WELLBEING Supporting personal wellbeing


In his regular column for Education Today this month MARK SOLOMONS, creator of Welbee, the online evaluation and staff wellbeing improvement tool, shares his advice on supporting personal wellbeing.


and ensure scheduled meetings and other engagements start and finish at the agreed time.


• Environmental adjustments: Rearrange the classroom or workspace to minimize noise and other unhelpful activities.


• Use ‘I’ statements: When discussing issues with colleagues or parents, express feelings with ‘I’ statements to communicate personal feelings without placing blame.


Adapt to your stressors


• Adjust standards: Focus on the overall impact rather than perfection and remember that often 80% of any outcome is delivered by a much smaller input.


• Simplify tasks: Simplify administrative tasks or lessons to better manage workload.


H


eadlines continue to reflect the staff wellbeing and retention crisis within the education sector, with high levels of stress and burnout. Fortunately, there are still many staff, driven by their passion for the children and young people they support, who continue to enjoy the work they do, despite these challenges.


The Department for Education’s answer seems to be to refocus on workload reduction with a new taskforce and to re-confirm their commitment to the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which so far has had a relatively low take-up. So, if you’re waiting for change to be delivered by others, such as the Government, you’re in for a long one. One of the highest priorities for leaders is to build an environment where people want to work, can do their best work, and choose to stay. Creating a psychologically safe workplace (Dr Amy Edmondson, 1999) that ensures staff feel they belong, have a voice and can share opinions and ideas, are part of a trusted team, and are appreciated, all help improve workplace wellbeing and outcomes.


If you are lucky enough to work with leaders who understand how to create an environment like this, have good family relationships and a strong friendship group, your wellbeing is likely to be higher than someone without these supportive structures in their lives. However, whatever your situation, or the level of support you receive, if your work or home life is not what you want it to be, or you are experiencing stress and poor wellbeing, there is only one person you can rely on to make a change – and that’s YOU. But is stress always bad? Stress is a natural response to a perceived demanding situation, an automatic reaction often known as the ‘fight-or- flight’ response, preparing you for confrontation or escape. This is primarily orchestrated by the endocrine and nervous systems and involves the release of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Stress can be much needed and have a positive impact, it can increase motivation and


performance and enhance learning. For instance, the pressure of an upcoming deadline or exam can push someone to focus and work more efficiently or ensure they are more engaged with increased alertness.


On the other hand, stress (or distress) can be negative and harmful if it becomes chronic or overwhelming, leading to physical and mental health problems, such as: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, anxiety, and a weakened immune system. It can also impair cognitive functions like memory, concentration and decision making. All which significantly diminish life satisfaction and impact mood, relationships, and work performance.


So, if you want to improve your working life, or work/life balance, one area for focus is how you manage your stressors. What steps can you take? Tips to reduce stress and burnout Firstly, identify those things that cause you the greatest stress – your stressors. Then apply the techniques below which are taken from the Mayo Clinic’s ‘4 A’s of stress relief’.


Avoid your stressors


• Set boundaries and learn to say no: When you are asked to do more, negotiate current work or responsibilities – which are the priorities and what can be left?


• Avoid places, people, or hot topics: If a particular area in the school, a particular person or a conversation topic causes stress, then avoid them.


• Prioritise and reduce interruptions: Prioritise tasks that have impact and avoid those that don’t. Take time to plan your time, including your availability, and remain focused on what you are wanting to achieve.


Alter your stressors


• Set clear expectations: On the hours that you work, the behaviour expected of others,


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• Forgive: Learn to accept and forgive yourself and others when mistakes happen or when not everything on the to-do list gets done.


Work through the 4 A’s to identify action to take on your stressors, and reflect regularly on your progress. These strategies are not necessarily suitable for all stressors, for example, you wouldn’t want to avoid taking action to address financial challenges.


While we can all hope for future improvements to staff wellbeing across the education sector, remember you are the only one that can guarantee to make a difference for yourself.


• Shift perspective: Assess whether a stressor will matter in the long run and focus on the positives to change your response to stress.


• Positive reinforcement: Regularly remind yourself of your achievements and strengths to boost your morale and reduce stress.


• Seek support: Engage in conversations with peers or a counsellor when overwhelmed; sharing challenges can lighten the emotional load.


Accept


• Focus only on what you can control: Where you have no control, learn to accept the situation.


• Reframe challenges: Look for the upside and focus on potential opportunities.


• Embrace imperfection: Accept that not every day or lesson will go as planned and that this is part of the teaching experience.


For further information, support, and advice about creating a culture with staff wellbeing at its centre, please contact welbee.co.uk


May 2024


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