Author: Psychiatry

The Importance of
Staff Wellness

End of the School Year Burnout

Newsletter Contents
- Burnout
- Preventing Stress
- Six Dimensions of Wellness
- Tips to Creating Wellness
- References

The end of the academic year is fast approaching. The optimism and enthusiasm that was once present at the beginning of this school year has since faded and the prospect of summer vacation is making the everyday task of educating your students a struggle. There have been many studies documenting that educators have reported high levels of stress and burnout (Abel & Sewell, 2001). Excessive stress can lead to burnout and therefore it is important to take care of yourself to avoid over-exertion and emotional exhaustion. Burnout is associated with suppressed feelings of personal accomplishment and a negative evaluation of oneself (Maslach & Jackson, 1981). Blasé has found that job related stress is the main factor leading to burnout (1982). Consequences of burnout include: diminished job satisfaction, strained relationships between the teacher and student, reduced student motivation and decreased teacher effectiveness in meeting educational requirements and goals (Kyriacou & Sutcliff, 1978) The key to coping with the stress that may lead to burnout is to know your personal tolerance level for stressful situations and learn to incorporate healthy ways of dealing with this stress (NMHA, 2007).

Strategies to Prevent Everyday Stress

If you want to reduce the amount of stress in your life, isolate one stressor and write out a step-by-step plan to work on managing it in different ways. The following are some additional tips to consider while achieving your goal.
Take a break from your worries by doing something that you enjoy. Schedule time in your day to do so.
Exercise for at least 20 to 30 minutes a day
When taking a break or eating lunch get up and walk around and talk with others instead of staying at your desk in your office or classroom.
Share your feelings with friends and family
Visually rehearse potentially stressful situations such as a job presentation or meeting with your principal
Try keeping a journal or diary
Be willing to say no. Do not take on more responsibility than you can handle.
Do one thing at a time.
Mental Health America. Stress- Coping with everyday problems. Retrieved April 11th, 2007, from http://www.nmha.org

Six Dimensions of Wellness

Well-being is defined by Jaffe & Scott as “a feeling of vitality, of energy, of ability to do” (1984, pg. 152). It is important to strengthen your sense of well-being in all areas. The World Health Organizations has stated that wellness is not merely the absence of disease but incorporates positive functioning in other areas of ones life (Hattie, Myers, & Sweeny, 2005). Accordingly, there are six dimensions of wellness: Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, Intellectual and Occupational.
Physical Wellness: It is important to watch what you consume, as your nutrition plays a large part in how you feel. Managing your stress through daily exercising and physical activities also helps in maintaining physical wellness.
Emotional Wellness: Your emotional wellness depends a lot on your ability to effectively manage your feelings. The integration of feelings, cognition and behavior contributes to your overall emotional state.
Social Wellness: Having positive and supportive relationships helps to balance the need for social interactions. Communicating with others is important.
Spiritual Wellness: Transcending oneself to question the meaning and purpose in life and appreciating that which cannot be fully understood.
Intellectual Wellness: Demonstrating commitment to lifelong learning and seeking to make ones existence more satisfying.
Occupational Wellness: An appreciation of the external environment. Working to protect, preserve and improve external conditions.

Keep things in perspective. Your job should not come at the expense of health, family and friends.
Take time away. Even just finding a quiet place and listening to music can reduce stress.
Organize your workspace. Conquer the clutter now!
Laugh. When you – or the people around you -- start taking things too seriously, find a way to laugh.
Have realistic expectations. Having unrealistic expectations for what you can accomplish sets you up for failure -- and increased stress.
Maintain a positive attitude (and avoid those without one). Negativity takes the energy and motivation out of any situation, so avoid it.
Talk it out. Talking with someone close to you may be all that it takes to eliminate stress.

References
Abel, M., & Sewell, J. (1999). Stress and Burnout in Rural and Urban Secondary School Teachers. Journal of Educational Research, 92(5)
Kyriacou, C., & Sutcliffe, J. (1978). Teacher stress: Prevalence, sources and symptoms. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 48, 159-167
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S.E. (1981). The Measurement of Experienced Burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113
Jaffe, D. T., & Scott, C. D. (1984). From Burnout to Balance: A Workbook for Peak Performance and Self-Renewal. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Hattie, J., Myers, J., & Sweeny, TJ. (2004). A Factor Structure of Wellness: Theory, Assessment, Analysis and Wellness. Journal of Counseling and Development, 82, 354-362
Retrieved on April 13th, 2007 from: http://www.emich.edu/wellness/dimensions_of_wellness.htm

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The Importance of Staff Wellness

Volume 1 Issue 6

This story can fit 150-200 words.
One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports.
While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.
A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.
You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.
Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

This story can fit 100-150 words.
The subject matter that appears in newsletters is virtually endless. You can include stories that focus on current technologies or innovations in your field.
You may also want to note business or economic trends, or make predictions for your customers or clients.
If the newsletter is distributed internally, you might comment upon new procedures or improvements to the business. Sales figures or earnings will show how your business is growing.
Some newsletters include a column that is updated every issue, for instance, an advice column, a book review, a letter from the president, or an editorial. You can also profile new employees or top customers or vendors.

This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re trying to convey. Avoid selecting images that appear to be out of context.
Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols.
Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image.

The Importance of Staff Wellness

Volume 1 Issue 6