Wellbeing, mental health, and even resilience are the buzzwords that are at the forefront of everyone’s mind at the moment. The COVID pandemic has changed how we live, work and generally interact with each other. The school setting is no different from most other workplaces, except for one small detail – staff are always concerned for the emotional welfare of their children, and sometimes this concern can be to the detriment of their own emotional and physical health.
Whilst this noble, even altruistic, approach is commendable, an exclusive focus on child welfare may make some school staff susceptible to challenges to their own mental health and emotional wellbeing. There must be a balance, as emotionally healthy staff are more able to provide an even more comprehensive well-being service to their charges.
For many educational professionals the term ‘mental health’ itself conjures up an image of weakness, or a lack of emotional stability, and the very mention of mental health may suggest a negative deficiency that could slip into conscious or unconscious communication bias. Sadly, from my anecdotal experiences, there is also a gender bias, with many males not seeing the need for school wellbeing – with some even hanging onto the, almost prehistoric, notion that you just need to ‘suck it up’ and be more resilient.
There is also the middle ground of professionals who see mental health and wellbeing as a simple solution – look after your own self, and take control, whether this is by using apps like Headspace or Calm, practising mindfulness, getting some exercise, having a decent diet, getting good sleep hygiene, or being connected. This approach, albeit drawn from a therapeutically-evidenced base, isn’t a strategy that will suit everyone – one mental health and well-being size does not fit all.
A more intelligent and bespoke approach to organisational wellbeing is one that not only considers individual strategie but also looks at the impact of a considerate, gentle and holistic approach to improving collective wellbeing. Here are six key areas of this collective approach:
- Growing a school culture of conscious and sub-conscious non-stigma, and the use of acceptable mental health language.
- Development of self-awareness, and awareness in others.
- Listening non-judgmentally rather than always trying to solve something with advice.
- Asking questions which engage a colleague and show you care.
- Signposting for independent support.
- Collective acceptance and responsibility in forming a school positive mental health and wellbeing culture.
Growing a school culture of conscious and sub-conscious non stigma, and the use of acceptable mental health language
Whether we know it or not, we could be perpetuating a negative stereotype of mental health. Worse still, this attitude could actually stop those in need accessing support and recovery. Everyone has mental health, with some having more or less mental health, so we simply need to be aware of any language, or non-verbal communication, that suggests somebody is less. Examples of non-stigma and positive language could be ‘Experiencing a mental health challenge’, ‘They are currently accessing support,’ ‘They have a current diagnosis of bipolar’ (or other specific condition), ‘Is there anything I can do to assist you?’
Development of self-awareness and awareness in others
Take notice of how you are actually feeling – especially when you take off your professional hat, remove your resilience shield and set down your achievement orientation. Check in to your emotions, feelings and behaviours – what is driving each of these? In line with this, actively practice self-care by taking yourself away from your ‘stress’ points on a daily basis, either on your own or with others.
Listening non-judgmentally rather than always trying to solve something with advice
Try and listen to understand, rather than listen to interrupt by giving advice about how to fix things; often, it’s the process of just being listening to that is the solution. Everyone has been through a different pathway – and been exposed to various mental health risks and protective factors – so let’s not judge by our own standards.
Asking questions which engage a colleague and show you care
If we are going to ask questions, open and closed can both be equally effective. For example, using a closed question, if you simply ask, ‘Are you okay?’ the easiest response is ‘Yes’ – but this might not be true. Better to ask a different type of closed question such as, ‘Can I buy/make you coffee?’ which has an inference of sitting down together and chatting. Another example of a good open question might be ‘What can I do to assist you now? What would you like?’
Signposting for independent support
This could be set up on a school online hub where all staff can add useful contacts, organisations, ideas and tips. Access can be gained anonymously.
Collective acceptance and responsibility in forming a school positive mental health and wellbeing culture
Identify this in the school mission statement, and on pupil and staff noticeboards. You can also create regular, independent wellbeing meetings – on or off site – staff mentoring/buddy systems and make accredited mental health a CPD focus.
Miriam Alexander, an NHS consultant liaison psychiatrist writing in The Guardian (March 1st 2021) not only re-enforces the message of self-awareness, but also warns against the danger of almost ‘outing’ weaker staff members. She talks about being able to open up, without stigma, about the demands of dealing with this, seemingly never ending, COVID onslaught, where death and illness have, sadly, become an all too familiar daily sight.
“It’s vital we create a work culture that encourages self-awareness rather than self-criticism,” she says. “There may well be individuals who are more susceptible to burnout, but they are not the ‘weaker’ ones; they’re the canaries in the coal mine telling us something is wrong with the system. The lesson is to improve the NHS to make it healthier for all of us.” There will be some staff members who are more liable to burnout before others, for various reasons that we as colleagues may not be aware of, such as their own exposure to historical risk and protective mental health factors. Equally, self-awareness must drive organisational culture, where a collective awareness of the needs of others must be recognised.
I can relate to her viewpoint as, in my work accrediting mental health and wellbeing with NHS frontline staff in the northwest, I can clearly see there is not only a potential for burnout, but also a collective stigmatisation of those who do burnout.
Not only must we be more aware of our own feelings, emotions and behaviours, we must also tune in to be being more aware of the needs of others. We must also not fall into the trap of keeping going, being super-resilient, as nobody can surely keep going forever without there being collateral damage to themselves or others. Even if we could be super resilient to every challenge in front of us, this warrior-type approach might set uncomfortable precedents and expectations for others to live up to. This is the individual and collective resilience caveat that must be respected.
From leaders to the led, we must create a workplace culture that is gently receptive to potential warning signs of burnout and we must signpost, and make available, recovery pathways. Collectively, we must see mental health and wellbeing as a number one priority where the mantra must be ‘mental health non-stigma’.
