General ideas
“Teachers and education staff endure greater job-related stress than other professionals," according to a report written by the National Foundation for Educational Research. Within the Education Support Partnership 2018 Teacher Wellbeing Index, 67% of education staff suffered from different levels of stress.
With the increased workload teachers and school staff are facing, it can become really difficult to balance home and work life. Here are some simple general pointers which could help teachers with stress management, both in the classroom and at home.
1. "Accept the fact we are human, we are not machines, we can't be simply charged for 2 hours and operate continuously for 10 hours on a daily basis like our cellphones or iPads.
Dedicate at least 30 mins to 1 hour each day for personal time where you stop working or thinking about your job! This break will help your brain from releasing more cortisol to further stress you.
2. Smile or watch (or read) something you find funny.
Smiling does more than just show your pearly white teeth. It releases endorphins (our bodies' stress relief hormone) which makes people instantly feel better and feel lighter.
In addition smiling has these additional benefits: https://www.henryford.com/blog/2017/10/health-benefits-smiling
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increased endurance
- Reduced pain
- Strengthened immune system
3. Make a list of the things you did today or recently
The workload of school staff and teacher can be endless where there is always more to be done. However, instead of stressing about what's not done, how about you take a moment to congratulate yourself on what you have done?
Did you mark 2 assignments today?
Did you plan for the lab for Thursday?
Did you coach your team to win or better than expected result?
Did you upload photos for a section of the yearbook?
Of course you did! Give yourself a high five!
With the increased workload teachers and school staff are facing, it can become really difficult to balance home and work life. Here are some simple general pointers which could help teachers with stress management, both in the classroom and at home.
1. "Accept the fact we are human, we are not machines, we can't be simply charged for 2 hours and operate continuously for 10 hours on a daily basis like our cellphones or iPads.
Dedicate at least 30 mins to 1 hour each day for personal time where you stop working or thinking about your job! This break will help your brain from releasing more cortisol to further stress you.
2. Smile or watch (or read) something you find funny.
Smiling does more than just show your pearly white teeth. It releases endorphins (our bodies' stress relief hormone) which makes people instantly feel better and feel lighter.
In addition smiling has these additional benefits: https://www.henryford.com/blog/2017/10/health-benefits-smiling
- Reduces blood pressure
- Increased endurance
- Reduced pain
- Strengthened immune system
3. Make a list of the things you did today or recently
The workload of school staff and teacher can be endless where there is always more to be done. However, instead of stressing about what's not done, how about you take a moment to congratulate yourself on what you have done?
Did you mark 2 assignments today?
Did you plan for the lab for Thursday?
Did you coach your team to win or better than expected result?
Did you upload photos for a section of the yearbook?
Of course you did! Give yourself a high five!
4. Plan something to look forward to
Events such as birthday party celebrations, drinks with a colleague, watching your kids play piano, and etc. don't exist for no reason. They serve a purpose in the work-reward cycle we all go through. Instead of thinking I have to teach 20 straight days until the Christmas Break, think I'm only 6 days away from watching my son's piano concert or my daughter's swim meet! The mini-rewards or events going on in our lives help create motivation to power through the workload and the stress that comes to working at a school
5. Leave work at home
Work is work and home is home. School is a place where you should do your work. Although it is tempting to also bring home work, try to limit or total eliminate it and just use home time to relax or spend time with your family. You deserve it for all the hard work you put in to make your school run effectively; leaving students with not only an education but also extra-curricular activities.
Events such as birthday party celebrations, drinks with a colleague, watching your kids play piano, and etc. don't exist for no reason. They serve a purpose in the work-reward cycle we all go through. Instead of thinking I have to teach 20 straight days until the Christmas Break, think I'm only 6 days away from watching my son's piano concert or my daughter's swim meet! The mini-rewards or events going on in our lives help create motivation to power through the workload and the stress that comes to working at a school
5. Leave work at home
Work is work and home is home. School is a place where you should do your work. Although it is tempting to also bring home work, try to limit or total eliminate it and just use home time to relax or spend time with your family. You deserve it for all the hard work you put in to make your school run effectively; leaving students with not only an education but also extra-curricular activities.