In a recent article for the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Raynard S Kington (Phillips Academy) discusses how postsecondary leaders can mitigate the stress associated with being in a leadership position. Kington shares his own experience dealing with stress and panic attacks while working as a college president and discusses the difficulty of speaking about mental health openly. Kington highlights the importance of having a support system and obtaining mental health support and encourages senior leaders to prioritize their health and friendships, find a career coach and a therapist before entering times of high stress, develop a stress-relief toolkit, and seek out help for mental health conditions. Kington also offers recommendations to trustees to ensure the president is well supported, such as intentionally planning for their president’s rest, review, and renewal and discussing mental health benefits with leaders.
