Abstract
Principals who engage in wellness strategies can both enhance their holistic wellness and leadership abilities. These strategies may include engaging in physical activity, seeking personal counseling, having a sense of purpose, and maintaining professional and personal relationships and support systems (Visger, 2016). However, like principals, many leaders have difficulties engaging in self-care activities due to the demands in their work environments (Pignatelli, 2015). The Indivisible Self wellness model (IS-Wel; Myers & Sweeney, 2004) can serve as a conceptual foundation for recommending strategies that may aid school principals in achieving holistic wellness. This in turn can help principals engage in healthier work practices that benefit themselves and the school communities they serve. Wellness strategies for principals will be shared utilizing the IS-Wel model. Implications for future practice for school principal wellness will be explored.
A common question in the field of school administration is, who is taking care of the principal? Traditionally, principals have many roles within their schools, often to be executed simultaneously. For instance, principals should possess certain characteristics other than being knowledgeable of managerial routines and regulations (Turhan et al., 2018). These include leadership duties, student advocacy, instructional support, and serving as change agents for all individuals who enter their schools (Idrees, 2018). In some instances, principals are responsible for the environment and the work of their schools both legally and contractually (Morris, 2005). They should adhere to internal and external expectations from stakeholders such as their school personnel, parents, students, legislators, and the media, in addition to carrying out the daily responsibilities of school management (Federici & Skaalvik, 2012). Furthermore, the chronic stress school principals experience within their roles often leads to feelings of frustration, exhaustion, unhappiness, and a number of physical symptoms, which then distracts them from work success, while feeling more internal and external pressures simultaneously (Sorenson, 2007). Thus, the role of the principal can be seen as both robust and challenging.
Successful administrators are seen as those who are able to adjust their behavioral tendencies, emotions, and cognitions to be aligned to their work requirements (Kanungo & Menon, 2005). Research on the efficiency of principals showed that 84% of principals felt that it was important to both understand and manage their emotions due to their impact on school efficiency (Bailey, 2007). Likewise, school principals often experience situations in which they must suppress their emotions for the sake of maintaining a harmonious school climate (Poirel & Yvon, 2014). Research further noted that school leaders who reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion were less likely to experience positive emotions (e.g., joy or hope) and more likely to experience negative emotions (e.g., anger or anxiety) instead (Brackett et al., 2018). Thus, the constant stressors principals experience, such as frequent crises and the demands of work, can succumb them to emotional exhaustion (Grissom & Anderson, 2012). Principals also experience a challenge in the effort it takes to create learning environments and build relationships. Bisschoff and Watts (2013) concluded that some principals who described their challenging situations often involved tension between building professional relationships and shifting staff thinking in the teaching and learning process. These breakdowns in relationships led to tension, lack of trust, resistance, and an overall impact on school effectiveness (Bisschoff & Watts, 2013). From this perspective, there is a need to examine how school principals cope within their work settings and the processes principals go through when they are trying to cope with their own emotional experiences as leaders (Poirel & Yvon, 2014).
Principals who engage in self-care strategies may be able to enhance their work success by improving their ability to care for themselves physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Self-care can be described as an activity one engages in to intentionally take care of one’s emotional, mental, and physical health (Michael, 2018). This includes engaging in a set of specific practices intended to support self-care, such as setting time aside in order to exercise autonomy (Pignatelli, 2015). Self-care must also include continuous self-awareness and engaging in active self-assessment (Tan & Castillo, 2014). It also consists of physical, spiritual, support, and psychological components which can include engaging in physical activity, seeking personal counseling, having a sense of purpose, and maintaining professional and personal relationships and support systems (Visger, 2016). However, many school leaders have difficulties engaging in self-care activities due to the demands in their work environments (Pignatelli, 2015).
