--- title: "Educator Wellbeing: 5 Ways to Practise Mental Fitness This Week" description: Five small, practical ways to support your mental fitness during a busy school week - without adding another big task to your list. image: https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/5f999bff-3435-4345-afd8-e5bc07690aa3-1.png --- [Back to smilingmind.com.au](https://www.smilingmind.com.au/) [![](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/SM_BlogLogo_black.svg)](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au) [Login/Sign up](https://app.smilingmind.com.au/?_ga=2.99144346.505229074.1559522319-1047861382.1534989894) - Mindfulness - [Meditation](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/meditation) - [Informal mindfulness](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/informal-mindfulness) - [Mindful eating](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/mindful-eating) - [Self care](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/self-care) - [Tips & Tricks](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/tips-tricks) - At Home - [Children](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/children) - [Parents](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/parents) - [Family](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/family) - In Schools - [Students](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/students) - [Teachers](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/teachers) - [Schools](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/schools) - At Work - [Workplace](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/workplace) - [Business](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/business) - Mental Health - [Anxiety](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/anxiety) - [COVID19](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/covid19) - [Mental Health](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/mental-health) - [News](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/media-release) [Tips & Tricks](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/tips-tricks), [Teachers](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/teachers), [Mindfulness](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/mindfulness), [Mental Fitness](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/tag/mental-fitness) 4 minute read # Educator Wellbeing: 5 Ways to Practise Mental Fitness This Week ![Smiling Mind](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/SmilingMind_Icon_RGB_Purple-Background.png) by [Smiling Mind](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/author/smiling-mind) ![](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/5f999bff-3435-4345-afd8-e5bc07690aa3-1.png) October 5, 2026 When was the last time something small helped you feel a little more like yourself? A conversation that filled your cup. Five uninterrupted minutes with your coffee (extra points for fresh air). A song you love on the drive home. Or that perfectly timed moment in the classroom that made you think, “Yep. This is why I do this!” Small things can shift how we feel. A moment of connection can bring us back to ourselves. A pause can create a little breathing room in a busy day. Noticing something good, simply feels good.. Mental fitness builds on this idea. It’s the regular practice of simple skills, in every day moments that stack up. And small really does count. Mental fitness can be practised in the pockets of time already scattered throughout your day — between classes, on the walk to the staffroom or before you turn the key and head home. With your attention, patience, creativity and care, you’re helping shape the next generation of kids - it’s no small job. So this week, here are five small ways to give some of that care and attention back to you. ## **1. Give yourself a STOP sign** A challenging classroom moment ends. Another class begins. There’s a meeting in ten minutes. Your inbox has developed ambitions of its own. Before your brain races onto the next thing, try **STOP**: **S**top what you’re doing. **T**ake a few breaths. **O**bserve your thoughts and feelings, and notice any sensations in your body. **P**roceed with something supportive. Think of it as a tiny circuit breaker between one part of your day and the next. Try it after a challenging interaction, between classes, before a meeting or when you get into the car at the end of the day. That small pause gives you an opportunity to notice what’s happening internally and choose how you’d like to respond. A few breaths. A little space. Then, whatever comes next. ## **2. Give the good stuff some airtime** Our attention can be very good at holding onto the moments that demand it — the lesson that went sideways, the conversation you keep replaying or the thing you’d like to handle differently next time. We can practise directing some of that attention towards the good stuff, too. At the end of the day, ask yourself: **What’s one thing that went well today?