Due: 11th April
Ki te wātea te hinengaro, me te kaha rere o te wairua, ka tāea ngā mea katoa.
When the mind is free and the spirit is willing, anything is possible.
Module Objectives:
Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:
- Identify and implement strategies for managing stress and maintaining well-being.
- Develop and implement effective time management strategies.
- Understand the importance of self-care and identify personal self-care practices.
- Build resilience to navigate the challenges and demands of leadership.
Understanding Stress and its Impact
Reading 1 and 2: “Understanding the Stress Response” – https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
and “Reducing the Impact of Stress” – https://mentalhealth.org.nz/resources/resource/reducing-the-impact-of-stress-the-three-rs
These readings explore the sources of stress, the impact of stress on individual well-being, and the importance of proactive stress management.
Building Resilience
Reading 3: Circle of Influence PowerPoint – https://www.mpls.ox.ac.uk/files/training/circles-of-influence/view
This Powerpoint, from Oxford University, explores a tool developed by Stephen Covey, called the Circles of Influence.
School leaders often grapple with a range of concerns, from urgent tasks to systemic challenges beyond their immediate control. Steven Covey’s concept of “circles of concern” and “influence” provides a valuable framework for navigating these anxieties. The “circle of concern” encompasses all the issues that occupy a leader’s thoughts, including those beyond their control, such as government policies. In contrast, the “circle of influence” represents the areas where a leader can exert some level of control or influence. Focusing energy on the “circle of influence” empowers leaders to be proactive, fostering a sense of agency and reducing feelings of helplessness.
Building resilience is crucial for navigating the complexities of leadership. By cultivating a positive mindset, directing energy towards areas within their control, and prioritising self-care, school leaders can effectively manage stress, bounce back from challenges, and thrive in their roles. A leader’s well-being is paramount. By nurturing their own growth and well-being, school leaders can approach challenges with optimism and determination, ultimately expanding their sphere of influence and creating a positive impact on their school community.
Time Management Strategies
Reading 4: “Managing your Time” – https://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Managing-your-school/Guides-for-managing-your-school/Managing-your-time
This reading will explore various time management techniques. Which ideas are most applicable to you?
Task: Self-Care Practices
Task: “My Self-Care Toolkit”
- Reflect on your current self-care practices. What activities do you currently engage in to support your well-being? Use Te Whare Tapa Whā as a framework to help you reflect https://mentalhealth.org.nz/te-whare-tapa-wha
- Identify areas where you could improve your self-care practices.
- Develop a personal self-care plan that includes a variety of activities, such as exercise, mindfulness, spending time in nature, connecting with loved ones, and engaging in hobbies.
- Post your “My Self-Care Toolkit” (a list of your chosen self-care practices) on the online forum for peer feedback and discussion – 150 words or less.
Assessment:
- Completion of all readings.
- Participation in the online forum discussion.
- Reflection on personal self-care practices and development of a personal self-care plan.
20 Responses
Self-care looks different and has changed markedly as stages of life change. These readings and thoughts have been helpful as I now identify that When I don’t have those ‘things to look forward to’ or ‘know what is coming up’ my stress levels increase.
Self care for me revolves around being aware of what is ahead, and it was affirming to see in the educational leaders documents that
* Plan your appointment and weekly schedule a week in advance rather than from day to day and
* Take a long-term view
as two of the key points. Music and reflective activities such as reading and doing jigsaws are centring. I do enjoy and find being outside relaxing and am privileged to live in the bush surrounded by trees and birds. As a person who works with groups (teaching), lives with others with disabilities and is involved in cross generational care there is a need to build in time for quiet. So selfcare is more about not having to engage- whether choosing a movie or TV programme and knitting or a book and jigsaw with music in the background.
The aspect of self-care that needs more work is the physical activity. Getting organised with attending kapa haka and choir more regularly would tick both the physical, spiritual and social aspects of Te Whare Tapa Whā. This has been my goal this year. Although activities that require being outside home can create more stress as others need to be considered, I recognise that they have a significant benefit, and it is noticeable when I miss these – equally I’m not beating myself up about not being as ‘committed to these’ as I could be.
I love how you have explained that self-care looks different for everyone. It sounds like you do so much with and for others that quiet time, like reading or puzzles, must fill your soul. I am also someone who likes to be planned and know what is coming up, and I am trying to be more flexible with that.
The readings in this module were valuable for reflecting on my current self-care practices. Starting a new role with a long daily commute has had an impact in relation to what this looked like last year.
