Mental Health
This post has been written by Classroom Secrets
The education sector is one of many professions that has been profoundly affected by the recent mental health crisis. According one survey, 78% of UK school staff reportedly experienced mental health symptoms due to their work in the past academic year and 59% of staff had considered leaving the profession.
Pressure to perform and achieve high numbers, increasing workloads, and a lack of support can leave many teachers feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. Many members of our team have experience working as teachers or teaching assistants and understand this struggle. One says, “I honestly believe being a teacher is one of the best jobs in the world; however, the ever-increasing workload meant that I was spending more and more time on an evening and weekend working so that I could try to stay on top of the workload. I noticed I became more impatient with my own children and anxious about the work I would need to complete once they went to sleep.”
It is vitally important to look after the wellbeing of staff working in schools; without good staff mental health, it is impossible to have good student mental health.
To help encourage the conversation about mental health and call for a stronger approach to staff wellbeing in schools across the country, we would like to share some of our favourite tips and resources.
Mindfulness and Meditation
You’ve probably heard about mindfulness before. The NHS defines mindfulness as a type of meditation that involves “paying attention to what is going on inside and outside ourselves, moment by moment” and it is recommended by many doctors, psychologists and other professionals. Being more aware of your thoughts can help us react more proactively to stressful situations and recognise feelings like anxiety earlier.
But did you know that you can learn mindfulness for free? One of the most popular mindfulness apps, Headspace, offers free access to primary and secondary teachers and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. They offer guided meditations, sleepcasts, mindful movement and focus exercises created by mental health clinicians, Emmy award-winning producers, and data scientists.
If you have tried mindfulness and didn’t find it useful, there are also many other types of meditation to try that can include things like walking, yoga, vocalisation and other methods.
Work/Life Balance
Studies show that a third of teachers did unpaid overtime in 2021, up from a quarter in 2020, and this figure is growing every year. With record numbers of teachers leaving the profession, many of those still working in the industry must deal with increasing workloads whilst experiencing a lack of support and resources. Because we want the best for our classroom, this can make teachers feel pressured to do unpaid work outside of their assigned hours to catch up.
However, it is important to remember that you are not responsible for sector-wide issues with decreasing resources and that you cannot fix this alone. Your mental wellbeing is important, and spreading yourself too thin can affect both you and your classroom.
Remember it is ok to say no. Take your breaks, and don’t feel guilty. Make sure you schedule time for yourself and separate your home space from your workspace. There are lots of free talks online about setting boundaries, which is a great skill to have in all areas of your life, as well as talks on increasing your self-confidence and more.
Top tip: turn off your notifications when you’re not working. It is ok to ‘go silent’ outside of your working hours, especially if the expectation to be available 24/7 is causing you stress. We find notifications can cause anxiety, so turn everything except our phone and text messages to do not disturb!
Looking After Your Body
We teach our students how important it is to look after our bodies, but as we grow up, it’s often very hard to prioritise our own health. The latest research has shown that almost 1 in 5 people in the UK aren't even getting enough sleep and only 1 in 10 of us is drinking enough water!
At the end of the day, it is impossible to truly look after your mental health when your body is not getting the care it needs.
This is a great way to utilise your smartphone in a healthier way; apps like Sleepcycle can help track and change your sleeping habits, whereas apps like Headspace offer meditations and other audio content to help you fall asleep. Apps like this can be used in conjunction with devices like smartwatches and white noise machines. Our favourite sleep podcast is ‘Sleep With Me’, which can be accessed for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other apps.
These chores can even be made into a fun game! Apps like Plant Nanny let you grow adorable, animated plants every time you drink towards your hydration goal and remind you to get those cups in to keep the plants alive! Pokémon Sleep tracks your sleep like Sleepcycle and other apps but rewards you with cute Pokémon characters based on the quality of your sleep.
If one of your wellbeing goals is to spend less time on your phone, you could try setting up a bullet journal to keep track of your sleep, water intake, and exercise. There are also many journals available to buy to help you track these things if you prefer!
School Programmes
If you are looking for ways to further support teachers and staff in your school, there are many resources available to help. Worth It is an organisation that has lots of resources for both teachers and pupils; such as posters, wellbeing checklists, webinars, a Wellbeing Ambassadors Programme, peer support cheat sheet, and online pathway courses.
Barnardo’s Education Community is an online resource to help support teachers, lecturers and staff working in the education sector. The government calls it a ‘one stop shop where educators can go for trauma-informed resources, support and advice about how to help children and young people cope with any issues they are experiencing.’
Search online for local peer support groups you might be able to join, or even consider setting one up at your school yourself!
Pass It On
Being a teacher allows you a unique opportunity to share these important lessons and tips with the children in your class. If we teach children how to understand and look after their mental health, we can raise a happier and more resilient generation together.
Set up a gratitude jar in your classroom, teach them about Random Acts of Kindness or use some of their free, printable resources! PHE Every Mind Matters has a self-care tool as well as free lesson slides and whole-school assemblies on topics like sleep, exam stress, and dealing with change.
The Charlie Waller Trust offers advice, guidance and resources for schools and education professionals to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, and Kidscape has advice and practical tips to support adults working with children to deal with bullying and cyberbullying.
If you’re a Classroom Secrets subscriber, we have created a list of resources that might help you talk about mental wellbeing with your children.
Talk To A Professional
Education Support also supports teacher and education staff wellbeing, including offering financial support and a free helpline that connects you to qualified BCAP counsellor.
Remember that there is always someone to talk to. Reach out to your GP or a qualified professional if you need further support. If you are in a crisis, contact 101, or reach out to the Samaritans by phone (116 123) or online chat.
