In previous articles for SecEd, I have mentioned a piece of research conducted in close collaboration with the Education Support Partnership by academics at City University London.
This looked into the value and importance of a break from work for your mental health and identified that when we say “I need a break”, what we are really expressing is more than simply a turn of phrase – but a scientifically proven fact!
The first round of the research identified the vital importance of having breaks in the school calendar to allow teachers’ emotional energy resources and psychological health to be restored.
Dr Paul Flaxman, the senior lecturer in organisational psychology at City University London, and his team asked a group of teachers to complete a brief survey at the end of eight consecutive weeks capturing the period before, during, and after the two-week Christmas break in 2013.
The results showed that those who continued to worry and ruminate about school and work during the Christmas break were less likely to recover fully from the demands of the teaching term.
Conversely, teachers who were able to satisfy three “basic psychological needs” – a sense of competence, autonomy, and feeling close and connected to other people – during the Christmas break had much higher levels of psychological health.
Importantly, the beneficial effects of basic psychological need fulfilment were seen not only during the Christmas break itself, but also in the first few weeks of the new term in January.
So, as we rattle through the summer term towards exams and as we face all the other pressures of this time of year, I want to remind you how important taking a proper break from work is. As the research has highlighted, a break is quite literally good for you.
The research team was able to make a range of helpful recommendations, including recognising the importance of taking time to reflect on even the small actions that help make us feel in control of our lives, such as planning our diary to include leisure and exercise, or actions that help to improve our sense of connectedness with family and friends, such as socialising and helping others.
They also made a point of highlighting the benefits of mindfulness training for helping us to “disentangle” from worry and rumination.
Speaking about the study, Dr Flaxman said: “Our work shows that regular breaks for teachers are incredibly important for their psychological health. Ensuring that teachers have these opportunities to recover from the considerable demands of the job will help to prevent burn-out. In my opinion, it is vital that these regular breaks in the school calendar are conserved.”
As the only UK charity providing counselling and support services for individuals and organisations in education, almost half the calls the Education Support Partnership receives are related to mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression. Thus, we are only too aware of the stresses and strains of the job.
By working with City University on this on-going occupational health research, we hope to better understand how teachers can maximise the benefits of non-work time so they can come back refreshed and ready to face life back at school.
So if you are interested in this work then why not get involved? This month City University is seeking more UK teachers to contribute to a second round of this research. They would love for as many readers to join in as possible (see below for details). Participants will need to register by mid-May and in return will get a chance to share their own experiences of work and leisure time. The research is completely confidential and all participants will receive feedback on the results, along with some practical tips and recommendations for improving their own wellbeing and personal resilience.
Moreover, everyone taking part will be helping to provide data with the potential to help future teachers avoid burn-out and stay healthy, despite the considerable demands and pressures of the job. A job well done indeed.
Meantime, I’d like to offer the following advice. Do try to make sure you keep your work commitments during this coming half-term to an absolute minimum and instead make the best of the time to detach from work, decompress and relax.
This could help prepare you for the busy sprint to the end of the school year and your class, your colleagues, and your own sense of wellbeing, will thank you for it as you emerge from the break mentally stronger and restored.
- Julian Stanley is the CEO of the Education Support Partnership. For help or advice on this issue or others facing those working in education, contact the free 24-hour helpline on 08000 562 561 or see more at www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk
Further information
For details on the second round of research or to get involved, visit www.city.ac.uk/assessing-teachers-well-being or email teachers.wellbeing@city.ac.uk