Mental health affects how one feels, thinks and behaves. It determines how well one can cope with the challenges of life and how they recover from these setbacks (US Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.). The mental health of an individual requires the same attention and upkeep that they give to their physical health. Unfortunately, this is not happening in today’s society with poor mental health being an issue in one-fifth of adults and 20% of adolescents around the world (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2009). These statistics illustrate just how important it is for educators to promote positive mental health, wellbeing and resilience in students so that they can grow to become confident, involved and successful young learners in school and in life outside of school. This involves educators also being well, as one cannot be a positive role model if they are not at peace themselves.
Below are three key tips that teachers could use to achieve better mental health.
Take control of your day.
This involves making the time to eat breakfast, get to work on time and exercising before and/or after work. Make a plan of what you would like to achieve in the day and stick to it. You will find by doing this, you will have a clearer head space from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep of a night.
Take a break at lunch time.
This means leaving your work station and finding an area where you can sit down, have something to eat, relax and not have to think or worry about what is back at your desk. Some suggestions include reading a book that you enjoy, listening to some music or perhaps socialising with your work colleagues.
Take time to reflect.
Reflective practice is a very important aspect of a teachers role and can be focused around a particular lesson, day, week, term or even year. It allows you to understand what did or did not work, what you would change or perhaps what you could do better in the future. Take the initiative to extend your reflective practice to consider the state of your own personal wellbeing. Has the quality of your food intake declined over the last couple of days? Do you feel rested or have you given yourself a chance to take some time out for yourself? What things did you excessively stress about or spend time on during the day? Remember to analyse yourself positively; What were the things that went well? How can you improve?
There are many things to consider and it can sometimes become quite overwhelming. In a diary, note some aspects that you feel you need to focus on or remember as an achievement. Taking five minutes each day or so will quickly build a log so you can visualise where you are at and your frame of mind. This can also be a particularly useful tool for science teachers! Observe yourself and isolate the changes to learn the cause and affect process that happens in your life. Art teachers can also use this to help keep their motivation up and stay creative.
Don't sweat the small stuff and remember small daily victories are still a win!
MindMatters
You may be wondering, what is MindMatters? Well let me tell you a bit about it and how teachers can use this framework to help support student mental health.
MindMatters is a framework that aims to promote positive mental health and detect and stop problems early on in secondary students. The framework offers a variety of valuable resources that students have the opportunity to engage with and learn strategies from, which they can use to help them deal with difficult situations in their life. MindMatters aims to work closely alongside families, health services and the community, in order to support and guide secondary students to achieve optimal mental health in their adolescent years and into adulthood (MindMatters, 2014).
Below are three key tips that teachers could use to achieve better mental health.
Take control of your day.
This involves making the time to eat breakfast, get to work on time and exercising before and/or after work. Make a plan of what you would like to achieve in the day and stick to it. You will find by doing this, you will have a clearer head space from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep of a night.
Take a break at lunch time.
This means leaving your work station and finding an area where you can sit down, have something to eat, relax and not have to think or worry about what is back at your desk. Some suggestions include reading a book that you enjoy, listening to some music or perhaps socialising with your work colleagues.
Take time to reflect.
Reflective practice is a very important aspect of a teachers role and can be focused around a particular lesson, day, week, term or even year. It allows you to understand what did or did not work, what you would change or perhaps what you could do better in the future. Take the initiative to extend your reflective practice to consider the state of your own personal wellbeing. Has the quality of your food intake declined over the last couple of days? Do you feel rested or have you given yourself a chance to take some time out for yourself? What things did you excessively stress about or spend time on during the day? Remember to analyse yourself positively; What were the things that went well? How can you improve?
There are many things to consider and it can sometimes become quite overwhelming. In a diary, note some aspects that you feel you need to focus on or remember as an achievement. Taking five minutes each day or so will quickly build a log so you can visualise where you are at and your frame of mind. This can also be a particularly useful tool for science teachers! Observe yourself and isolate the changes to learn the cause and affect process that happens in your life. Art teachers can also use this to help keep their motivation up and stay creative.
Don't sweat the small stuff and remember small daily victories are still a win!
MindMatters
You may be wondering, what is MindMatters? Well let me tell you a bit about it and how teachers can use this framework to help support student mental health.
MindMatters is a framework that aims to promote positive mental health and detect and stop problems early on in secondary students. The framework offers a variety of valuable resources that students have the opportunity to engage with and learn strategies from, which they can use to help them deal with difficult situations in their life. MindMatters aims to work closely alongside families, health services and the community, in order to support and guide secondary students to achieve optimal mental health in their adolescent years and into adulthood (MindMatters, 2014).
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Signs and Symptoms of a Mental Illness
> Social isolation
> Drugs and/or alcohol misuse
> Suicidal thoughts
> Irritable mood swings
> Extreme physical changes such as poor eating and sleeping habits
> Delusional
> Emotionally unstable
> Disorderly
(WebMD, 2014).
Need Help?
If you or someone you know is suffering, here are some people that can help.
Lifeline: Kids Helpline: Suicide Callback Service:
13 11 14 (for all ages) 1800 551 800 (for ages 5-25 years) 1300 659 467 (for all ages)
Suicide Line: Beyond Blue: Head Space:
1300 651 251 1300 224 636 1800 650 890
> Social isolation
> Drugs and/or alcohol misuse
> Suicidal thoughts
> Irritable mood swings
> Extreme physical changes such as poor eating and sleeping habits
> Delusional
> Emotionally unstable
> Disorderly
(WebMD, 2014).
Need Help?
If you or someone you know is suffering, here are some people that can help.
Lifeline: Kids Helpline: Suicide Callback Service:
13 11 14 (for all ages) 1800 551 800 (for ages 5-25 years) 1300 659 467 (for all ages)
Suicide Line: Beyond Blue: Head Space:
1300 651 251 1300 224 636 1800 650 890