The authors present general self-care strategies that can help to improve principals’ overall wellness. To emphasize the importance of holistic wellness, the self-care strategies are presented within the context of the Indivisible Self, an evidence-based model of wellness (IS-Wel; Myers & Sweeney, 2004). Currently, there are no wellness models in the professional literature that specifically address and/or assess principal holistic wellness. Yet, literature on the multiple stressors that principals experience and the importance of them managing their health and well-being continue to be emphasized (Richardson, 2020; Pijanomki & Ray, 2018; Barnett et al., 2012 Ackerman & Maslin-Ostrowski, 2002). Wellness strategies presented in the literature have included increasing collaboration with fellow principals, forming interpersonal connections, engaging in shared leadership, developing a support system (e.g., wellness programs, mentorship/coaching), improving healthy habits (e.g., sleep hygiene, exercise, hydration, and diet), engaging in self-care (e.g., work–life balance and mindfulness), and creating planned action steps to improve in these areas (Richardson, 2020). Thus, it is pertinent to utilize an evidence-based wellness model where one can easily identify the areas of principal wellness from a holistic standpoint and attempt to emphasize a unified approach to collectively introducing strategies that might improve principal overall health and wellness. Thus, the authors found the IS-Wel model (Myers & Sweeney, 2004) to be an acceptable model in achieving this goal. We recognize that the recommendations presented here should not be taken as a “one-size-fits-all” approach to principal holistic wellness. One should also consider the various contexts which may produce increased stress for a principal such as cultural and sociopolitical dynamics that might impact a principal’s decision making, disposition, and overall work experience, of which is further noted within the literature (Hernandez et al., 2014; Khalifa et al., 2016; Theoharis, 2010).
School Leadership Stress Implications on Principal Self-Care
Principals encounter high levels of unpredictability in work contexts, which encompasses an increased level of self-expectation and tension when facing challenging circumstances (Stynes et al., 2018). Although principals understand the importance of health and overall wellness within their learning organization, there is still a disparity that exists in regard to what is practiced in the school community (Beisser & Peters, 2016). With increasing demands of principals, many do not engage in self-care, which leads to high levels of stress and other cognitive impairments (Pijanomki & Ray, 2018). Moreover, principals who do not practice self-care often find a decrease in concentration and experience fatigue (Pijanomki & Ray, 2018). Yet, school principals often do not rely on other school personnel for support in order to decrease their stressors.
Principals often work in isolation because there are underlying trust factors and perceived weaknesses that are not aligned to the traditional role or behavior of a school principal (Howard & Mallory, 2008). For example, Mania-Singer (2017) indicated that the relationship between central offices and schools is sparse and non-reciprocal, which speaks to a lack of district and school-level communication. Moreover, Duke et al. (2007) indicated that high turnover in leadership at the district level resulted in principals’ lack of gaining district-level support, as well as uncertainty regarding the desires of their district-level superiors. Although profound isolation is a main reason that school leaders leave their roles, a reduction of the isolation that principals experience can serve as a way to retain them (Johnson, 2005). Unfortunately, many principals exacerbate their stress because they do not readily share their challenges. This can ultimately impact their overall effectiveness as leaders. Furthermore, teachers tend to decline consideration for principal positions due to associating the role with high stress, increased workloads, time away from family, inadequate funding, contact limitations with students, and performance uncertainties (Barnett et al., 2012). These concerns contribute to a shortage of qualified principals, as the challenges are perceived as outweighing the benefits of the role (Myung et al., 2011).
The pressures of educational reform and accountability has also fueled a rise in principal turnover and retention over time, particularly from rural communities. For instance, one study revealed that 28% of rural principals remained in their respective schools annually, with an average of 5.29 years, as compared to 50% of suburban and urban principals remaining in their schools (Pendola & Fuller, 2018). Moreover, Beisser and Peters (2016) reported that principals often worked 60–70 hours each week that led to increased stress, anxiety, and ultimately the length of time in their jobs. As a result of these challenges, there are reports of principal burnout and symptoms of depression (Pijanomki & Ray, 2018). Engaging in social justice-oriented leadership can also prove to be detrimental to the health and wellness of principals. Findings from one study noted that principals who engaged in social justice leadership saw themselves succumbing to unproductive and harmful behaviors, such as working more than 80 hours per week and utilizing alcohol as a coping mechanism (Theoharis, 2007).