** Maybe a student finally grasped something they’d been working on. A colleague made you laugh. You brought patience to a tricky moment. Or you had dinner leftovers for lunch and saved yourself $20. A genuine achievement. Bring the moment back to mind. What felt good about it? What did you notice? What did you bring to the moment that helped? Giving positive experiences our attention helps us notice and appreciate the good that’s already part of our day. With practice, you might find yourself catching more of those moments as they happen. ## **3. Put one of your strengths to work** Chances are, you’ve already used a handful of your strengths today. Patience when on your third explanation of the same concept. Creativity when Plan A required a Plan B (and possibly a Plan C). Humour when the room needed some more joy. Curiosity when you were trying to understand what was really going on. Improvisation when the day had other ideas. Choose one strength you recognise in yourself and ask: **Where have I used this recently?** Then: **Where could I put it to work this week?** Recognising our strengths helps us see the capabilities we already bring to everyday situations. Using them intentionally can build confidence, meaning and a stronger sense of what we’re capable of   ## **4. Make one small connection** Connection is one of those things that can have a surprisingly big impact for something that can take surprisingly little time. Sometimes all it takes is a quick coffee with a colleague. A lap of the block side by side at lunchtime. Giving someone your full attention when they’re talking. Letting someone know, *“You handled that really well.”- nice things are nice to know.* Choose one small way to connect with someone this week. Relationships are an important part of our mental wellbeing. Making space for connection helps strengthen the relationships we draw on, both at work and beyond it. And sometimes a two-minute chat in the staffroom is exactly the two-minute chat you needed. ## **5. Put something to look forward to in the calendar** Think of something that helps you feel restored. A walk. Reading. Gardening. Cooking. Music. Exercise. Time outside. Dinner with someone you love. Twenty minutes doing something purely because you enjoy it. Now comes the important part: When will you do it? Put it in the calendar and find an accountability buddy ASAP. Attach it to a routine that’s already part of your week. Because *“when I get a chance”* has a funny habit of becoming *“maybe next week.” doesn’t it?* Making time for activities that restore us helps replenish the energy and attention we draw on throughout our days. **Where shall I begin?** Start with one. Choose something small and make it specific. Our favourite tip is to connect it to a time, place or routine that’s already part of your day. Try it for a week and notice what happens, have the mindset that you can keep what helps and adapt what could work better. And remember - mental fitness is a **practice. Each time we intentionally notice, pause, connect, use our strengths or make space to recharge, we’re practising skills we can draw on again.** ## **Wellbeing is something we build together** Personal mental fitness practices are one part of educator wellbeing. The environment around educators matters enormously, too. Workload, time, autonomy, role clarity, relationships, leadership and the broader school environment all shape how people feel and function at work. Schools have an important role to play in creating the conditions where educator wellbeing can flourish. And educators can build personal practices that strengthen the resources and skills they draw on each day. The strongest approach brings the two together: supporting the individual while creating a school environment that supports them, too. Ready to give your own mental fitness a little more attention?   [Explore our free teacher wellbeing resource for more practical ways to build mental fitness into your week. Or download the Smiling Mind Primary School Program Pricing Guide to discover how we can help make mental fitness part of everyday life for educators, students and families across your school.](https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-primary-school-program-enquiry)   ![Smiling Mind](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/SmilingMind_Icon_RGB_Purple-Background.png) ### Written by [Smiling Mind](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/author/smiling-mind) ### SIMILAR POSTS [![Educator Wellbeing: 5 Ways to Practise Mental Fitness This Week](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/5f999bff-3435-4345-afd8-e5bc07690aa3-1.png)](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/educator-wellbeing-5-ways-to-practise-mental-fitness-this-week) Tips & Tricks, Teachers, Mindfulness, Mental Fitness 6 minute read ### [Educator Wellbeing: 5 Ways to Practise Mental Fitness This Week](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/educator-wellbeing-5-ways-to-practise-mental-fitness-this-week) by Smiling Mind ## Latest [![Educator Wellbeing: 5 Ways to Practise Mental Fitness This Week](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/hubfs/5f999bff-3435-4345-afd8-e5bc07690aa3-1.png)](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/educator-wellbeing-5-ways-to-practise-mental-fitness-this-week) ### [Educator Wellbeing: 5 Ways to Practise Mental Fitness This Week](https://blog.smilingmind.com.au/educator-wellbeing-5-ways-to-practise-mental-fitness-this-week) When was the last time something small helped you feel a little more like yourself? 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