Six Quick Things – Well-Being

As I mentioned in the first of my Six Quick Things about emotional health and well-being, the first person in line to help you with your emotional health and well-being is you.

You know you best and, if you listen to yourself, you know best what you need, when you need it.

Learning to trust yourself involves taking action when you need to.

This can be when you start to feel the signs of stress creeping up on you, or, better still, before the cracks start to appear.

To help, here are six more quick things you can do to help yourself on a daily basis.

ONE: Boundaries Mean Balance

Limit after-hours communication by turning off email notifications and having clear boundaries about when you will and won’t respond to work-related messages after hours. I know that ‘after school hours’ will be different for everyone but you have the control to choose when and where you respond.

TWO: Practice ‘Micro Self-Care’ During the Day

Create a calming space for yourself. This could be a small corner in your classroom or your office, somewhere you can go for a few minutes of quiet when you’re feeling overwhelmed. My quiet space is my car! Yes. I love to sit in my car and know that I am far less likely to be disturbed. There’s that all important space between me and the outside world.

THREE: Prioritise Tasks to Avoid Getting Overwhelmed

Embrace the power of ‘Good Enough’. In other words, aim for progress, not perfection. Recognise that it’s okay to have some tasks that aren’t completed perfectly. Sometimes you just have to flick that ‘*%&@ it switch and walk away!

FOUR: Build a Support System

It’s OK to ask for help, really it is. If you need help, make sure you seek it out. There are no medals for battling on when things aren’t right. Reaching out to a school counsellor or mental health professional is OK. It’s what they’re for. Accepting support is a sign of strength, not weakness.

FIVE: Adopt Healthy Lifestyle Habits

Prioritising sleep is a must for so many reasons. Set a consistent bedtime routine to ensure you get adequate rest. The quality of the sleep you get significantly impacts your mental health and daily performance. Don’t get me started on those blue light issues and their effect on well-being. Just promise me you’ll turn off your devices at least 60 minutes before you go to bed.

SIX: Love Me or Leave Me!

Love the things that bring you joy. That doesn’t necessarily mean people. I love many things in life that don’t involve humans. Let’s just say I’d rather spend time with balloons and bubbles than some people!

And finally, if something or someone is making you feel uncomfortable or unbalanced with your emotional well-being, it’s OK to walk away. You may feel that this is challenging, but allowing yourself to remain somewhere that’s causing you emotional distress is not good. Take charge of you and your emotions. That’s what self-care is all about.

Nina Jackson has been wowing audiences across the UK and from Asia to Europe to South America with her keynotes and workshops on emotional health and well-being. Honest, warm, hard-hitting and full of fun, she helps busy teachers and leaders prioritise themselves in order to get the best out of those around them.

Please get in touch to find out more and for a chat about booking Nina for your school or organisation.

And check out her unique book for the Independent Thinking Press Of Teaching, Learning and Sherbet Lemons for more tips and ideas for improving well-being across the school community. [ITL]