Independent Schools Portal
  • Home
  • About
  • Professional Development in 2021
  • innovatED Magazine
    • innovatED Issue 1
    • innovatED Issue 2
    • innovatED Issue 3
    • innovatED Issue 4
Picture

Blog Page

3 Steps To Power Up SLT Wellbeing

25/2/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture

By Maria Brosnan

Education Consultant & Trainer
The phone rang at 10pm the week before Christmas. It was one of my oldest friends, James, a Head Teacher at an Independent School in Melbourne.  

“Something’s wrong,” he said simply.
James went on to describe his symptoms: he couldn’t eat; couldn’t sleep and had terrible pain in his chest and stomach. He’d been to the doctors who diagnosed “stress and anxiety”.  Horrified, I asked what they suggested he should do. Unsurprisingly, they offered him a cocktail of drugs and suggested that he see a therapist.

He rejected the drugs and saw the therapist, who was stumped. “You seem perfectly fine to me, I don’t know what to suggest,” he said. Fortunately I was visiting Australia that Christmas and was able to have a conversation with James on a long walk on the beach.
Picture
I was shocked but not surprised by what was happening to him. Over the years I’d seen him push himself harder and harder; setting impossibly high personal standards as his career progressed.  He didn’t eat sugar or junk food of any kind; drink any alcohol; twice a week he rose at 5.00am to train with a personal trainer before his hour long commute to work.  His normal workday frequently extended to 9pm, where he got home, ate and caught up on emails and admin before crashing into bed at midnight.

He was so busy at work he barely made time to go to the toilet.

Sadly his experience is by no means unusual in school leaders.

A State of Education Report in 2017 reveals the very real struggles teachers and students alike are facing in schools.

It found that 47% of school governors expect “managing staff wellbeing and morale” to be a challenge in the coming year.

Behind budget pressures, ‘teacher and school leader workload’ is the second biggest challenge facing schools.
Picture
With increased pressure on performance, nearly 80 per cent of school leaders noticed an increase in stress, anxiety and panic attacks among their pupils over the past two years.

We have to ask what is it costing us in terms of the physical, mental and emotional health of every single one of our children, staff and senior leaders? And more importantly: what are we doing about it?

Even though many of these issues are deeply systemic, it doesn’t mean we should not strive to effect powerful change.

It is well documented that when we’re stressed, our higher cognitive functions are inhibited. This means our ability to think clearly, learn, remember, reason and make effective decisions are limited.

A 2014 Public Health England report on the link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment concluded, perhaps unsurprisingly, that pupils with “better health and wellbeing are likely to achieve better academically”.

Yet what are we asking our children, as well as staff to do every day? Think clearly, learn, remember, reason and make effective decisions, often under extreme stress.

Imagine if we could reduce stress. The impact would be profound – not only on improved mental and physical wellbeing, but ironically on improved learning outcomes.

As an educational publisher, I’ve been in hundreds of schools and see this is a widespread problem. As a trained counsellor I wanted to help.

James’s experience led me to develop a very simple tool called “Ask IAN”, IAN being an acronym for Intention, Attention, No Tension.  “Ask IAN” empowers every individual – from the Head Teacher through to the children - to take control of their thoughts and emotions in the moment.

So how does it work?


When you’re feeling stressed, stuck or overwhelmed, “Ask IAN”. Check in and ask yourself questions using these 3 steps.

Step 1. Intention.
Intention simply means getting clear about and consciously choosing what you want to create. It’s knowing what you’re doing and why.  Intention is the starting point of everything. Every journey, every project, every invention.

Before starting anything, getting clear on what you want is vital. This is your “Intention”.

The key principle behind ‘Intention’ is clarity.

A good way to achieve that clarity is by asking yourself a series of questions:

• Am I clear about what I’m doing now and why?
• What is the purpose of what I’m doing?
• What outcome do I want? (from this meeting, presentation, lesson etc.)

Step 2. Attention.
Attention means focusing on the right things at the right time and taking the right action.  

The key principles behind ‘Attention’ are focus and action.

So ask yourself questions about your focus and action:

• Am I focused on the right thing?  
• Am I distracted?
• What can I do to optimise my environment and remove any distractions?
• Am I taking the right action?  Am I clear what this is?
• What small steps could I take toward my goals?

Step 3. No Tension.
This is where most of us struggle. We get stressed or anxious and block off the natural, healthy flow of energy. Imagine a hosepipe with water flowing through it and we bend it in half and stop the water flowing. This is what happens when we get in our own way with fear, worry or doubt.  We stop momentum building around our creativity and work. Tension can be physical, mental or emotional.

