New year is often a time when people want to make change in their lives for the better. If you’re still pondering what your new year’s resolution should be for 2021, don’t worry – it’s not too late. Let us suggest that your resolution for the year ahead (and beyond) should be to get better at… making time for you – at prioritising your health and wellbeing.

This is something that many of us are reluctant to do – setting time aside for ourselves is something that many of us are often slow to do when there are so many other demands on our time – but it’s something that can make a real difference to how we feel, how we see the world and how well we’re able to help and support others as a result.

Off the back of compelling member survey results, well before the pandemic hit, the EIS decided to have quite a big push on promoting the wellbeing of our members. This time last year saw the launch of the EIS online Teacher Health and Wellbeing Resource. Since then, around 150 members have participated in wellbeing focused learning opportunities provided by the EIS, and a further two resources have been curated: the Working at Home Wellbeing Resource, and the Daily Inspirations pages.

This spring, redoubling our efforts to encourage members to take time for themselves amidst busy work and personal lives, and as an antidote to the pressures of the pandemic, the EIS launches a wellbeing programme, Our Wellbeing Matters, focusing on the promotion, improvement and exploration of applying the many different lenses of personal and professional identity.

Wellbeing means different things to each of us. It can be walking the dog, practising yoga, using the Headspace app on our phones, singing our hearts out, garnering ‘likes’ on Instagram, cooking up a storm and eating well, turning off our work emails in the evenings and reading good books instead, zooming friends and family to keep in touch from a safe social distance, and indeed any combination of these and a myriad of other feel-good activities at any one time.

Each week of the Our Wellbeing Matters programme will explore a different aspect of wellbeing and how to create and sustain some good practices that will make a positive difference to how you think and feel about yourself, your life and relationships, and your work.

The variety of presenters and delivery formats will be chosen to match the expansive topic of wellbeing. Regardless of format, each session will create a space where members can focus on themselves for 60 minutes that week and will have opportunities to share experiences with fellow EIS members. Recognising that the choice of wellbeing apps and websites now available can be overwhelming, each week will include signposting to a select choice of tried and tested resources.