When it’s good it can be amazing, but when it’s bad it can be truly awful. I’ve had plenty of the good in my teaching career, but last term I can honestly say was the most stressful. This isn’t just a teacher thing, most jobs come with a certain amount of stress, but as a teacher we have to bounce into class and lift ourselves to make sure we’re giving as much as we can. However, being only human (yes, teachers really are people) we also need to make sure we look after our mental health because if we don’t our problems can rear up and bite us viciously, and the wounds can last a long time. Thankfully the end of term break was a great opportunity to rest and take the time to do something for myself. I’m a firm believer in looking after our mental health (just ask the students – we’ve done heaps on this during the year) and to help myself I have my trusty MGF which I purchased as an ongoing project specifically for this reason. This time I stripped the inlet manifold to paint it, refurbished the injectors, painted the cam cover to match the body and started updating the interior. It was extremely cathartic! Last term will remain with me for a considerable time yet, but by looking after our mental health we can all make sure we are in the best position possible to deal with each day, good or bad.

If you’re experiencing stress take time out to look after yourself and remember the ABC’s of mental health: Act, Belong, Commit!