On a final, slightly lighter note, supposedly the world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, knows a thing or two about growing a successful business empire. Yet, what many people might find surprising, is that he talks so much common sense about the way we emotionally categorise work and home life, and how personal energy can enhance collective energy.
Bezos is disdainful of the metaphor ‘work-life balance’; he thinks it suggests a loss of one or the other, like a compromise. Rather, he suggests we should call it ‘work-life harmony’, where one positively fuels the other, like a symbiotic relationship. As a practical pointer, he suggests we think about the energy we create or take away when we enter a room of colleagues at work or family members at home!
It might start off with us, but no person is an island, and so we must keep working collectively to secure good wellbeing and mental health, whether that be at work or at home.
This post was originally written for and published by Ed-Excel. The original article can be viewed here: Creating a culture of wellbeing in your school | Edexec[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
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Uncertainty caused by events such as Brexit and the coronavirus outbreak leads to a rise in day-to-day workplace stress anxiety, and other more significant mental health conditions like depression.
The stress and anxiety we saw and experienced during the protracted Brexit negotiations now seems almost minor in comparison to the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on our health and finances.
As humans, we have an innate ability to sometimes catastrophise events by looking on the negative side, and in no time at all, we are facing an emotional rollercoaster of emotions that do not serve us well.
So, what can be done when a crisis like coronavirus unfolds? The first step is awareness of what is actually happening right now and to stop catastrophising by imagining the worst-case scenario.
Awareness means a rational and logical approach to your thinking based on expert views, and an acceptance that we are in a battle, but we are all in it together, which is the first positive thought we should be having each and every day.
We can and will draw strength from each other’s beliefs and actions. This is true Community Spirit.
Secondly, if we feed our mind with positive thoughts, these will feed more positive emotions which in turn will lead to more positive behaviours.
The very nature of thinking, feeling and acting positively, precludes our minds from focusing on the negative outcomes. It builds our 100 billion neural pathways in our brains to search for positive outcomes, and that is aided by the secretion of more serotonin, the happy hormone.
Conversely, if we focus on the negatives, stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol start being produced rapidly, and over time. this chemical imbalance will cause anxiety and the possibility of other mental health issues.
We must not catastrophise events, we should be looking for the upsides, and equally, we should be ensuring we are acting safely within government health guidelines.
If you are a leader of a business, it is vitally important that you model this positive belief. It might be tough at times, but great leaders always pull through. You may well have doubt, and negative thoughts from time to time, but your self-talk must address this immediately and you must empower others to feel valued and for them to be their best.
A simple strategy to do this is to imagine the crisis has ended, and after all your actions, how will your business, family and friends view you?
As someone who kept strong by being positive, and who empowered others to be their best, or someone who buckled quickly and let events take over and left everybody to fend for themselves?
It is vitally important that beyond positive self-talk and leadership modelling, we create positive routines and structures that allow us to live one day at a time, and not focus too much on the future.
Routines that include exercise, good diet, communications with understanding, but without judgment, and distraction time such as reading, watching a movie or enjoying a craft or hobby, are the cornerstones to navigating each day successfully. Try and be daily producers rather than solely consumers.
This is the ability to ‘compartmentalise’ the day which means to not look at yesterday or tomorrow, but focus on what only can be achieved today. Of course, business planning is crucial, but at the onset, it should be about steadying the ship and reassuring the crew, then you can go to work on your forward strategies.
If we can manage our stress, and be the model leader to others, then our ship will not only survive the crisis, but will thrive and be steered out of the storm into calmer waters.
Many people can sail a ship in calm waters, but who can steer a ship through a storm?
This post was originally written for and published by Intouch with Business.
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Too much stress (or challenge) can make you fatigue or Burnout, either immediately or in the long term. Equally, not enough stress (or challenge) can make you Rust-out and become bored, even apathetic. The trick is to keep yourself in the performance gap by awareness of how you are feeling, recognising the benefits and negatives of stress/challenge, taking care of your emotional and physical health needs, getting support where appropriate and being able to talk and share with others. I call this last factor the ability to be vulnerable.
In practical terms, returning to the office workspace may be a stressful ordeal for some workers – we cannot judge anyone for this as we all have different lives and therefore a different view of, and experiences within, the world. As such, don’t impose your view of the world upon anyone, let people be who they are….safely! Be watchful of others in terms of their day to day behaviour and be a part of the solution and not the problem by offering support or not making negative comments about workspace expectations. Just being able to listen to someone else, allowing them to show their vulnerability, and maybe not fixing something, may in fact be the solution!
In summary, here are my stress tips:
1 Be aware of a build up of stress in yourself – probably as a result of too much frequency, intensity or duration of stress.
2 Manipulate these variables to suit your mood, motivation and aspirations.
3 Start to see stress as a supportive friend who pushes you nicely to achieve things – maybe call it your challenge friend?
4 Recognise when you are in the performance zone, rather than the Rust out or Burnout zone.
5 Confide in trusted others to get an alternative perspective – it can help you see your challenge from another angle which can often be helpful.
Ross McWilliam is a freelance speaker, trainer and author with more than 30 years’ experience of developing people and organisations. He works with organisations such as EFL, NCS, IBM, Santander, NHS, and is a MHFA England Trainer in Youth & Adult Mental Health and has worked in over 1500 schools, colleges and businesses. He is also an author of various mindset books aimed at children and young professionals and works with large groups, or one to one coaching to improve performance.
Email ross@mindsetpro.co.uk
Business Website www.mindsetpro.co.uk
Book Website www.cuppajourney.com
Tel 07771916788 
