Staff and Parent Wellbeing

Click here to access the Teacher Wellbeing course on Aldo. The purpose of this short module is to increase your understanding of the importance of staff wellbeing and its links with pupil wellbeing.

Take 5 Wellbeing videos

This is been a difficult time for everyone, and we all need to look after ourselves and each other. Taking steps to look after your own mental health is important for you, your family and those you look after.

We all need to take some time for self care. These videos are based on our Staff and Parent Wellbeing Toolkit and provide quick tips and suggestions to help you “Take 5” to take care of you.

Making connections part 1 Our first video is about Connections. Connectedness and a sense of belonging are key to positive mental health. We all need to feel safe and supported in the groups we are part of; family friends, colleagues and community. So what can you do to feel more connected today?

Making connections part 2 – Acts of Kindness Kindness creates a sense of belonging and can help us feel less isolated. You never know what other people are going through and the difference that an act of kindness or some kind words can make. There are many ways you can engage in small acts of kindness which will have a positive effect on others but can also make a difference to your own wellbeing. It can decrease our stress levels, lower our blood pressure and release feel good chemicals and boost our happiness. This video has some ideas of random acts of kindness but there more suggestions in here – Making Connections | (glowscotland.org.uk ,

Making connections part 3 – Gratitude In this video we wanted to let you know that being grateful or thankful can have a similar impact on how you feel to the acts of kindness in the previous video.

At times it may feel that there isn’t much to be grateful for but in the video we share some ways we can find to be grateful or thankful about some of the smaller things in life. We have a tendency to take things for granted so when we give thanks for every day things it makes them visible to us again and gives us a happiness boost and can train our brains to see the good, even amid the bad.

We hope you get a wee happiness boost from noticing something you are grateful for today.

Managing Thoughts and Feelings part 1 This time we look at how we manage our thoughts and feelings. We have borrowed some ideas from cognitive behavioural therapy and we are asking you to take a look at how your thoughts affect how you feel and behave. Sometimes our thoughts are not helpful and they can be difficult to change but starting to notice the impact of your thoughts on your mood and actions is a good first step in improving your mental wellbeing.

Managing Thoughts and Feelings part 2 – Common Thinking Errors This second video on How we manage our thoughts and feelings looks at Common Thinking Errors. We all do it, whether we think we can mind read and know what others think of us, or whether we take a small thought and turn it in to a big deal with no real evidence. Again we have borrowed some ideas from cognitive behavioural therapy and we are asking you to take a look at your own thinking errors. Our website has examples of questions you can ask yourself to help put things in to perspective and to help you challenge these negative thoughts – see here Thinking and Thoughts | (glowscotland.org.uk

Managing thoughts and feelings part 3 – Managing worries This is the 3^rd video about How we manage our thoughts and feelings. We have talked about how thoughts and feelings can have an impact on our behaviour and we have looked at common thinking errors we all make when it come to negative thoughts. This time we are looking at managing worries and how we stop worries taking over. Our website has a simple worry script you could use and some other ideas for how we manage worries day to day. You can access that here – Worrying | (glowscotland.org.uk) Remember a small shift can create positive change

Learning something new part 1 In this video we explore the value to our wellbeing of learning something new. This doesn’t mean academic learning but can be any new skill from learning a language to baking that perfect banana bread. Some people recently have taken the opportunity to pick up the skills for something new and as we have come out of lockdown, it can be good to still make time for this creativity. It can boost your mood and can actually change your brain for the better, so why don’t you give something a go that you have always fancied.

Learning something new part 2 This second video about Learning something new focusses on overcoming the challenges involved whilst learning new skills. There are likely to be some failures and this can perhaps lead to feeling of self doubt. It is important to recognise the value of making mistakes as they are an incredibly vital learning tool How we face mistakes can often be related to whether we have a growth or fixed mindset and this in turn can influence how we see the world. Reflecting on what didn’t go well can sometimes be more useful to us than getting things right and the brain is like a muscle in that the more we exercise it, the better it gets, and learning new things really gets the neurons firing. So don’t give up the mindful breathing exercises just because they didn’t work the first time, keep going with your new skill and soon it will get easier.

Looking after yourself part 1 – Sleep We all know how important sleep is and you may have noticed changes to your sleep patterns at the moment for a variety of reasons. In this next Take 5 video, we look at a few different things that can help us get a better night’s sleep, including thinking about our sleep habits and ways to de-stress that can help us get a better sleep. It is important to make sure we look after ourselves as best we can, especially if we provide support to others, and it is important to put on your own wellbeing lifejacket first.

Looking after yourself part 2 – Health eating Like sleep, we all know the importance of healthy eating and what we probably should and shouldn’t be eating, but sometimes it is easier said than done. Often when we are stressed, our eating habits change and we can seek comfort in food or drink, but how often have you eaten something quickly and then not really felt the enjoyment of it? We talk about some tips about making small changes, and not being too hard on yourself. Perhaps also this would be a good time to be learning something new (see Take 5 Learning Something New Part 1) as a distraction from that craving!

Paying attention to now In this video we talk about the importance of Paying attention to now. Life is very changeable and our brains can be very busy with lots of different thoughts and at times these can threaten to overwhelm us. It can be helpful to try and focus on now and try and calm our busy brains by focusing on one thing. This might be the ground beneath our feet, or the sounds we can hear, and other mindfulness strategies, such as being aware of our breathing, can help us restore some calm. What sound can you hear right now when you stop and listen? You can find some examples of things to do here – Paying Attention to Now | (glowscotland.org.uk and Paying Attention to Now Continued | (glowscotland.org.uk). Give it a go, and take several deep breaths.

Seeking Help part 1 We all have times when we need help from others but it isn’t always easy to ask. In this video we look a bit at why this is and we have some ideas about how to make it easier to ask for help. Instead of thinking of reasons why we shouldn’t ask for help, have a go at thinking of reasons why you should, and just ask someone. It will also boost their wellbeing if they are able to help you (see Take 5 Acts of Kindness – YouTube)

Seeking help part 2 In this second video about Seeking Help, we ask how you got on with asking for help after our last video. We know it isn’t always easy and we have some more tips about asking for help when we need it. Asking for help is also another good way of looking after yourself and making sure you take care of your wellbeing. Also knowing what it feels to receive help might make you more likely to offer help in return at some point, which can further increase the feel good chemicals in our brains.