5 ways teachers can support their mental health
‘Little ones staring in front of a computer screen instead of being active on the school playground’ – that’s the reality for many children, parents, and teachers during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. While it has been challenging for all those involved, teachers have borne a considerable brunt of it, as they have to soldier on and lead others in this ‘new normal’.
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Granted, many countries have begun getting children back to school, including in the UAE where the gradual and phased return of regular learning has been permitted until the end of this school year. Even so, blended learning comes with similar challenges and the effects of the pandemic will linger on, impacting the mental health of teachers. So much so that Pacific Prime Dubai will give teachers words of wisdom.
1. It’s difficult for all those involved. Set reasonable expectations.
Children will naturally miss socializing with their peers, and will have trouble concentrating with remote lessons. For older kids, the cancellation of exams and uncertainty regarding their places at university is likewise going to be challenging. To top it off, parents (including yourself, if you have kids) may be struggling with working from home, and have to juggle work and childcare duties. Therefore, it’s important to realize that it’s not business as usual.
If you find some of your top students not performing as well, it’s probably not a reflection of your abilities. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not able to teach as well or move forward with the syllabus as planned – that’s only to be expected. Conversely, it’s more important that you set realistic goals and expectations. This will ensure that you feel much more fulfilled, and help you maintain your mental health during this time. The two main ways you can do this are:
Set working hours
It may be tempting to make up for the challenges of remote learning by always being available to help your students. That being said, you need to ensure that you avoid burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, as that doesn’t help anybody. Alternatively, set working hours for when you can be reached. This will give you a better work-life balance, and serve as a good example for your fellow students as well.
Create a designated teaching space
A designated teaching space within your house can also do wonders for your mental health. It’s a psychological trick that enables you to disconnect from work easily. Consequently, you’ll remain more productive and teach better during working hours. A win-win for all! While not everyone will have the luxury of a home office to teach from, even just one corner of your home will suffice.
2. Communication is key to make sure everything runs smoothly.
Overnight, schools had to adapt to remote learning. It’s fair to say that things may be a bit chaotic, especially if the school doesn’t already have online systems in place to facilitate remote learning. As a teacher, you’re the link between school administrators, parents, and students. This means the pressure is very much on you to maintain a sense of normalcy during these trying times.
Given this, effective communication is key to ensuring that everything runs as smoothly as possible. Make sure your students and their parents are aware of any new school (or government) policy that may arise. Let school administrators know what the students think about said policies and give feedback based on your experience. With everyone on the same page, things will feel more in control, and so will your state of mind.
3. No matter how busy things get, take out time for yourself.
Whether it’s adapting to the new ways you have to teach or dealing with anxiety around the COVID-19 pandemic, you may feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. However, it’s important that you don’t neglect your mental health. Try to carve out some time to prioritize self-care, or any other things that help you feel balanced. This could be a number of things including exercise, meditation, or spending time on a hobby.
Speaking of exercise, make sure you get some movement during the day. Under normal circumstances, teachers move around a lot from one classroom to another, or even within a classroom as they teach. As you’re teaching remotely from behind a screen now, you could set a timer or create breaks specifically for you to move around the house (and even complete some chores). Anything to get your body moving will help you foster mental wellness.
4. Be unapologetic about prioritizing your mental health.
Despite all your best efforts, there will come times where you don’t feel great. Be unapologetic about prioritizing yourself and your mental health, making sure you’re clear and transparent about what you’re capable of and what you need. It may seem like a selfish thing to do in light of everything that’s going on in the world right now. However, it’s important not to undermine your struggles.
As a teacher, you’re also a role model to your students. It’s important to teach them early on that mental health issues are perfectly normal, and that it’s necessary for them to prioritize their mental health going forward into adulthood. There is no better way to do this than to lead by example. Turn inwards, work on your mental wellness, and you’ll invariably inspire others to follow suit.
5. Don’t be afraid to seek help if you need to.
Sometimes you can’t handle things on your own and need to get help from others. School administrators and HR teams should be familiar with ‘how to improve the mental health of teachers’. They may even have dedicated mental health support for teachers during COVID-19. This may be in the form of employee benefits like Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) that offer counseling and crisis support, or even group health insurance with mental health coverage.
Even if your school does provide comprehensive employee benefits, including mental health support, it may still be worth securing your own health insurance with mental health coverage. This is especially the case if you plan to switch to a different school in the UAE at some point, or even decide to teach abroad in a different country. In this case, international health insurance will be a good bet as it’s globally portable, amongst many other advantages.
Looking for health insurance? Contact Pacific Prime UAE
Pacific Prime UAE can advise you on healthcare and health insurance matters, and help you select the best medical insurance in Dubai and the UAE. Whether you’re looking for an individual plan or a family plan, rest assured you’ll get the best plan for your needs and budget. What’s more, you’ll also get a whole host of value-added services completely free of charge versus going to the insurer directly.
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With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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