Devastatingly, in the week leading up to me recording this episode, there were three mass shootings in our country – one of those was a town very close to where I live. This got me thinking, while it seemed like everyone was looking for someone or something to blame, what can we do as school leaders to remove the stigma around mental health?
I believe that mental health should get as much focus as physical health. We have physical education programs in schools and there is never any shame around hiring a personal trainer or joining a gym. So how can we integrate awareness around mental health in the one place where kids go for no other reason than to learn?
We are taught from a very young age, and we still teach kids today, that if we are upset, it’s because somebody else has done something to make us feel that way. Now, if you’re a regular listener, you will be familiar with the STEAR Cycle, essentially the concept that how we feel has nothing to do with anybody else but everything to do with our thoughts.
On the podcast this month we’ve been discussing the organization of your physical and mental space, and today I have a slightly different approach for you guys. This work is great for creating an organized work environment, but also provides an incredible level of mental clarity which will make every area of your job that little bit easier.
A client made a special request of me for an episode about dealing with crises as a school leader. Now, I’m not an expert on managing a crisis occurring in your school, however, I do have plenty of tools and insights that make the emotions that arise after a crisis has occurred much easier to handle.