A wellbeing philosophy from an Assistant Principal

The Positive Teacher Network is sharing ideas and successes from real teachers who are passionate about wellbeing. If you would like to write a guest post for us, please get in touch. This month we have an Assistant Principal who discusses how much benefit he gets from looking at the positive side of every situation. Although we recognise that in some situations positive thinking will not eliminate serious problems and may be very hard to do when you are really struggling, there are some wonderful ideas and tips in this article. Please comment and share your own ideas to turn a bad situation into something more positive at the end of the article. 

GUEST POST BY CHRIS WOOLHOUSE @BloggingAP

​“Even when I lose, I’m winning!”
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The Importance of a Positive Attitude

​This is what I am calling the ‘John Legend approach to wellbeing’ – developing a positive attitude in order to see the best in every situation.  In his song ‘All of me’, John Legend sings the words “even when I lose, I’m winning” referring to the way that his love is all conquering and because of this nothing can bring him down.  

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I have taken a slightly different spin on it. We all lose, we all go through tough times, we all have pressures and demands to overcome and there is always that surprise lurking around the corner ready to take the wind out of your sails but if we can master the art of maintaining a positive outlook we can turn these negative situations into a positive.

In a school situation, take a lesson observation as an example-no one likes the added pressure of having an extra adult in their classroom, especially having spent all of the previous night planning, resourcing and then replanning just in case. However, if you spot the opportunities and take a positive approach to the situation, you might think of this as an opportunity to show how strong your teaching is, how much progress your class have made since the last visit and then a chance to receive feedback and tips to support you in further developing your practice.
The same applies outside of school; I hate losing at anything but when I do I look for the positives. Maybe I performed well, better than I had done previously or maybe my performance within the team was good. Alternatively, the positive may be what I have learnt in order to improve my performance next time. After the initial period of sulking, I can always find a positive!

Not only can viewing things more positively help to make a negative situation more bearable, there is also evidence that a positive outlook makes you happier and more resilient, it improves your relationships and can help you make better decisions too.  There is also a lot of research to show that positivity leads to health benefits too – everything from developing a greater resistance to the common cold to a lower rate of depression and anxiety. Ultimately, having a positive response to life events has been shown to result in a longer life span.
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One of the best things about a positivity and optimism is that it is not something that you are born with or without – this is a tool that you can learn and a skill that can be developed over time.

​Tips for developing a positive outlook

Be optimistic

​Pessimists tend to think that something good has to happen in order for them to be happy – be an optimist and actively seek things that make you happy and search for the good in every situation.

Find joy in the small things

​It is important to celebrate every victory, no matter how small. We often find ourselves waiting for a big event (wedding, birth, promotion, graduation etc) to celebrate but these are few and far between therefore you must find the joy in a child finally remembering to start a sentence with a capital letter, fixing the photocopier and being everyone’s hero for 5 minutes, sharing a coffee with a friend, remembering which side the petrol cap is on your car or reading bedtime stories to your children.

Be a rainbow in someone’s cloud

​Smile at every opportunity – smiling releases endorphins and serotonin, also known as ‘feel good’ hormones. A smile will instantly give you a boost and make having a positive attitude an easier task.
It is also true that smiling is contagious – if you smile, others will smile and therefore positivity will flow!

Take responsibility for your attitude

No one else can control the internal voice which you use to regulate your thoughts; it is down to you to consciously choose a positive mindset. Choose a phrase or mantra which you can recite when times are getting tough eg:
“It’s up to me to get what I want!”
“I am strong, I can work through this!”
“I can, I will!”
“I will never give up!”

Change your thought process, focus on the goo

​The ability to reframe negative thoughts in the darkest of times is key to maintaining a positive attitude; take time to step back, pause and assess the situation to enable you to make a positive decision or take a positive action.

Be a fruit loop in a world of cheerios – celebrate your uniqueness

​Know that it is ok to be different – a little crazy!  People who know how to laugh at themselves and the craziness around them often have the most positive outlooks on life!

Surround yourself with positive people

​Positivity is contagious so surrounding yourself with a strong support team of friends, colleagues and family ensures that you will always have someone to turn to when you need a boost.

Set goals and target

​A wise old owl recently told me the importance of ‘never standing still’ and always looking for the next challenge or project to get stuck into.  We have an innate desire to better ourselves so completing a challenge or achieving a goal that you have set yourself is a sure fire way to improve your wellbeing and outlook on life.
 
The benefits of developing a positive mindset are incredible!  You will benefit personally and those around you will feed off it too - no more so than the children in your care!

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Guest Author: Chris Woolhouse 

Chris Woolhouse has been teaching in primary schools for 12 years, working with children from Reception through to Year 6, he is currently an Assistant Principal in Northamptonshire.  He is married with a young family, loves watching and playing sport and enjoys being outside whenever possible.

Chris is passionate about people – seeing their potential, developing them and supporting them with their practice.  Throughout his career, Chris’ awareness of teacher wellbeing has grown and he is constantly looking for ways to support his colleagues with managing their workload, dealing with anxiety and stress and maintaining a healthy work life balance.  His first blog, ‘Teacher wellbeing – we must do right by ourselves in order to do right by our pupils!’, outlines a three pronged approach to supporting teachers – during Initial Teacher Training, at a whole school level and on a personal level.
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Chris is still relatively new to the world of blogging but hopes to continue writing regularly about all things education. Follow his blog here https://mrw5.wordpress.com/ and leave comments about what you read and what you would like to read about in the future.
You can also follow him on twitter @BloggingAP