The Christmas break is a vital moment of rest for the psychological well-being of teachers. The City University of London publishes a study that sweeps away the criticism of those who blame teachers for always being on vacation. The Christmas holidays would indeed be welcome to prevent overwork and professional exhaustion (burn out) in the teaching staff.
“Breaks, and especially mid-semester and Christmas breaks, are critically important to teachers’ psychological health. Providing teachers with regular opportunities to recuperate from the considerable demands of their job will help prevent overwork, explained Dr Paul Flaxman, senior lecturer in organizational psychology at City University London, and author of the study in a statement. In my opinion, it is imperative that these regular breaks within the school calendar be maintained.”
To reach these conclusions, Dr Flaxman surveyed 90 teachers from different schools in the UK over eight consecutive weeks in 2013. The period in which the teachers answered the questionnaires encompassed the period before, during and after the two weeks of Christmas vacation.
Conclusion of the experiment: the most stressed teachers and the most inclined to ruminate on their work during the Christmas holidays were less likely to fully recover from their teaching session. To take full advantage of the holidays, the most fulfilled teachers are those who have also managed to satisfy three “basic psychological needs”, namely feelings of competence, autonomy and closeness to other people.
Mindfulness “anti ruminations”
As for those who, despite the holidays, can’t let go, Dr. Flaxman slips a tip that can help de-stress at Christmas but also throughout the year: mindfulness meditation. This relaxation technique focuses on the present moment to refocus on oneself. “This type of training allows you to avoid getting trapped in vicious circles of negative thoughts and thus improve your well-being and your quality of life”, specifies Dr. Flaxman.
Mindfulness meditation is useful for letting go, whether you are a teacher or not. Discover our exercises to meditate at homewhether to relax, to slim downor just think of yourself.
>> To read also:I tested meditation 2.0
Christmas: 4 tips for managing inner stress
