If I only had a blog ...

Do you have one of those colleagues who makes you laugh at just the right time? Someone who manages to stay positive in the face of a heavy workload and ever increasing demands? Perhaps you are that person. 

Thank goodness people like that exist, as there’s no doubt that even the most positive of people must have been tested during this past couple of months.

It’s been a pretty heavy term three – getting on with everyday life at school while tragedies occur on the other side of the world and closer to home, impacting on all of us in different ways.

It’s not always easy to remain positive, stay upbeat and keep things light. National depression initiative BeyondBlue estimates that more than 3 million Australians are living with depression and anxiety. Most of us have experienced feelings of stress and worry, but anxiety and depression are different – they don’t pass once the stressful event passes. According to BeyondBlue: “Anxiety is when these anxious feelings don’t subside. Anxiety is when they (stress and worry) are ongoing and exist without any particular reason or cause. It’s a serious condition that makes it hard for a person to cope with daily life. We all feel anxious from time to time, but for a person experiencing anxiety, these feelings cannot be easily controlled.”

We can all play a role in ensuring that our workplaces are conducive to good mental health. It’s not just about taking care of ourselves, it’s also about supporting others. As resources available from Heads up, the website encouraging mentally healthy workplaces, put it: “If you’re concerned about a colleague, learning more about the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety is a good place to start. It’s not your role to provide a diagnosis or counselling – that’s what health professionals are for – but you can encourage them to seek support and let them know you’re there to help.”

R U OK? Day is a national day of action held annually in September which may offer a starting place for regular, open conversations about teacher wellbeing in our schools. Organisations like R U OK? and BeyondBlue provide a range of resources to help us to start these conversations.

There are, of course, excellent services available specifically for teachers, and at a time of high stress or anxiety it can help to talk with someone who understands “teacher world”. TUH members can access Supportline (1800 655 302) and the Department of Education, Training and Employment also provides the Employee Assistance service. These services are available not only for work-related stress and anxiety but also for support related to personal circumstances.

These issues aren’t easy, but they are important. As unionists, we understand the power of the collective and the need to care for one another.

As they say during the airline safety demonstration: “Fit your own mask before helping others”. We will only be the best teachers, colleagues and unionists we can be when we are taking care of ourselves. A healthy teacher is healthy both physically and mentally.
Let’s take some time this month to think about how “mentally healthy” our workplaces are. It may change someone’s life.

Sam Pidgeon
Honorary Vice-President

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 119 No 6, 22 August 2014, p21