When we experience mental or emotional feelings like stress, worry, anger, frustration, sadness, shame, guilt, or anxiety it creates physical tension in our body.  Releasing this excessive tension in the body is the first simple step in releasing it in our minds and emotions.  It’s the first step towards healing.

Take a moment and ask yourself where is there tension or pain in your body? In your neck and shoulders?  Chest?  Throat? Stomach?  Back? Head? Take three deep breaths right now and ease that tension in your body.

The main principle behind ‘No Tension’ is ease.

So when you’re feeling tension of any kind, ask yourself questions like:

• How can I be kinder and more compassionate to myself and others?
• How can I ease this situation?
• What can I remind myself to be grateful for? My health; my family; my supportive colleagues?  Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions and restores balance remarkably quickly.

Longer term you may want to look at your exercise routine; your sleep patterns; your support network of friends and family and how you can inject more fun into your life.

“Ask IAN” in a nutshell
A helpful metaphor for Intention, Attention, No Tension is to imagine you are making a cake for a friend.
Intention - you decide what kind of cake you want to make.
Attention - you buy the ingredients and make the cake.
No Tension - you put the cake in the oven and leave it to bake.

The principles behind my work center around helping people get back to balance, from any extreme. Our bodies are extraordinarily good at doing this, with some guidance from us. So when we “Ask IAN”, we’re setting our Intention, which acts like a compass; focusing our Attention on the right things and taking the right action to move us towards our goals; and No Tension, reminds us to relax, breathe and enjoy life.

And what about James?

I guided him through this process and “Ask IAN” was born. James set out clear intentions for himself and his work; he took action to take care of himself in a more balanced, healthy and relaxed way; and he took time to relax and ensure he gets at least eight hours sleep each night.

The change in him is remarkable.

He says “Ask IAN” helped him “challenge his priorities and his lifestyle”, helping him “rebalance his life”.

He continues to work as a Head Teacher but now he prioritises his wellbeing and knows how to live a more balanced and fulfilling life.

More remarkable, however, is how simple these changes are to put into effect. So simple in fact, that we can teach our children to “Ask IAN”.

Maria Brosnan is a Business and Wellbeing Consultant.

For more information on how to implement “Ask IAN” across your team or school, please get in touch.
M: 07790 054 230
E: mariabrosnan01@gmail.com
W: maria-brosnan.com


