A wellbeing note for teachers • July 2026
Winter has a way of testing all of us. The mornings are dark, the classrooms are cold, and by the middle of the term, the energy that carried us through the first weeks has quietly drained away. Add the coughs and colds that sweep through every staffroom this time of year, and it is no wonder so many teachers tell me they simply feel flat. So before we talk about looking after our students, which we always do, I want to spend a moment on looking after you.
We are very good at putting ourselves last. It is almost a professional habit. But you cannot pour from an empty cup, and a tired, run-down teacher helps no one, least of all themselves. Here are a few simple, unglamorous things that make a real difference through the cold months.
PROTECT YOUR SLEEP
The dark mornings tempt us to stay up later, then drag us out of bed feeling worse. Try to keep a steady bedtime, even on the nights when there is marking to finish. Sleep is not a luxury you earn once the work is done; it is the thing that lets you do the work at all. If you are getting home exhausted, that is your body asking for an earlier night, not a later one.
MOVE, EVEN WHEN YOU WOULD RATHER NOT
Motivation to exercise disappears the moment it gets cold and dark. You do not need a gym membership or a grand plan. A brisk walk at lunch, a few stretches between classes, or getting off the bus a stop early all count. Movement lifts your mood as much as your fitness does, and on grey days, that matters even more.
EAT AND DRINK LIKE YOU MEAN IT
In winter it is easy to run on coffee and whatever is left in the staffroom. Try to eat something warm and proper during the day, keep your water intake up even if you feel less thirsty, and go easy on the caffeine after lunch so it does not interfere with your sleep. Small, boring habits, but they are what keep you upright through a long week.
GUARD AGAINST THE BUGS
Schools are the front line of every winter cold and flu season. Wash your hands, keep some rooms ventilated where you can, consider the flu shot if it suits you, and, this is the hard one, actually stay home when you are unwell. Dragging yourself in sick does not make you a hero; it just spreads the illness and lengthens your own recovery. Rest is part of the job of getting better.
SET A BOUNDARY AND KEEP IT
This is the message I come back to again and again. You do not have to be at every event, on every committee, and available every evening. Pick a time in the day when the work stops, and the emails go unanswered, and protect it. Saying no to one more thing is not letting the side down; it is how you make sure you are still standing in week ten.
STAY CONNECTED
Winter can be isolating. We arrive in the dark and leave in the dark, and it becomes easy to keep our heads down and just push through. Make the time for a proper conversation with a colleague, check in on the person who has gone quiet, and lean on the people around you when you need to. A staffroom that looks out for one another is a healthier place for everyone in it.
A FINAL WORD
None of this is complicated, and none of it is new. But in the thick of a cold, busy term, it is exactly the sort of thing we forget to do for ourselves. Be kind to yourself over these next few weeks. Rest when you can, ask for help when you need it, and remember that looking after your own wellbeing is not selfish — it is what allows you to keep doing this work and to still enjoy it. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Scott Stanford
