The Surprising Role of Work in Stress Recovery for International School Leaders

I discuss my recent experience with stress and the unconventional path I chose for recovery.

Instead of completely distancing myself from work, I decided to embrace the part of my job that I love the most - this podcast. I dive into the common stress triggers in international schools and introduce the concept of a passion project as a potent tool for stress management.

I delve into the major sources of stress in international schools - cross-cultural communication misunderstandings, high expectations and accountability, challenges in staffing and retention, regulatory compliance, and financial management. Also, I shed light on everyday micro stresses such as language barriers, time zone differences, cultural nuances, parental expectations, and local infrastructure challenges that gradually build up over time.

While emphasizing the importance of maintaining physical and mental health through conventional methods like exercise, a healthy diet, and mindfulness, I question the widely accepted strategy of completely disconnecting from work to manage stress. For roles like educational leadership, which are profoundly intertwined with personal identity, a more nuanced approach may be beneficial.

I suggest leaning into aspects of your work that truly inspire you as an effective stress management strategy. The idea is to use passion as a tool for healing, preventing education from becoming associated with stress, and eliminating the dread of returning to work.In the lead-up to the summer holidays, I encourage you, fellow education leaders, to reconnect with your passion in education. This will not only rejuvenate you but also make the thought of returning to work less daunting.

Key Quotes

"In occupations like educational leadership, roles are deeply intertwined with your personal identity… completely disconnecting from work might not be feasible and might not even be beneficial for everyone."

"Engaging in the work that you really love can contribute significantly to wellbeing."

"I suggest leaning into the aspects of your work that you truly love, which can serve as effective stress management strategies. Harnessing passion as a tool for healing is not only therapeutic, but it also prevents education from becoming associated with stress."

"The summer holidays present a wonderful opportunity for education leaders to reconnect with their passion in education, which can help mitigate the dread of returning to work."

Share the episode and spread the word if you found this episode useful. You can find me online on Twitter, LinkedIN and Instagram: @leaningshane

Join Shane's Intensive Leadership Programme at educationleaders.co/intensive

Shane Leaning, an organisational coach based in Shanghai, supports school leaders globally. Passionate about empowment, he is the author of the best-selling 'Change Starts Here.' Shane is a leading educational voice in the UK, Asia and around the world.

You can find Shane on LinkedIn and Bluesky. or shaneleaning.com

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