This is an idea which came from one of the groups I work with. They decided it's something they would do - and it worked out so well I've recommended it to a number of clients since.

What do I mean by meno-plan your week?

There are always lessons that are more challenging. One or two of them can make a day feel a lot more difficult. There are always difficult days. One or two of them can make a week seem impossible. That's especially true when we add peri/menopause into the mix.

Some things you can't plan for!

In schools, there's a lot happens unexpectedly. There are also things that are repeated and predictable. But it takes the pressure of dealing with the unexpected if we're already prepared for the expected.

The Hot Spots of Your Week

There might be time of the day when rooms get too hot. There might be days when your time-table and duties mean you don't get to nip to the loo, or get a vital breather. There can be certain classes at certain times when your mood is fragile.

What can you do to help yourself?

Once you know where those trouble spots are likely to be you can do things to help. You can plan in activities for that class that challenge you less. You can get the fans going in good time. You might want to pack a healthy snack if you know you'll be stress and likely to crave comfort food. If you know there's a limited amount of downtime one day, you might want to think about maximising it (and that might involve something sensible like a walk or a quick meditation, but it might also mean sharing a laugh with someone!)

How can others support you?

You can look into swapping duties. You can ask a member of SLT for a walk by at tricky times. You can ask that certain issues are taken into account during time-tabling and room allocation. Being specific about what you need helps other people to help you, and it helps relatively small changes have big results.

Good luck!