Stress Management Strategies For Teachers
Written By Abena Sey
January 2, 2022
Experiencing some level of stress at your place of work is a normal part of life. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, stress is a physical or an emotional response to external factors that impact our decision-making. In terms of frequency, stressors are usually one-time short occurrences, or they may happen frequently over a longer period of time. Stress normally goes away once the problem is solved. While stress may have positive effects, such as the added pressure that helps you meet a deadline, it can also have negative effects when it impacts your physical or mental health. To learn more about stress and its impacts, please visit the “I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet” from the National Institute of Mental Health.
How Does Stress Affect Teachers?
Stress can develop due to the fact that teachers are managing various responsibilities. Not only are we responsible for the safety, well-being and learning of our students, but we are also responsible for communications with parents, participation in the school community, and professional responsibility to our teaching authority. With this high level of responsibility, there is an inherently high degree of stress that can occur. If you do not have strategies to manage your stress, it can have negative impacts on your professional and personal life. Here are three stress management tips to help you:
Stress Management Tips For Teachers
1 - Set Boundaries On Your Availability
It is important to set boundaries on your time, particularly when you will be available to students and their parents outside of the school day. Plan your work hours and communicate this. For example, if your school operating hours are 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, decide when you are willing to respond to communications outside of these times. You may decide that you will respond to communications up to 5:00 pm. Setting boundaries can be challenging, especially if you have multiple classes of students, but for your peace of mind, you have to set boundaries on your availability. If you don’t set limits to your availability, you will set the expectation that you are always available, to the detriment of your personal time. Let your students and their parents know when they can expect a response from you to their communications so that everyone is clear. Clarity brings peace.
2 - Organize To Save Time and Reduce Your Stress
To reduce your stress, consider how you spend your time. You may be working harder than you need to, because you are not organized in certain areas of your teaching life. Organization is critical for helping you manage your time. When you can save time, you can be available to do more of what you want to do. Gain control of your time by putting systems in place to help you stay on top of things. Take some time to assess the areas of your teaching life that need organizing. Are you wasting time due to clutter in your workspace? Are you wasting time looking for teaching resources that you have not placed in an organized space? Are you wasting time sorting through emails that you haven’t organized? Do you waste time creating sub plans, because you haven’t pre-planned for absences due to an emergency? Have you taken on extra work beyond your capacity? Figure out the areas that need to be organized, and reclaim your time.
3 - Prioritize What Matters Most To You And Your Students
It is important to set intentions for your teaching day. In all that you do for your students, choose to be intentional and stick to what matters most. Set goals that are realistic for the time and resources that you have available to you. Don’t overextend yourself. Prioritize protecting your physical and mental well-being. To achieve this, plan how you will spend time outside of work hours doing activities that help you to refocus and feel rejuvenated. Choose to do activities that bring you the most joy. Your health and well-being matter. You will be a better teacher when you are operating at your best. You will be able to pour into your students, when your own cup is overflowing. Your students will benefit from the investment you make in your own health, so please remember to prioritize what matters most!
Although our jobs as educators can be stressful, we must actively work to reduce stress. Stress management requires setting boundaries, remaining organized, and being intentional about your day. Take the next best steps for your situation to keep stress at bay and enjoy your career as an educator.
References
National Institute of Of Mental Health
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/so-stressed-out-fact-sheet