#TeacherSelfcareSunday

One thing I am really passionate about is teacher wellbeing and mental health. Ours is a profession where you never really switch off; the job can extend well beyond teaching hours and it is really important we look after ourselves with adequate time to switch off and recharge. Some days can feel a real challenge to get through. We are giving so much of ourselves to the children we teach and it can leave us feel as though we are running on empty.

I’ve posted a few times about the ‘Sunday Blues’ and it seemed to be something that resonated with so many people. There were lots of replies about feeling worried, anxious or even just a bit sad that the weekend/holidays had ended. It doesn’t mean we don’t love our jobs to feel this way. It doesn’t matter how anxious I might feel on a Sunday, I know that teaching is the career I want and that the kids I see each week make it all worth it. But sometimes, it can be an overwhelming feeling which is one that we need to address and not ignore.

In light of this, I decided to set up #TeacherSelfcareSunday for all those involved in education as a way of highlighting looking after wellbeing, as well as creating a community of people who can share their days and help combat those negative feelings. As well as seeing all the fun things people get up to, it also became a place for people to share when they also didn’t feel great – and get support. For me, the most important part of starting this hashtag & initiative is to build a group of people who can be there for each other and help banish (as much as possible!) those Sunday Blues. I’ve also previously been in situations where I’ve felt very alone in a situation – like feeling dread returning to work! – and having a way to positively interact with others really helps alleviate this feeling somewhat.

This is why, each week, I love seeing the responses. There has been book talk, pictures shared of some stunning locations, food ideas and recipes shared, as well as some positive words being shared. I’ve also been lucky enough to host some giveaways during these posts, in collaboration with some lovely companies, to help boost that positivity even more. Which brings me on to the exciting news…

Teachers Love Stationery.Club are just as passionate about teacher wellbeing as I am and have kindly collaborated with me to sponsor #TeacherSelfcareSunday. Each week, anyone who joins in has the chance to win one of their lovely Self Care Boxes:

We are Ben and Sabrina, the founders of Teachers Love Stationery. Club, and we’re really proud to be able to sponsor Emily’s #TeacherSelfCareSunday initiative. Coming from Science teaching and leadership backgrounds ourselves we know how stressful teaching is, how many hours we all put in, and the emotional toil of knowing the direct effect we have on the lives of all our pupils.

We love both subscription boxes and all types of stationery. We realised, however, that a stationery subscription box designed specifically with teachers in mind didn’t seem to exist. So, over a glass of wine one evening, we thought we would create one and started Teachers Love Stationery.Club as a small project to see if other people would be interested in a monthly box of stationery aimed specifically at teachers.  We were blown away by the response and what began as a small project quickly grew into something much bigger than expected, and not just for the reason we thought!! We quickly realised that not only do teachers buy our boxes because they love stationery but also because they cheer them up, it gives them something positive to look forward to and it has created a community of club members who often reach out and support one another. Our boxes aren’t just about stocking up on stationery, our members often say it’s like buying themselves a little gift and the boxes give them a little positive boost when they are feeling the pressures of the job. Feedback from our members has reinforced our belief in the importance of teacher wellbeing and self-care and, as a result, we are even more passionate about promoting this amongst all teachers.  It has made us so happy to know we are able to create a bit of joy and brightness with our boxes and we are keen to do as much as we can to spread this further.

(If you haven’t checked out their amazing stationery subscription boxes, it’s something I highly recommend; a little box of joy through your letterbox each week! If you use the code TLSCM0200 you’ll get £2 off your first box, too!)

I hope everyone else loves joining in with #TeacherSelfcareSunday as much as I do. I genuinely look forward to it each weekend, especially the ones where I don’t feel at my best.

As always, for anyone who feels alone, or that they need to talk about a situation at a tricky school, my DMs are open 🖤

Emily x