It may be a never-ending to-do list, or a constant interruption to the day regarding discipline, and trying to catch up with observations and feedback for teachers. These are only a couple of the stresses in the day of principals; thousands of other decisions are being made throughout the day, sometimes planned, sometimes on the fly. So, it’s not a surprise to anyone why principals may be having a tough time coping with current circumstances/their stress management, and even why some, who absolutely love education, are looking for ways to get out of the business.
Indeed, the question is how do administrators and school leadership deal with the stress of the times and manage their mental, physical, and spiritual health, all while juggling the management and safety of their students and teachers?
Self-Care Is Key
Stress management is one of the most essential pieces to this question. Exercise is a perfect outlet for letting out those constant emotions, while helping the body recover and keep itself going. Stress is a killer and allowing oneself to run, walk, lift weights, do yoga, to name a few, are integral avenues to exorcise those stress demons. The benefits of exercise are key to maintaining the physical health one needs to make the types of decisions that principals meet up with on a daily basis.
Recognize Realistic Goals
During the school day, though, it’s vital to recognize realistic goals versus idealistic ones. While all principals go into school with a plan for the day, most understand that the plan may be considered worthless in achieving within the first 10 minutes. But setting goals for the day, the week, and the month is significant. It gives a short-term and long-term perspective to maintain one’s mental health and provides scaffolding so that achievement is possible. Principals must see their work as important in building leadership, in making positive changes to their school, and in providing support to those who count the most on them, which ultimately encourages them to continue moving forward. Setting goals is imperative in maintaining a fresh outlook and keeping one mentally healthy.
Avoid Overworking
Not overworking is another key to the stress management of a principal position. Implementing time-management skills is of the utmost importance. Principals often find themselves working extremely long hours, which quickly leads to burn-out mentally and physically. Reviewing agendas for the days and weeks will allow administrators to focus on their priorities. Once these have been reached or as they are meeting these demands, they must stop, reflect and set the other ones aside for another day. That to-do list will only keep growing and is never-ending, so trying to keep up with it is impossible. Once the stopping point is met, it becomes personal time for family and hobbies.
On top of that, sometimes agenda items need to be reduced. It may be that original goals at the beginning of the year are far too large to complete in one year. So, parts of those goals can be changed and built upon on to keep them moving forward without completely giving up on them. While extremely important, cutting back on the number of informal observations may provide a little more office time to complete a couple of smaller tasks, which will support one’s mental health regarding achievement and personal celebrations.
Collaboration
Collaboration is another area that allows for a reduction in stress. Principals should be considered superheroes for the amount of work they complete in one day. But sometimes they need to stop and ask for help. Using those teacher leaders or passing a task onto an assistant is one way to keep moving forward without taking the entire world on their shoulders. Delegating responsibilities to those who are competent, energetic, and enthusiastic can remove some of the barriers to overwhelming requirements. Even finding time to communicate or meet up with other principals in local districts can stoke creativity and support. Letting go of the idea that each principal has to do everything will change the entire outlook of impossibility.
Reflection Is a Principals Best Friend
And principals are in a career where there is not much of a break for downtime, unlike teachers who receive a chance to recover during the summer. Once the year ends, administrators are always looking forward to the next year, the new mandates, and the constant changes. Principals are counting down days, setting new goals, and trying to keep up with the current ones. So, during all of this, one way to maintain a solid balance is to meet each day with optimism and a fresh start for everyone involved. Appreciating the good and the bad as experiences in life changes the ways principals can meet and resolve challenges. Taking moments to reflect over the present situations will relax the idea of how much may be ahead of them.
Taking the time for oneself to concentrate and readjust is so integral to survival in this job. Journaling during the day or even at night allows this personal time for reflection and assessment, while also writing out thank you notes to staff for their achievements can show gratitude and change a negative attitude in a single moment. Acknowledgment of others is substantial but acknowledgement of oneself is imperative.
Find a Balance of What Is in Your Control
Comprehending what is in a principal’s control and outside of their control is also a challenge. Limited resources, reductions in budgets, and tough conversations with parents and teachers can create utter and complete exhaustion. But some of these are beyond one’s control. Being able to prioritize and separate those elements that can be handled and those that are uncontrollable is a skill. And once an administrator is able to achieve that balance, a stronger focus can take place on the most important aspects. This certainly can influence the ability to cope in this position.
Few jobs match up to the principal position in schools, with as many variables as education contains every day. These stressors can affect job performance, personal lives, and create mental anguish. Varying strategies for coping with stress do exist to help those through these challenging and unprecedented times. And giving up is not an option!
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