These circumstances alone illustrate the importance of principals engaging in wellness and self-care strategies in order to reduce stress, fatigue, feelings of isolation, burnout, and other physical, emotional, and behavioral impediments to their leadership roles. Principals should continue to possess emotional competence in order to cope with the stressors they experience in their roles (Ackerman & Maslin-Ostrowski, 2002). Thus, principals engaging in self-care strategies can be a useful tool to improve holistic wellness. In an effort to better understand the importance of improving principal holistic health and provide useful self-care strategies, an evidence-based model of wellness, the Indivisible Self (IS-Wel; Myers & Sweeney, 2004) is utilized herein.
The Indivisible Self: An Evidence-Based Model of Wellness
Myers and Sweeney (2004) developed the Indivisible Self (IS-Wel) evidence-based model of wellness as a foundation for mental health and counseling practitioners to implement with clients. Myers and Sweeney purported that wellness must incorporate “a state of optimal health and well-being wherein full integration of body, mind, and tspirit lead to individuals living more fully and living well” (Fetter & Koch, 2009, p. 11). Thus, they created the IS-Wel model to conceptualize wellness across the life span (Fetter & Koch, 2009). The IS-Wel model is derived from an earlier model, the Wheel of Wellness (WoW), which at the time was the only wellness model in counseling theory (Sweeney & Witmer, 1991). It includes one higher-order, uni-dimensional factor (total wellness), five second-order factors (Creative Self, Physical Self, Essential Self, Social Self, and Coping Self), and 17 third-order wellness factors which make up each of the second-order factors. It also includes contextual variables in order to understand how environmental factors may impact an individuals’ development (Bronfenbrenner, 1999).
The IS-Wel model has proven to inform many studies within mental health literature (Clarke et al., 2016) and is frequently used to examine wellness across the lifespan and within various populations such as with caregivers (Clarke et al., 2016), college student athletes (Watson & Kissinger, 2007), transgender individuals (Avera et al., 2015), and psychology doctoral students (Manning, 2017). The IS-Wel model has helped many individuals identify the areas of wellness that are both important to them and the areas of which they would like to improve or change (Myers & Sweeney, 2007). It has been noted in the literature that individuals have expressed excitement for the IS-Wel model as a practical tool for promoting a sense of positive well-being (Hattie et al., 2004), even seeking formal or informal assessment of their wellness areas of improvement using the Five Factor Wellness Inventory (5F-Wel; Myers & Sweeney). The second-order factors and contextual variables of the IS-Wel model are explained herein.
Second-Order Factors
Essential self
Myers and Sweeney (2004) explained that the essential self consists of the following components: self-care, gender identity, cultural identity and spirituality. In this regard, self-care includes striving to live well and longer. Gender identity and cultural identity includes how one’s life experiences are viewed and its influences on how one may experience others. Lastly, spirituality explores one’s sense of purpose and meaning of life and the hopefulness one feels regarding life.
Creative self
The creative self consists of the following components: emotions (i.e., the tendency for emotional experiences to influence cognitive responses to experiences); control (i.e., the perception of one’s capacity to influence life events); thinking (i.e. the ability for thinking to impact one’s emotions and body); positive humor (i.e., positive humor influencing one’s mental and physical well-being); and work (i.e., work serving as an essential human element can impact one’s ability to live a full life) (Myers & Sweeney, 2004). Therefore, the creative self includes how an individual’s attributes make one unique within his or her social interactions (Adler, 1954; Ansbacher & Ansbacher, 1967).
Coping self
Myers and Sweeney (2004) addressed the coping self as another key factor within this model. The coping self seeks to examine an individual’s behavior in response to various life events and ultimately the impact of how one assigns meaning to cope with future events within their day to day lives. Essentially, the coping self speaks to how we manage and process inevitable life experiences through four key areas: (a) realistic beliefs (i.e., elimination of irrational beliefs in an effort to reduce disappointment and frustration); (b) stress management (i.e., dismissing the need to please others in an effort to manage stress); (c) self-worth (i.e., gain self-worth by appropriately coping with life challenges and increase self-efficacy via an increase in successful experiences; and (d) leisure (i.e., participating in an activity that allows ones to be self-absorbed). With these components, the coping self allows one to effectively regulate one’s responses to events that may occur in life.