​
1 Comment
<<Previous

    Archives

    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    2005 Conservative Manifesto
    30 Hours
    3D Classsroom
    3D Printer
    3D Software
    3 For Free
    Adele Bannister
    Adobe Spark
    AEGIS
    Alan Thompson
    Andrew Goff
    Andrew Hammond
    Andy Falconer
    Andy Goff
    Animation
    Ann Marie Christian
    Anti-Bullying
    Anti-bullying Guide
    Antonia Clarke
    Apple
    App Of The Week
    Appraisal
    Assessment
    Assessment Systems
    Autism
    Back To School
    Barry Richardson
    Baseline Assessment
    Beatwave
    Bee Aware Initiative
    Bishops Univerity
    Bishops University
    Blue Apple Education
    Briefing Note
    Buncee
    Bursars
    Buying
    Buying Support Agency
    Cardiio
    Careers
    CAS
    Catherine Lees
    Charity
    Chatterpix
    Child Protection
    Child Support
    Choices
    Chris Forrest
    Christina Gabbitas
    Claas
    Claire Fuller
    Claire Stead
    Classroom Technology
    Clifton School And Nursery
    Clubs
    Code Combat
    Code Studio
    Collaboration
    Collaborative Learning
    Collaborative Purchasing
    Competition
    Competitions
    Compliance
    Computing
    Conference
    Conferences
    Conservatives
    Coopetition
    CoSpaces
    CPOMS
    Creative Writing
    Cundall Manor
    Cyber Cafe
    Cyber-security
    Dan Arnold
    Dan Seneker
    David Goulbourn
    David Horton
    David Paton
    David Winfield
    Department For Education
    Deputy Heads
    Devolve Me
    Dfe
    Difficult Conversations
    Difficult Parents
    Diversity
    Dotty
    Early Years
    Economics
    Ecoschools
    EdShow
    Edtech
    Education
    Educational Fads
    Education Policy
    Education Show
    Election 2017
    Eliziam
    Email
    Emil Willis
    Emma Warner-Reed
    Engagement
    E Safety
    E-safety
    ExamPAL
    Feel Real
    Festival Of Learning
    Finance
    Find Of The Fortnight
    Finnish Education
    Firefly
    Flash Fiction
    Flipped Learning
    Flowing Tales
    Formative Assessment
    Funding
    GBM Digital
    Gender
    Gender Stereotypes
    Globalisation
    Gooseberry Planet
    Governors
    Grammar School At Leeds
    Grammar Schools
    Grants
    Green Paper
    Grief Recovery
    Grieving
    Growth Mindset
    GSaL
    Hannah Wilson
    Heads4Heads
    Headship
    Health And Safety
    Helene Ruda
    Henry Smith
    Higher Education
    Hi Impact
    Hi-impact
    Holmewood House
    Homework
    Hyde Park School
    IAPS
    Icomm
    ICT For Leaders
    Incerts
    Incredibox
    Independent Schools
    Independent Thinking
    Innova
    Innovation
    Inspection
    Inspiring Teaching
    Inspiring The Inspirers
    International Higher Education
    International Study
    Internet
    Internet Safety
    Intrinsic Motivation
    Ishita Mandraka
    ISI
    IT
    Jack Adamson
    Jack Jackman
    James Tooley
    Jo Marsden
    Justine Greening
    Kahoot
    Karen Burns
    KCSIE
    Klick Technology
    Koma Koma
    Kylie Reid
    Lab Furniture
    Leaders
    Leadership
    Learning Environments
    Learning Ladders
    Learning Platforms
    Lego Life
    Leigh McGarvie
    Lily Foundation
    Lisa Ashes
    Literacy
    Little Food Company
    Loss
    Lucidpress
    Maria Brosnan
    Mark Davies
    Mark Doherty
    Mark Lomas
    Maths
    Maths Setting
    Matt Haynes
    Matt Koster-Marcon
    Matt Roper
    Meetings
    Mental Health
    Mike Abraham
    Mike Hargreaves
    Miles Berry
    NAHT
    Networks
    Nicola Clifford
    Nursery
    Nursery Education
    Outdoor Learning
    Outward Bound Trust
    Oxford Home Schooling
    P4C
    Parental Engagement
    Parent Apps
    Parenting
    Parents Tour
    Parent Teacher Relationships
    Partners
    Paul Brewer
    Pedagogy
    Peter Carpenter
    Phil Garner
    Philosophy
    Philosophy-for-children
    Pirjo Suhonen
    Playdemic
    Pobble
    Pokemon Go
    Pownall Hall School
    Premier Education
    Principal Resourcing
    Professional Development
    Programming
    Pupil Progress
    Purchasing
    Radnor House School
    Ransomware
    Recruitment
    Red House School
    Renewable Energy
    Resiliance
    Ross Morrison McGill
    Safeguarding
    Samantha Fisher
    Sam Antrobus
    Sarah Barthorpe
    Saving Money
    Savings
    School Communication
    School Outdoor Learning
    Schools
    Secret Parent
    Self Broadcasting
    Sensavis
    Shadow Puppet
    Sheilds
    Shropshire 3D Print
    Smart
    Smart Technologies
    Smoothwall
    Smootwall
    Snapseed
    Social Media
    Software
    Solar For Schools
    Sonia Gill
    Sonita Alleyne
    SOuL
    Splice
    St Bees
    Stella
    Stella James
    Stephanie Walker
    St Olaves
    Stress
    Stronger Together
    Stuart Bayne
    Student Debt
    Students
    Study In Canada
    Studying In The USA
    Study US
    Supply Teaching
    Sustainability
    TeacherIn
    Teacher Shortages
    Teaching
    Teaching And Learning
    Teaching Ideas
    Tech
    Technology
    Teresa May
    Termly Update
    Thomas Packer
    Three For Free
    Tigtagjunior
    Tigtagworld
    Tiny Tap
    Top Trumps It
    Tracy Gladman
    Twig
    Twig World
    University Funding
    USA University Study
    VEO
    Video
    Video Editor
    Video Enhanced Observation
    Videos
    Virtual Reality
    Viviana Doctorovich
    Wellbeing
    WomenEd
    Wonder Why Society
    Work - Life Balance
    Worrinots
    Yasemin Wigglesworth
    Yes Programme

    RSS Feed

Stay social

Picture
(c) Blue Cow Education Limited 2015-20.  All rights reserved.
  • Home
  • About
  • Professional Development in 2021
  • innovatED Magazine
    • innovatED Issue 1
    • innovatED Issue 2
    • innovatED Issue 3
    • innovatED Issue 4