Charleston County
Early Head Start & Head Start 

Mental Health Consultants

Teaching is one of the most stressful occupations. The most stressful jobs frequently involve work with people or require you to hide your emotions. In combining these two, teaching carries a high degree of emotional labor and with that stress.  Taking care of yourself is the first step to taking care of your students.

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Factors that Influence Stress Levels

• Your support network – A strong network of supportive friends and family members is an enormous buffer against life’s stressors. On the flip side, the more lonely and isolated you are, the greater your vulnerability to stress.  

• Your sense of control – If you have confidence in yourself and your ability to influence events and persevere through challenges, it’s easier to take stress in stride. People who are vulnerable to stress tend to feel like things are out of their control.  

• Your attitude and outlook – Stress-hardy people have an optimistic attitude. They tend to embrace challenges, have a strong sense of humor, accept that change is a part of life, and believe in a higher power or purpose.  

• Your ability to deal with your emotions – You’re extremely vulnerable to stress if you don’t know how to calm and soothe yourself when you’re feeling sad, angry, or afraid. The ability to bring your emotions into balance helps you bounce back from adversity.

• Your knowledge and preparation – The more you know about a stressful situation, including how long it will last and what to expect, the easier it is to cope. For example, if you go into surgery with a realistic picture of what to expect post-op, a painful recovery will be less traumatic than if you were expecting to bounce back immediately

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Common Signs of High Stress Levels

• Headaches, muscle tension, neck or back pain

• Upset stomach

• Dry mouth

• Chest pains, rapid heartbeat

• Difficulty falling or staying asleep

• Fatigue

• Loss of appetite or overeating

• Lack of concentration or focus

• Irritability

• Anxiety

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Tips for Managing Stress

1. Don’t argue with reality. There is no point complaining and whining if that generates additional stress for you. Remember, if you argue with reality – you’ll only lose 100% of the time! A simple example – “I can’t believe it’s raining again!” Can you change the weather? How harmful are your thoughts, especially if you repeat them again and again. Stop! Shift your focus to healthy, helpful thoughts. This will lift your energy instantly.

2. Assess what you can influence and what you cannot. There are certain things you can affect in your teaching life and certain things you cannot. To master the art of keeping cool in school and remaining calm in chaos, identify what you can steer and what is out of your hands. You cannot control whether Jonny wants to listen to you, you cannot control if Sid sets off the fire alarm for a laugh. The only thing you can control is your response. You can not be on top of everything. Don’t expect that of yourself.  

3. Take charge of yourself via your breathing. If you are stressed, you are in a state of red alert. This is usually a recipe for confrontational exchanges, heightened emotional states and poor classroom management. Focus on your breathing to take charge of yourself. Do this before a lesson, during a difficult conversation and after a lesson. Seven slow deep breaths in followed by seven slower, deep breaths out will increase the relaxation response in your body and help you feel stronger instantly.

4. Smile. To increase your relaxation response, take a deep breath, exhale and smile. This is my favorite technique. It is simple and no one need ever know you are using it. You can do a cheesy Wallace and Grommit grin or a subtle Mona Lisa smile - either way you will release endorphins that will help restore your sense of wellbeing. Don’t stop at one. Keep breathing and smiling. You might find yourself chuckling your way to the staffroom. And you may just brighten someone else’s day too when they see your smile.

5. Validate your own feelings. Give yourself permission to feel all your feelings. Anger can drive you into action (I find I do the housework twice as fast if I’m cross) and can inspire you to stand up for justice. You are often justified to feel outraged or incensed. You may feel powerless to change it or you may be able to take healthy action. Either way, recognize what shows up, do not stuff it down. However, while you acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, you do not have to buy into them. If you feed them, they can eat you up. Instead, acknowledge and move on.  

6. Identify your options. One of the biggest causes of stress is the feeling of having no choice - that your back is against the wall, that you feel cornered. Remember, that is only stress talking. You always have choices. They may not be easy choices, but they are choices nonetheless. Be honest and assess what you can do to support yourself in that moment.

7. Talk it through. If you are experiencing stress, especially because of bullying, talking about it can alleviate it immediately. Teacher Support Network is a starting point for personal support. Talking about issues can help you regain perspective.

8.  Eat healthily. Be kind to your body and it will hold you up during these tough times. Drink plenty of water during the day to flush out toxins. Stay on an even keel by eating regularly and healthily and avoiding depressants and stimulants. Comfort foods, alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes will add to the stress on your body while sugar will give you an empty high and a depressing low.

9.  Go outside. Leave your classroom. Go outside during break times. Get some fresh air! Leave the school grounds. Walk the dog after school. Go for a walk around the park with a friend. The action of walking releases muscle tension while extra oxygen in the brain generates clearer thoughts.

 

Your circumstances may be awful right now. You may not be able to change your situation, but you can change the way you perceive it and you can be the master of your thoughts and feelings. Be real. Acknowledge your current reality. Maybe keep a journal and release the anxiety or frustration. Acknowledge what is true for you and then choose to take steps towards making healthy change. Serve your heart, listen to your body and remember to breathe.

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