Social self
The social self consists of the components of friendship and love. Myers and Sweeney (2004) described friendship and love as indistinguishable from one another, with the exception being sexual intimacy. Within the social self, intimate relationships and friendships are seen as enhancing an individual’s quality of life (Myers & Sweeney, 2004). Social support and family relationships are described here as aspects for positive mental health outcomes across the lifespan (Lightsey, 1996; Ulione, 1996).
Physical self
The physical self is described as consisting of exercise and nutrition. It emphasizes that making exercise and nutrition a valuable aspect of one’s wellness can be viewed as a positive component of living a longer life.
Contextual Variables
The contextual variables of the IS-Wel model include: (1) local (e.g., families, communities, and neighborhood); (2) institutional (e.g., education, government, business and industry, religion, and the media); (3) global (e.g., influence of the media on culture, global events, politics, and the environment); and 4) chronometrical (i.e., recognizing that people change over time) (Myers & Sweeney, 2004). These systems are important in both understanding human behavior while recognizing the influence of environmental factors (Bronfenbrenner, 1999). This in turn can have an impact on one’s individual wellness. Thus, in relation to the Indivisible Self, one can be impacted by the environments from which they live, ranging from the local environment to chronometrically.
Given its implementation with many populations and its evidence-based approach to wellness, the IS-Wel model can serve as a conceptual foundation for recommending strategies that may aid school principals in achieving holistic wellness (see Figure 1). This in turn will help principals engage in healthier work practices that benefit not only themselves, but the school communities they serve. School principal wellness model.
A Model of Wellness: Practice Implications for School Principals
Essential Self
Within the essential self component, principals should develop a strong sense of self-identity in order to effectively lead their schools (Kafele, 2019). This can be accomplished by understanding one’s personal identity as it relates to home life, personal interests, hobbies, and their role with friends and family, while becoming well-rooted within each. In this regard, principals can promote a healthier work–life balance. Although this might not prove to be an easy task, principal work–life balance can be supported by the following time management strategies: scheduling at least one weekday and weekend day that is designated for personal care and for family; manage work time effectively, such as utilizing their administrative assistant to filter through calls and emails; and taking time to be physically away from the work environment when necessary (Armstrong, 2002). This might help principals demonstrate strong physical and mentally healthy attributes in order to improve both their life satisfaction and work productivity (Karakose et al., 2016).
In connection to one’s spirituality as a component of the essential self, principals who identify as spiritual might lean into their spiritual practices as an effort to reduce work-related stressors. For instance, one study that surveyed 216 primary principals’ stressors revealed that their approach to religion and use of religious coping strategies had a significant impact on their emotional tolerance and calmness when it came to handling work-related pressures (Lokman, et al., 2018). As it pertains to gender identity, research noted that there is often a gender bias when related to leadership perception, with men in leadership and masculine styles tending to be favored over women in leadership with more feminine leadership styles (Walker & Aritz, 2015). This speaks to the need to provide more support and illuminate the successes of women in leadership, such as women who serve as principals. Districts should devote more resources that create better school cultures and are more collaborative and supportive in an effort to reduce any biases that may exist against women within the principalship. For instance, districts can require school administrators to complete culturally responsive leadership training, which includes addressing biases. District-level bias incident response teams can also be created within human resource departments to address biases occurring on the school administrator level.
Creative self
In speaking to one’s creative self, principals should be alleviated in the practice of engaging in excessive amounts of work by having better support in delegating tasks effectively across their school leadership teams. For instance, in an effort to have more time towards instructional and leadership-related tasks, school districts should push for and provide an increase in middle management positions within their schools in order to allow more of their teachers to support both organizational and managerial-related tasks (Oplatka, 2017). Principals can also utilize the strengths of their assistant principals to help support the leadership efforts of the school community in a constructive way. This in turn may minimize negative attitudes towards administrative tasks principals may find unnecessary and which subsequently take more time away from instructional leadership. A tracking log that shows how principals are spending their time can also be incorporated. This may allow them to assess where they can cut some of their time spent on efforts that other school personnel may handle, thus giving them availability for other essential duties such as providing instructional feedback to teachers (Superville, 2018).