My connection to whenua remains strong. I feel very connected to the land, living in a rural, coastal environment. Being near the water and on the land is a very grounding environment that allows me to disconnect from the day to day but it is also nurturing. My home in this environment is my sanctuary and a place of beauty and respite. I eat well and have always been aware of food as nourishment to assist me in being my best self.
While my time management strategies have always been efficient, this is an area that needs review to take into account the length of my daily commute. I enjoyed reading Denise Torrey’s article on Principalship in 40 hours a week and how she would deliberately block out time early in the morning to respond to emails in one burst, rather than regularly through the day.
My reviewed self care plan takes into account the Te Whare Tapa Whā model. Continue to eat well, find sanctuary in my home and the land. I will endeavour to exercise at the gym on the weekends ( I love my classes for an extra push and motivation!). Also walking at the beach and in nature as much as possible. On days where I can leave earlier try and find time for a short walk. Delegating to my team and reviewing my time management strategies so I can spend more focused time with my family, friends and within the local community.
I have made a concerted effort to surround myself in positive, dynamic, empathetic friends and colleagues. Having a positive mindset and resilience in my professional and personal life underpins all of my self-care practices.
Your awareness of how your new commute impacts your self-care is insightful. I love how you’re incorporating elements of Te Whare Tapa Whā into your revised plan, from your sanctuary at home to exercise and connecting with loved ones. Your focus on a positive mindset is key.
My family and friends are really important to me. I try to spend as much time with them as possible and make an effort to appreciate the time I am lucky to have with them. Additionally, taking my dogs on adventures and finding new places to explore – seeing them happy makes me happy. I also enjoy hiking with my friends. We do a few small ones a year and have been ticking off one of the DOC great walks each year (we only have 4 left!)
At work, I love a good to-do list and am getting better at splitting my own list into must dos and can do, just like I do for my learners. I map out my responsibilities for the term and try to piece them together a bit like a puzzle to ensure everything gets done, when it needs to, otherwise I fixate on the stuff that fills my cup and other things get left behind… The ‘not my circus, not my monkeys’ has always been my go to and I try not to stress about things out of my control or areas of responsibility! My PLG lead and I recently went and observed at a local school and loved their shared planning approach so have started kicking that off at our school. I think this will help not only with our own stress but build a positive culture within our school and help with teacher burnout, which ends up affecting everyone else!
It sounds like you have a really lovely balance in your self-care kete, prioritising both connection and personal enjoyment. Your strategies for managing your mahi and embracing collaboration at work are also very effective.
Educational leaders (MOE publication) focussed heavily on how explicit you were in your time management. Gave a sense of being direct but kind to yourself. I reflected on the importance of personal systems and processes to lift my own productivity within working hours and prioritising personal time for family, exercise and self care.
The circles of concern reading and exercise was beneficial as it helped to focus on my concerns within my leadership role and classroom, which I can have influence on versus what I can control. Having time to reflect on what I can control is a great tool for wellbeing from a mental well being perspective. Often as teachers and leaders, it can be an all encompassing profession where we worry about how we are positively impacting the education and wellbeing outcomes of others. By being able to invest in the things that we know we can have influence and/or control over, we feel success in ourselves, therefore increasing our own feelings of success and wellbeing.
With the Te Whare Tapu Wha model in mind, my self care practices would include:
Whenua – keeping my home as a safe space for us all, a place to love, share stresses, emotions, joy and successes, ensuring my whanau always see our house as a home not a building
Taha wairua/Taha Hinengaro – taking time to pause, hug my family watching a movie, celebrating successes together, coming back to our whanau values
Taha Whanau – outings and walks with family, board games, dinner every night at the table
Taha Tinana – playing hockey, pilates, walking
It sounds like you have a very strong and well-considered self-care plan, deeply rooted in Te Whare Tapa Whā. Your focus on creating a safe and nurturing home, connecting with whānau, and prioritising physical activity is fantastic.
I have been lucky enough to have one of my passions—dance—not only as a personal joy but also as something I have taught for many years. For me, dance is a way to escape the stress of life and freely move my body. I am also fortunate to have good friends in my dance space, where we can chat about life and support each other.
Most mornings, I try to wake up early and do a bit of exercise, which helps me feel energized for the day.
Church is another happy place for me, and listening to worship music brings me a sense of calm and mindfulness. I also have little routines, like having a hot chocolate at the end of the night—it may seem small, but it’s my way of doing something just for me, especially as a mum.
At school, I’m working on doing more collaborative planning so that I don’t have to bring as much work into my weekends. That way, I can spend more time with family and friends, and I can already see it improving.
One area I’d like to work on is controlling my thoughts—avoiding self-doubt and not catastrophizing over small things. I also want to find a better balance between helping others and looking after myself.
Your reflection beautifully illustrates how you weave your passions and connections into your well-being. Dance, friendships, church, and even your nightly hot chocolate all sound like nurturing practices.
Thank you for crystalising that dilemma of ‘ better balance between helping others and looking after myself’. That is definitely a challenge for me too.
I will say work- life balance is a constant juggling act and every year this looks a little different for me, depending on my roles. However, having clear boundaries established at the start of each year supports me with this.
In my personal life:
Prioritising exercise really helps my mindset, moving my body at least 3x a week, finding an exercise I enjoy and doing it with a friend helps me stick to this routine, even in those times when I’m feeling tired and could easily let this one slide. Planning regular time with my partner, family and friends, I’m someone who loves connection and so planning time to spend with my special people really uplifts me and supports my mood.
Professional life:
Having boundaries around how much time I will dedicate to school work at home really supports my well-being. My aim is to not do work after 6pm and if there is work I need to do on a weekend(in busier times), I will decide how much time this requires, set a timer, put my phone away and only dedicate this amount of time to it. This stops me feeling resentful of work taking up too much of my own time. Two new things I will be adding to my professional tool kit (takeaways from our PLG) is asking myself, is this my monkey? Before taking on new tasks. I tend to want to help but this can leave me overloaded and prioritising things that are on top for other people rather than what is on top for me. I will think about how I can redirect these people in order to support them rather than taking the responsibility myself. The other is thinking about my to-do list and ensuring it is realistic, only prioritising 1-2 things at time instead of putting so many things on there that the priorities aren’t clear.
Kara, I agree with you about ‘is this my monkey?’ I laugh about this every time someone asks something or something comes up in conversations, and if it’s not my monkey, I find myself walking away more and more.
So helpful right!
It’s so true that work-life balance is a constant juggle, and your proactive approach to setting clear boundaries each year is a fantastic strategy. Your commitment to exercise, connecting with loved ones, and managing your workload at home are all excellent ways to support your well-being.
Personal life:
Family/friends time – prioritise family/friends time to ensure a good work/life balance
Me time – create opportunities to do activities I enjoy to recharge
Professional life:
Cut my goals in half – set small and achievable goals instead of big picture goals that seem too impossible to each or too big to tackle
Say no -say yes to part of a task rather than taking it all on
Promote positive wellbeing at work – look after others, show gratitude, create opportunities to connect to establish a positive working environment for myself and others.
I know from talking with you that wellbeing is really important to you, Melody. It’s great to see you’re prioritising both personal and professional well-being. Breaking down goals and saying ‘no’ are powerful tools!
I like your idea with saying yes to part of the task but not all of it.
My Self-Care Toolkit/self-care practices:
Currently, and for the last few years, I have tried to prioritise my physical health more and develop habits that I can realistically stick to that keep me exercising and continuing to make physical progress. This has taken me a long time to develop, but am now in the habit of waking up for a 5:00 am workout at my local gym with some of close friends and colleagues, which help with motivation and inspiration.
I have made a conscious effort to surround myself with people who lift me up, help me to grow personally, and are positive/forward thinkers. I actively put more of my time and effort into these people socially, compared to the ones who when I leave after seeing them, make me feel drained or negative. I make sure to video call my family out of Auckland each week, and see my family in Auckland each week, and see my good friends every weekend.
I make it a priority to go for a walk in nature every month, and at least a bigger hike/tramp twice a year, as my partner and I both enjoy being outdoors and seeing Aotearoa’s natural beauty. This helps with keeping my mind clear and putting my worries and the things that can potentially get me down, into perspective.
I have continued to stick to my professional and personal boundaries around taking work home, staying late at work, and always being aware of my current workload and state of mental well being. Although, I am finding my workload has increased at the moment so am working on balancing this and juggling the many roles I have, whether that means delegation, a shared workload, or offloading a role/task onto another person. This is a work in progress as we are experiencing a rather busier than usual term 1.
I appreciate your honesty about the challenges of balancing a busy workload, Nathan. Thank you for sharing. Your strategies for delegation and shared workload are valuable, and your commitment to maintaining boundaries is commendable, though not always easy!