It’s that time of year…
The calendar is packed with school plays, religious festivals, end-of-term deadlines — and let’s not forget the Christmas prep (chaos?) outside of school.
Everyone’s busy.
Everyone’s tired.
And everyone’s looking to you to keep morale up and wellbeing in check.
But…you can’t “do” wellbeing for someone else.
What’s great for my wellbeing might do nothing for you.
And if someone chooses not to take care of themselves — not going to bed on time, eating badly, ignoring the support offered — you can’t force that change.
Your role isn’t to wave a magic wand. It’s to create the conditions where people can take responsibility for their own wellbeing — and support them in doing it.
I worked with a head who felt exhausted by the expectation to “fix” everyone’s work-life balance. She cared deeply about her staff, but it was exhausting — and she couldn’t see how to make a difference without carrying the whole burden herself.
So she tried something different. Instead of guessing what people needed, she asked each member of staff to define what great wellbeing looked like for them. Then, they chose small actions they could take to move towards it.
The result? She wasn’t “owning” their wellbeing anymore — they were. Her role became to cheerlead, troubleshoot, and remove obstacles, not to carry it all.
Here’s how you can try a light-touch version of this idea in your school before the term ends:
- Ask staff to define wellbeing for themselves — what does it look like for them?
- Get them to choose one small action they can take this week towards achieving it.
- Check in briefly later — did they take the action? Did it help? If not, what might work better?
This isn’t about tracking or judging — it’s about making wellbeing concrete and keeping the responsibility where it belongs: with the individual.
Wellbeing isn’t your job to own — but it is your job to support.
And sometimes, that support is simply holding up the mirror and saying:
“You’ve got this — and I’ve got your back.”
Here’s to lighter loads and healthier teams this festive season,
Sonia ❤️
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