Increasing the ability to support teachers is a critical component of principal self-efficacy, which in turn may support teacher retention (Dahlkamp et al., 2017). In this regard, a strong sense of self-efficacy, or one’s belief in his or her ability to perform a given task (Bandura 1977) has shown to have a positive impact on principals’ leadership, effective schools, and enhanced quality of learning and teaching (Kelleher 2016). Some strategies noted within the literature on fostering principal self-efficacy include engaging new principals in a reflection of their successful experiences and being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses in order to develop a learning/growth plan that will allow principals to set professional development goals (Kelleher, 2016).
Coping self
In examining the coping self within the context of the school leadership, principals find themselves needing coping strategies as a result of their high-stress and high stakes environment. Karamanidou and Bush (2017a, 2017b) noted that various training seminars on leadership styles, how to react to unique situations, and engaging various problem-solving strategies regarding day-to-day work routines were beneficial for the career development of women principals. Engaging in professional development activities, for instance, those related to self-care and wellness strategies specifically aimed at the prevention of school principal burnout, may in turn support principals in developing effective coping skills as school leaders. Additionally, principals should be given more support from their superiors (i.e., supervisors and district officials) in an effort to seek guidance on ways to successfully cope with high levels of overwhelming work and their work environment (Oplatka, 2017). This may be accomplished by a county or district hosting an annual principal’s forum where school principals can share their needs and concerns, as well as receive additional support from colleagues. Prior to the forum, attendees can be given the Principal Sense of Efficacy Scale (PSES; Dahlkamp et al., 2017) in order to identify their specific areas of need as it relates to their perception of their leadership abilities, such as in the areas of moral leadership, instructional leadership, and management. The PSES is an 18-item questionnaire that consists of a nine-response Likert scale in which respondents must indicate their opinion ranging from “none at all” (1), to “a great deal” (9). The questionnaire asks for respondents to consider a combination of their “current ability, resources, and opportunity” (Dahlkamp et al., 2017) in their roles as principals. Some questions on the PSES include: “In your current roles as principal, to what extent can you: handle the demands of the job; maintain control of your own daily schedule; cope with the stress of the job; or prioritize among competing demands of the job” (Dahlkamp et al., 2017). School districts can use the results of the PSES to address issues such as the principal turnover and provide best practices and support as deemed critical for their leadership success.
It is imperative to prepare future principals for the implications of working within roles that are politically sensitive and complex, which may result in emotional stress, role anxiety, and professional burnout (Schmidt, 2010). In this regard, principal preparation programs should discuss these implications as well as share strategies on how they can balance life (e.g., family and personal responsibilities) with work responsibilities (Oplatka, 2017). For instance, research noted that principals need strategies for balancing their professional and personal lives, and in dealing with their emotions (Schmidt, 2010). These needs speak to a clear collaboration that could be made between principal preparation programs and counselor training programs. This is especially pertinent due to counselor training programs’ emphasis on increasing pre-service counselors’ self-awareness, self-monitoring, and promoting and improving self-care (Dowden, et al., 2014). Thus, principal preparation programs might incorporate introductory counseling courses into their curriculum as an effort to better prepare pre-service administrators within these areas of need.
Once in the role, it is important to uncover the degree to which work-related stress may impact a principal’s mental health. For instance, principals should receive support on how to assess their emotions, as well as learn techniques that may help them to regulate their emotions (Wang, 2020). Therefore, engaging in mindfulness might help principals cope with stressors instead of reacting to them (Klocko et al., 2015). Mindfulness can be described as a form of meditation and an effort one takes to be aware of situations that are happening before they become larger concerns, providing attention that is purposeful and grounded in the present moment, while calmly acknowledging one’s thoughts and feelings without criticism or judgment, and actively stopping those train of thoughts and emotions (Boyatzis & McKee, 2005; Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Klocko, et al., 2015). Principals may practice mindful moments throughout their day simply by taking a moment to pause and allowing whatever ordinary task they are doing be the primary focus (e.g., walking down a hallway, taking deep breaths, and drinking coffee) in an effort to slow down preoccupied thoughts or issues (Klocko et al., 2015). Practicing mindfulness has been associated with several emotional and health benefits such as reducing depression, anxiety, and blood pressure, while increasing one’s ability to self-regulate and enhance optimism (Boyce, 2012; Klocko et al., 2015).
