each day to help you towards them. Celebrate each step you take! Each little action will add a sense of control amongst the chaos that is our lives. Enjoy the positive relationships you are lucky to have and use the support network you have around you. Embrace failure. As part of a healthy mind, know that ups come with downs. In fact, it's the downs that make you appreciate the ups! Without them, would we even feel joy in the first place? Use challenges as an opportunity to achieve yet another thing! Don't seek drama because this life is stressful enough as it is. Aim to learn the difference between a destructive reaction and a mindful response; they often have entirely opposite outcomes. Many emotions are perfectly natural responses, but it's only through open lines of communication that we are going to learn about which emotions come to us all, and hopefully generate a general consensus about 'how much is too much?', enabling us to identify when we need more targeted support using the growing range of resources available. Good luck, friends: you've got this!
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Whatever it was, it was always a share bag and not good for my body or mind. To counteract the less proactive day, I'd find myself working late into the night (when I should have been recharging), likely surrounded by crisp packets. Obviously, this meant I'd eventually get to bed well into the early hours, with a poor sleep because my body is trying to handle the rubbish it had just consumed, under the foolish assumption it would make me feel better. Body clock would wake me at regular running time (4.45am), which I wouldn't get up and do (after a mix of poor sleep and poor fuel the night before) and the cycle would start again.
With a general lack of pride in myself, home living became more difficult. Simple tasks such as doing my laundry and the washing up weren't completed, which meant I started to live in a space that was just as messy as my negative mindset. Stepping around piles of clothes and looking at an ever increasing stack of dirty kitchen bits were constant reminders of the failures I was quickly notching up, neatly adding to the exercise I wasn't doing and the to-do list I wasn't ticking off. With the poor food and no exercise came physical changes. Now, there's a chance that these were concocted in my imagination as a way to feel worse, but they were there nevertheless. Fatigue and poor skin made self-confidence decrease to an all-time-low. There were also emotional changes as I found myself being over-sensitive, self-doubting and introvert. Personally and professionally, I was static. Sinking. A feeling of worthlessness set in. What was I playing at? I've worked tirelessly to get where I am professionally. Why am I dragging myself down? I've worked tirelessly to get where I am personally. Why am I suddenly choosing to believe that I'm not good enough? I've worked tirelessly to get where I am physically. Why am I now consciously making poor choices to undo my hard work? I've worked tirelessly to get where I am mentally. Why am I self-sabotaging, choosing weakness over strength? Tuesday morning hit and I knew I needed to make a change. It wasn't a 5K. Just a walk - 2 laps - around the park. I posted to my Twitter. It's always been a great tool to hold me accountable. I spoke to special colleagues, friends and family; such a fantastic resource that I'm lucky to have. We are most definitely on the up. For those that saved me, thank you so much. You'll never know what you've done for me. Regular service will resume shortly.
#Exercise
Over the summer there were several days where I literally didn't get up from the sofa until about 7pm. As above, I find it hard to organise my own day when so many hours are undecided for you. Perhaps I'm conditioned by such a strict timetable of the working day, that I just don't know what to do without one. I much prefer holiday-days with different errands in different places, because then I can slot jobs and tasks amongst the structure that is already forming for me. Having said that, my return to school has started with a great return to running in the mornings. Thank you for everyone encouraging me. I know the photos are annoying everyday at 5am, but they hold me accountable, and your support means the world. #Notice The #TeachingHero team is growing, and I would like to encourage you to read their posts from the weeks gone by! There are still some weeks left, and if you want to have a post all of your own, get in touch! I think it's important we promote those spreading positive messages, rather than listening to complainers constantly. Negativity is equally contagious, and we just can't afford the effect. #Learn I'm back to trying to read as much as possible. At the moment, my class and I are studying 'Sky Hawk' by Gill Lewis and we are LOVING IT! It's actually given me ideas for further posts later. Saying that, I also have a bunch of other books to read. I'll review them as usual later on. #Give This month I would like to recommend that you sign up for Smiling Mind. It's an Australian site that has LOADS of mindfulness resources and guided meditations, all organised by age group, split into courses. It runs itself, and it's ideal for using in class. Check them out!
What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
Set a cut off point for work and stick to it. Use @fit2teachapp to monitor wellbeing and identify patterns. My school facilitates joint planning time which saves hours of work. I was amazed when I found out that not everywhere does it. What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up? Contact the Education Support Partnership @EdSupportUK . They have trained counsellors who can really support you. Don't struggle on alone. Sum up our profession in 5 words. No two days the same.
As a class teacher you don't really always have the power to influence this. There are certain things that have to be done, there are always things that we feel are 'paper' exercises and don't 'benefit the children'. That is where, as a member of SLT, you need to try to communicate to all staff why these tasks are needed, and of course if they are not STOP! Teamwork is essential. Let's not recreate the wheel. Let's share and have professional dialogue to cut down on planning etc. We need to share our expertise to help each other. I think we need to be more honest and say when we are feeling overwhelmed. You need head/DH and SLT who will be understanding and support rather than judge.
What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up? I think we all feel like giving up at times, It is the sadly inevitable side effect of wanting to do a good job in such a difficult profession. I would say try to get to the nub of what the issue is. I find it is often a small thing that can build. It may need a small change or to accept that you need to make some changes eg extra responsibilities that take too much of your time or needing a challenge out of your classroom. Battling negativity. Hmmm, this is another hard one. It is so easy to get in to a negative place. My JS partner and I have written a list of all the things that have gone well v badly and were surprised that the first list was longer. We then wrote a list of things that weren't working and steps to make them better. Obvious but it helped. Try to avoid the negative people at school. Sum up our profession in 5 words. Crazy, rewarding, varied, worthwhile, challenging.
What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
I've put in place a few rules, which I do my best to stick to. Not always successfully; but even when I do fail, they're there in the back of my mind for next time. Here goes: 1. Earliest I'll get to work is 7.30am 2. Latest I'll stay at school is 5pm (unless it's a consultation evening or other diaried event) 3. I try to avoid working in the evening. If I do, I try not to do so two nights in a row; and I don't work past 9pm. 4. Weekends: I have at least 1 day off each weekend School are reasonably supportive, but like so many others they're struggling with reduced budgets - so staff well-being has been one of the first things to dissolve. What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up? This last term has been especially tough - one of my hardest since I retrained and started teaching 2 years ago. I think it was a combination of factors: an increased timetable; behaviour issues; lack of support from others in department/elsewhere in school (although see my answer to Q3 - so much of this is budget related, and completely out of the control of my colleagues). I think what has kept me going is being honest, and talking about issues quickly when they've come up, and seeking help when I need it. Never be afraid to do this - this is such a demanding job, and everyone has their peaks and troughs. It can feel lonely in the classroom sometimes, but teaching is a team sport. Lean on them when you need to, and be ready to listen when someone else needs to talk. Otherwise, keeping the basics in focus is also *so* important. Tiredness has a massive effect on my mood, especially towards the end of the week; so I take more early nights than I used to, and having a bath can work wonders for the quality of my sleep. Also important to eat well (and I'm blessed that my lovely wife is such a good cook!), and not overdo other things such as alcohol. They can be an effective short-term fix - but over time, they cause more problems than they solve. Sum up the profession in 5 words. Not easy, so the best I can do is: Be kind, know your subject.
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