Staff Wellbeing

Hello, how are you today? 

We're wired for growth and progress but we sometimes get so wrapped up in the striving and wanting to do the best we can for others, that we fail to recognise where we are.  Our strategies might be:

Feeling stressed? March on, do more.
Feeling overwhelmed? It'll pass, solider on.
Leg/arm/any pain? Ignore it and carry on.
Brain fog? Try to work as if.
Tired? Drink all the coffee, watch all of the Netflix.
Nervous? Beat yourself up for it.
Burnt out? Don't renegotiate your expectations of yourself.

When you are experiencing these feelings, your internal messaging service is sending you notifications telling you that all isn't well. These are not the sorts of notifications you want to switch off, mute, or snooze-on. You want to sit up and really listen to them because they really do start getting louder and louder until you do. Unlike your inbox or Whatsapp, when your internal warning system is notifying you that somethings adrift and not quite right, jump/react/take care of it.

How we deal with, say, stress matters. But what matters more is identifying the cause to see what we can do about that. Jumping in early and quickly allows us to make meaningful changes whilst we still have the energy to do so. Leaving more for now-you to give to future-you. So it’s good to make a planned and precise pause instead of the painful and prolonged one we're so often forced into when we keep on carrying on.  Remember, your stress is not a trophy. 

Find ideas to help and a quick self-assessment you can do on the Stress Management Society website.

Hello, how are you today?

We can’t do everything for everyone and even if we did have seven arms it wouldn’t be enough.  For everyone who is a parent, teacher or carer - you are doing an amazing job, you really are.  Even if sometimes it may not feel like that to you.  For anyone who feels like they have to be octopus armed, we are only humans not magical super robots or an octopus.  Be kind to yourself in terms of your expectations. Humour helps as does managing your boundaries – see attached.   If we know others are struggling with juggling, we can ask how we can help or find a way to make their day a bit easier.  We can be realistic in our requests of others, acknowledging what they are managing at the moment and reminding them that we can’t do everything for everyone.

Hello, how are you today?

Stress is an adverse reaction to pressure either in or outside work. While this reaction is normal it can be damaging to our health if it is sustained on a long term basis. To learn more and how to manage stress, watch a useful video click on the “Understanding Stress” section on the National Wellbeing Hub.  Some great tips are also here.   A useful 60 seconds technique  for when you are feeling overwhelmed is definitely worth trying.  

 

Hello, how are you today?

There's nobody quite like you in the very best way possible. Chances are you don't feel as though you're extraordinary. When we think of extraordinary people, we zoom in on those who seem nothing like us. People who have achieved newsworthy feats or have shown immense amounts of bravery. We forget that the only thing that really sets apart the ordinary from the extraordinary, is the word 'extra'.  With that in mind, there have been many, many, many times when you've done something 'extra'. Those times you've gone above and beyond for someone, to make them feel extra loved, extra special, extra cared for.  Perhaps you've applied extra effort to your job, some extra helpfulness with colleagues, you went above and beyond.

What about the countless times that you were the bringer of kindness, the calm in the storm, the person who taught someone the tools they needed? We've all got instances threading their way throughout our lives where we did and gave more than was expected of us, we gave and were 'extra'.

You are and have been extraordinary. And there will be many moons yet to come where you will repeat your extraordinariness.

 

Hello, how are you today?

It is Mental Health Awareness Week, so what better time to talk about mental wellbeing.

Everyone can play an important role in helping someone with a mental illness, here is how you can get involved.

Take some time to talk to your friends and family about how they are feeling, and make sure to listen. Let’s break down the barriers and improve the wellbeing of those you care about.

Be aware of the signs and symptoms. Mental illness can take many forms and be difficult to identify. Here is a link that can help you identify the forms of mental illness.

Let’s learn how to help others cope and decrease the number of people who suffer in silence.

Take time for your mental health and learn what makes you happy.

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