In addition to practicing mindfulness, principals can seek out a counselor who may attend to their mental health needs in an effort to eliminate any irrational beliefs they may have regarding their leadership competency, and to better manage their stress. Licensed mental health clinicians understand that work may impact the various domains of one’s wellness (e.g., sleeping patterns, intimacy with a partner, energy levels, and spirituality) (Bray, 2020). Likewise, clinicians can use the IS-Wel model to help principals identify areas of wellness of which they would like to improve, utilizing this information to collaborate on the creation of a personal wellness plan that speaks to the identified wellness dimensions in need of improvement (Fetter & Koch, 2009). Counselors can engage principals in therapy techniques that may help to reduce stress such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as well as introduce mindfulness techniques. Moreover, principals can utilize counseling to better examine their contributions to both their market work (i.e., paid labor force) and care work (i.e., caregiving of family or community members) in meeting both their needs and those of society, while clarifying what their values are as it relates to what it means to have a good family life, a good work life, and good work–family balance (Cinamon, 2015).
In an effort to provide better support for principals in seeking counseling services, and in an effort to reduce the stigma of principals seeking such services, school districts can partner with local community clinicians to provide bi-weekly or monthly drop-in hours for principals to receive mental health support services (i.e., wellness checks). This can increase the accessibility of principals gaining access to mental health counseling without having to find a local clinician on their own. Moreover, school districts can provide system-wide monthly wellness sessions that involve clinicians covering a specific topic related to health and wellness (e.g., Wellness Wednesdays).
Social Self
Flum (2015) stated that relational resources such as social support, role models, networking, mentoring, and social capital can be pivotal in gaining success and promotions within work situations. Thus, principals should utilize their personal, familial and informal relationships as sources of support and social capital for the betterment of their overall wellness. This can be accomplished through increased bridging social capital. Bridging social capital can be defined as informal relationships, such as people who would be considered an acquaintance and tend to be inclusive in nature (Taliaferro & Flood, 2014). These types of relationships may offer more opportunities to network beyond one’s intimate relationships. Herein, school districts should provide increased opportunities for principals to build their bridging social capital in an effort to reduce a principal’s feelings of isolation. Smith et al. (2020) suggested that districts create learning labs, which is an interactive intervention comprised of central office team members and school principals that leverage the collective strengths within the group, share specific strategies, and troubleshoot daily principal challenges through a collective team re-design. In this regard, the creation of district-wide learning labs can help districts provide authentic and timely support to school leaders and offer a system-wide practice to support school leaders; thereby limiting the principal experience of working in silos.
Research noted that a reduction in isolation may retain principals within their roles, therefore it is pertinent for principals to attend to the social self by being introduced to appropriate mentorship opportunities (Johnson, 2005). For instance, school districts or professional educational leadership organizations can introduce school leadership mentoring programs where novice principals are paired with current or former seasoned school administrators who could offer support within their roles and provide context for improving work-life balance. Moreover, joining professional organizations such as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), or state-affiliated organizations, can provide more opportunities for social support from principal colleagues that may aid them in navigating challenging circumstances related to their work roles. Likewise, these organizations should provide leadership summits that share strategies that support the mental health and wellness of principals; similar to the 2021 leadership summit being offered by ASCD for school leaders who desire to learn strategies to better support the mental health and wellness of teachers (ASCD.org, 2021). An example of a topic that might be explored at a principal leadership summit on mental health and wellness are skills for developing problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. In this regard, a facilitator could utilize the Ways of Coping Checklist (WCCL; Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) to identify the dimensions of problem-focused coping (i.e., seeking social support, information seeking, and accepting confrontation) and emotion-focused coping (i.e., wishful thinking, self-blame, minimization, avoidance, and self-control) that principals might need support with in an effort to improve their overall wellness (Poirel & Yvon, 2014).
