It's Mental Health Awareness Week.
Staff and students within the Higher Education sector are facing pressure like they've never known it before. In timely fashion on Monday this week, Universities UK launched an updated version of StepChange - a framework for what mentally healthy universities look like. Mental health is something to be preserved all year round not just for once a week and I think it's a good step that underlying structures are now being considered.
Even though we aren't yet quite sure whether we have escaped relatively unscathed (I imagine not many of us have) we are already pondering what next term may look like and how we might support our staff and students in what has already become an overused term - the 'new normal'. I'm hoping it will be more personalised, more flexible and more inclusive.
Despite much being out of our control, there is still plenty within it. Therefore, we all have a responsibility for ourselves and for others in our care. It may not be perfect, far from it, but as Brené Brown says 'we are doing the best we can with the tools we have'.
Some of what I'm doing for others:
Staff and students within the Higher Education sector are facing pressure like they've never known it before. In timely fashion on Monday this week, Universities UK launched an updated version of StepChange - a framework for what mentally healthy universities look like. Mental health is something to be preserved all year round not just for once a week and I think it's a good step that underlying structures are now being considered.
Even though we aren't yet quite sure whether we have escaped relatively unscathed (I imagine not many of us have) we are already pondering what next term may look like and how we might support our staff and students in what has already become an overused term - the 'new normal'. I'm hoping it will be more personalised, more flexible and more inclusive.
Despite much being out of our control, there is still plenty within it. Therefore, we all have a responsibility for ourselves and for others in our care. It may not be perfect, far from it, but as Brené Brown says 'we are doing the best we can with the tools we have'.
Some of what I'm doing for others:
- I'm creating workshop material that I hope is sympathetic to people's circumstances; e.g. they don't have to worry about when to feed their children as my workshops aren't live and therefore don't clash
- I've extended all deadlines where possible
- I'm providing free mindfulness workshops and recordings
- I'm offering free coaching to work colleagues
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My local woods which I can't currently visit.
They are the inspiration for one of my mindfulness exercises.
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Some of what I'm doing for myself:
- Switching off at weekends and spending time with my kids in the garden
- Recognising when I'm getting frustrated at people's emails and stepping away till I'm calmer
- Being kind to myself - there's only so much I can do in my circumstances
- Allocating time for my yoga teacher training. I'm enjoying seeing the links between this and my coaching and teaching practices.
What about you? How are you acknowledging your own mental health and that of your colleagues and students?
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