How To Prioritise Self-Care In The Holidays

By Life Skills Group

Published 12 December 2018 14.22 PM

The holiday period is approaching for most of us and it’s finally time to unwind and relax after this year’s hard work. We all know that having this time off is essential for us to implement positive self-awareness and self-care strategies. It allows us to reflect on our achievements of the year, as well as maximising our capacity for enjoyment over the summer holiday period.

However sometimes it’s hard to wind down, especially for people working with children in schools…

According to new research the teaching occupation is strongly linked to increased stress, anxiety and alcohol dependency.

So how do we make the most of our summer break and maintain a positive sense of wellbeing and reducing overall stress levels, so we're ready for the new year? We've outlined 3 tips on how to form your plan for the holiday, that will help ensure you get the most out of your holiday. 


1. Reflect on your goals

Boud et. al (1994) details that one of the most important building blocks of learning is self-reflection and grasping a clear sense of critical awareness of yourself and those around you. 

A self-reflection activity could be as simple as recognising:

  • What you wanted to achieve
  • What you have achieved

  • What you can do better

  • How you were resilient and overcame adversity

  • Your plans for the short, medium and long term

This is an excellent way to increase learning about yourself and your goals, and also to reduce stress, as you are able to recognise what you truly have accomplished while planning for the future.


2. Establish a routine

It’s totally understandable that after a hard schooling year, our holiday seem better spent watching Netflix or sunbaking at the beach. However, for the days in between it’s important to also include time for our own personal growth and development. Form a routine over the summer break period which encompasses learning for yourself as well as making time for your own professional development.

Research shows that teacher’s summer holiday workloads have increased by almost a third.

By forming a routine and consciously planning for your holiday commitments and also making time for learning, you give yourself not only an increased sense of personal wellbeing, but you're also continually providing yourself new information and fresh perspectives from which to approach lessons. This will leave you feeling relaxed, energised and organised as you step into the new year. 


3. Participate in activities proven to reduce stress

Activities such as meditation and yoga help to truly unwind, with many scientific studies show the efficacy of meditation, self-regulation and yoga. By making some time for yourself to switch off and form a routine for your own self-care. The holiday period is the perfect time to start something new, form a habit and then strategise on how to incorporate it into your daily life as you go back to work.

By putting into practice all or some of these tips, you can enjoy your holidays with improved self-awareness and a renewed motivation to serve as an education leader for the new year.

 

Want to find out how Life Skills GO can help your school understand and achieve your wellbeing goals?

 


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Book a personalised meeting with our product specialists, to will show you how Life Skills GO can help you achieve your school's wellbeing goals. We will guide you through a short interactive demo and answer any questions to help you determine if Life Skills GO is right for your school. 

And get started with your FREE TRIAL today

 

Start collecting valuable, student driven data with Life Skills GOan easy-to-use emotion and wellbeing data collection tool, designed in collaboration with educators, that measures student readiness to learn, and is supported with a comprehensive library of evidence-based and curriculum aligned resources and adaptive lessons to foster wellbeing and social and emotional literacy.

 


Additional Resources

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Life Skills Group

Life Skills Group is Australia’s market leader in curriculum-based social emotional and physical learning programs for students and educators.

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