Yet, we’re not always good at adjusting to this ‘holiday life’. Whilst the day-to-day routine of ‘school life’ stops, the meaningful work behind it does not. There are still exams approaching, staffing and child concerns, impending inspections and a plethora of other issues which do not simply disappear because the school building is closed.
Schools are so much more than the building. Schools are organic communities: alive and breathing. Being part of that body often brings a tangle of attachments and sense of responsibility which may not be fully understood by those in different sectors.
If this resonates, I offer this article as an invitation to prioritise yourself: not to be selfish, but to be self-caring.
“Self-care is not self-indulgent, it is self-preservation” – Audre Lorde
If finding what works for you is a challenge in itself, The Healthy Mind Platter may give you food for thought. This model identifies 7 essential ‘nutrients’ to maximise mental health: