Growing with Gratitude

CHAPTER 7Manage your own wellbeing

I'm confident we'd all agree that looking after kids is bloody hard work!

Whether you're a teacher, a parent, a youth worker, a principal, a caregiver, a junior sports coach … You're dealing with complex emotions, behaviour, COVID-19 protocols, pressures of standardised testing, and the list goes on … And these challenges occur on a daily basis.

Just like any role or responsibility, it's really easy to get lost in the day to day, to put everyone else's needs before your own. That's why it's really important to look after your own mental health and wellbeing.

Whatever your role — as a teacher, educator, parent or caregiver — you're unable to support the mental wellbeing of young people trusted in your care unless you're looking after your own wellbeing first and foremost.

But for most of us, that's an issue in itself. Here's why.

The stats say it all

According to the National Foundation for Educational Research, teaching is one of the most stressful jobs in the world. That's quite alarming — although maybe not that surprising, right?

In fact, research conducted by Donna Cross of the University of Western Australia titled ‘Teacher Wellbeing and its Impact on Student Learning’ revealed that there are key issues teachers in Australia, the UK, New Zealand and the United States report they are facing:

• high workloads
• workplace bullying
• poor leadership
• time-management issues
• expectations of new teachers to produce the same results as experienced ...