A reflection on school based stress for educators and students

As I sit here in my calm little cabin, I feel fortunate to have some time to reflect during this bank holiday Monday following the King’s coronation. The sound of the rain on the roof, a gentle soothing sound that shows a dramatic difference to the glorious sunshine we enjoyed yesterday. The extra day at home, a welcome break for many.

 As I continue my role in education, I enjoy talking with other teaching assistants and teachers through the interactions my role provides and through social media groups. Sadly, I have noticed that many schools are facing a really stressful period, where teachers and support staff are feeling stretched beyond capacity, that whilst the focus of meeting standards continues to be pushed to all time high expectations, the financial rewards and time given for support have not been increased alongside this. Many school-based staff are fighting a difficult decision, “Do I stay and continue to give this my all for the students’ sake, or do I leave and give my family and homelife a fair share of me?”

This blog is not a place for political debate, but simply an observation I have made, it saddens me to see so many wonderful educators leaving a vocation due to a lack of balance. I cannot provide an answer to the best strategy to take to change education, but I can provide support for those who are finding things hard at the moment as educators.

Hypnotherapy can help to relax the mind and find some downtime in a chaotic existence. Through hypnotherapy sessions and through self-hypnosis tools which I can share with my clients, a sense of balance can be achieved in oneself, despite a frantic working environment. Hypnotherapy can assist when feelings of self-doubt threaten to take control and can help to allow calmness and mindfulness to exist where previously there was only stress and uncertainty. Hypnotherapy can be used purely for relaxation and can help to relax the mind and body, completely, in a way that is so rejuvenating.

 I hope to be able to help you, whether you are an educator or can recognise similarities with your own work life balance. Please get in touch with me so that we can work out a plan to help you to feel in control and relaxed.

 Sadly, it’s not just the adults in education that are feeling the threat of burn out. I have worked with children who are also facing anxiety and stress, due to a number of reasons, including exam performance-based anxiety, social hierarchies and the added pressure of social media interactions, special educational needs, changes in home life and of course, the impact of Covid 19 on their school journey.

 Hypnotherapy with children looks different to hypnotherapy with adults, it is a more interactive experience and my training as an emotional literacy assistant in schools helps me to work with children and teenagers to explore the feelings they are experiencing and understand the triggers for their negative emotional experiences. By using a mixture of psychoeducation, relaxation, and hypnotherapy, I have achieved great results with these young people and hope to be able to support many more. Please get in touch to find out how I can help your child.

I can’t wait to hear from you.

With warmth and light

Jodie

Cotswold Healing Therapies

Email: [email protected]