National Emotional Wellness Month is upon us once more, and not a moment too soon. This month marks a time where we can look inward, reflect on our stress levels, and make necessary changes to collectively improve our mental health and emotional well-being. With my years of experience as a clinical psychologist and founder of Housman Institute’s first lab school, Beginnings Child Development Center, I am no stranger to the stressors that early childhood leaders and teachers face, especially during the autumn months – a midpoint between the chaotic start-of-the-school year and the holiday season. Stress can impact our patience levels, emotional availability, and work performance, leading to burnout and mental health struggles if left unmanaged.
When school leaders are unable to manage their emotions from stress or take care of their own mental health and emotional well-being, the aftershock spreads throughout the entire school community, impacting teachers, children, and families. That is why it is so important that leaders take a top-down approach to create a school culture that prioritizes improved mental health, emotional wellness, and emotional intelligence.
In celebration of National Emotional Wellness month, this blog breaks down 5 strategies for leaders like you to promote emotional wellness, emotional intelligence, and mental health personally, for your leadership team, and your teachers.
Read to the end to download our free Emotional Wellness Month Action Calendar!
Emotion is at the center of all relationships, and how we respond to children and to each other matters. We all have emotional fingerprints from our own early experiences that shape how we react to stress as adults. It is common for us to shut down, walk away, or feel like exploding when faced with stress, but are any of these reactions really benefiting us? It should be no surprise that the answer is no. Remember the “oxygen mask” rule: leaders and teachers need to address their emotional and mental health needs first by enhancing their own emotional intelligence.
So, what is emotional intelligence? From my years of research and experience, I’ve broken down what I refer to as the building blocks of emotional intelligence into four quadrants:
We often only focus on helping children develop emotional intelligence, but how can we expect educators to effectively teach these important skills when we aren’t strengthening them ourselves? Leaders and teachers must enhance their own emotional intelligence to support not just one another, but also children’s development of these same skills.
Self-awareness and emotional awareness are key to improving our emotional wellness. When we are aware of our emotions, what causes them, how they impact us, and what we can do to manage them, we are better able to put strategies in place that benefit us in the future.
There are 6 levels of Emotional Awareness:
The common thread that ties each of these steps together is self-reflection. Processing each step both in the heat-of-the-moment and afterwards allows us to learn from our experiences, reactions, and mistakes and effectively manage feelings from stress.
Self-reflection and emotional awareness help us maintain self-control, put effective strategies in place, make proactive decisions, maintain positive relationships, and communicate effectively – all necessary to fostering a positive and supportive school. Dedicate time to writing down your reflections using the 4 quadrants of emotional intelligence as a guide.
Ask yourself the following questions when reflecting on a stressful experience and encourage your staff to do the same:
Emotional Recognition & Identification "What was I feeling in the heat-of-the-moment? Did my feelings change? How am I feeling about the experience now?" |
Emotional Understanding "What caused me to feel that way? How did I react? How did my reaction impact the situation positively and negatively?" |
Emotional Expression "How did I express my feelings in the moment? Did I express my feelings constructively? How could I have better expressed myself?" |
Emotional Regulation "How did I handle the situation? What strategies did I use to manage my emotions? Did the strategies help? What could I do to better manage my emotions going forward?" |
Finding time to write your reflections daily allows you to notice changes in your emotions, behaviors, and strategies, as well as track your emotional intelligence and emotional awareness growth.
Read to the end to download, print, and distribute our free School-Wide Reflections Handout for your staff!
As leaders, you can incorporate self-awareness, emotional awareness, and self-reflection into your school-wide support system by implementing Reflective Practice, our adaptation of Reflective Supervision. Reflective Practice is a collaborative process that can occur between members of the leadership team, leaders and teachers, mentors and mentees, and even co-teachers. It helps mitigate stress by providing a safe space for individuals to reflect on their experiences and related feelings, think critically, find solutions to challenges, and meet professional goals.
Within a system of Reflective Practice, leaders dedicate time to consistently observe classrooms and meet 1:1 with the teachers they support. During Reflective Practice sessions, leaders ask open-ended questions to guide teachers in exploring a challenging experience through 6 steps:
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Incorporating Reflective Practice into the support you provide to teachers and members of your leadership team places a school-wide emphasis on connection, collaboration, emotional wellness, and professional growth. Systems of Reflective Practice allow all members of a school community – starting with leaders at the top – to better themselves personally and professionally.
Investing in leadership development and teacher professional development helps reduce stress, increase engagement, and improve emotional wellness. Seek out professional development options that incorporate mindfulness and self-reflection and create a list for your staff to choose from.
Add Housman Institute’s asynchronous Reflective Practice for School Leaders and Educators’ Emotional Well-Being training programs to your list!
Prioritizing emotional wellness and mental health shouldn’t just be a focus this month but every month. Utilizing these strategies can help you begin your emotional wellness journey along with your entire school community, and we’re with you every step of the way.
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