Maintaining your wellbeing

Research shows the importance of having a proactive approach to maintaining wellbeing through the promotion of resilience and healthy active lifestyles, having safe and comfortable spaces to build positive relationships with peers, opportunities to share practice and signposting to wellbeing information and guidance.

When we are physically and mentally healthy, maintaining it often drops lower down our priority list as we have an assumption it will remain that way. In addition, working in education, it is easy to fall into the trap of ‘I will do it in the holidays’ and not to make time for our health during term time.

There are lots of daily quick wins that can take as little as 10 minutes to complete, that we can incorporate into our day. This short list is not exhaustive by any means but show cases some of those easiest to accommodate in a working day. All suggestions come from The NHS or specialist guidance that is publicly available.

Mindfulness

Exercise

Listening to your favourite music

Eating healthily

Stay hydrated

Getting enough sleep

Getting sunlight

Getting out in nature

Time on something you enjoy

Time with family and friends

Instead of listening to the news the whole way to work, you could listen to music for the last 10 minutes of your drive.

When picking your lunch duty for the year select an outdoor or roving option to enable you to get daily sunshine (as the UK allows) and to get some steps in.

Take 10 minutes the evening before to prepare a healthy breakfast and lunch for the following day, being sure to include lots of protein, fruit and veg. If you are already preparing a meal and enjoy cooking, take a few minutes to make a slightly more intricate recipe incorporating your favourite ingredients. Picking up the phone to your nearest and dearest need not take long, if it does, well, that’s what messages were invented for!

There are lots of Apps, videos on YouTube and skills on Alexa and similar that can help with music, exercise, healthy eating, plant and animal identification and so on.

Take some time to explore and see if any work for you.

The key to remaining healthy is consistency, using tools such as those mentioned above, setting reminders and ring fencing some of your time/having non-negotiables such as leaving by 4 pm two days a week or family dinner on a Wednesday is a great approach to supporting your health.

Every Mind Matters self-care tool

Offers a free online action plan, approved by the NHS, that offers simple steps you can take to care for your own mental health. The tool can help to deal with stress and anxiety, boost mood, improve sleep quality and take control of your wellbeing.

Five Steps to Mental Wellbeing

Gives self-care advice focused on the five steps to wellbeing: be active, connect with other people, learn new skills, give to others, pay attention to the present moment.

The Wellbeing Service

The Wellbeing Service host a wide range of online webinars. Joining the webinar is free and there are no cameras or microphones for attendees. The webinars cover a range of topics including:

Family relationships
Improving your sleep
Improving self esteem
Relaxation station
Healthy relationships
Living well with pain

To find out more about the webinars, including dates and times, take a look on the Wellbeing Service website: The Wellbeing Service

Self-Care Summer Support for Education Staff

Download this booklet from Anna Freud which gives advice on self-care strategies, particularly during holiday periods – Self-care booklet