Physical Self
In an effort to tend to one’s physical self, school districts should push for the inclusion of worksite health promotion programs within their schools or school districts that school personnel may take advantage of. Components of an effective and comprehensive worksite health program is described as having options that may include stress management, employee exercise facility, nutrition/weight management courses, or counseling (Gillan et al., 2013). Research indicates that providing a health promotion program at a worksite can involve a 25% reduction in finances related to health care and disability workers’ compensation, as well as absenteeism (Carnethon et al., 2009). Furthermore, programs that help employees manage stress have proven to decrease symptoms related to anxiety, depression, fatigue and burnout (Anderson et al., 1999). Worksite health programs also focus on increasing nutrient dense foods within one’s food intake while reducing the intake of food with high amounts of sugar (Gillan et al., 2013).
Research further indicated that engaging in health-related behaviors appears to be interrelated with one another (Gillan et al., 2013). For instance, if principals engage in healthy behaviors such as including more fruits and vegetables within their diet, engaging in regular exercise, using task-oriented coping, and reducing their caffeine and sugar intake, it could help them control their stress in a healthier way (Gillan et al., 2013). Therefore, the principal has more of a tendency to utilize healthier stress management techniques due to their healthier lifestyle change. School districts should also provide healthier food options, both as an option for students and in an effort for school personnel to choose healthier food options for themselves. Principals should also make time in their schedule for a regular meal and healthy snacks, as well as take a regular stress break to better promote healthy behaviors (Gillan et al., 2013). Modeling these strategies can in turn help principals promote health and wellness among their school personnel.
Conclusion
Achieving holistic wellness as a school principal can prove to be quite difficult given the high level of leadership responsibilities and stress factors a principal may endure. Therefore, it is essential that principals engage in self-care strategies as an effort to better tend to their emotional, physical, social, and mental well-being, thus helping to improve their ability to successfully lead their school communities. As an effort to navigate a wellness approach to self-care, the authors presented wellness practice implications for school principals utilizing the Indivisible Self model (IS-Wel; Myers & Sweeney, 2004) as a conceptual framework (see Figure 1). The IS-Wel model can allow principals to evaluate and navigate which area(s) they may focus on to improve their holistic wellness as it pertains to the essential self, creative self, coping self, social self, and physical self. Engaging in the essential self will allow principals to both acknowledge and maintain their sense of self-identity as they work to accomplish work–life balance. Facilitating the needs of the creative self may allow for more support from school leadership teams such as delegating tasks across multiple personnel, thus leaving more time for instructional support, and enhancing principal self-efficacy. Navigating the needs of the coping self as an effort to survive in a high stakes school environment is another important aspect of principal self-care. This can be accomplished by receiving more support from superiors, engaging in mindfulness techniques, and perhaps introducing wellness strategies within principal preparation programs. Principals should also stay diligent in tending to their mental health needs by attending regular counseling sessions as well as school districts providing better access to mental health counseling for principals. This can in turn help them with stress management or eliminating any irrational beliefs they may have regarding their leadership competency. By fulfilling the needs of the social self, principals may better connect with their social supports and work on bridging social capital as they attempt to negate feelings of isolation, receive much needed mentorship, and engage in professional organizations. Principals should also see the importance of fulfilling the needs of their physical self, which may include school districts pushing to provide worksite health promotion programs within their districts, providing healthier food options within their schools, and principals taking adequate stress breaks, and having access to nutritious snacks.
It is conceivable that several of the strategies presented within this article can be implemented by mid-level administrators and other leaders within a school community. Therefore, it is suggested that school principals connect with various school leaders in order to share these strategies and to create an accountability system for achieving holistic wellness. This in turn may promote a healthier school community, one where self-care is a priority for all school leaders as an effort to enhance their management skills, moral leadership, and instructional leadership.
Footnotes
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
