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Stress Busters
Unfortunately there isn’t one simple solution to reducing stress in your life. Controlling stress is a ‘work in progress’ for which you need to take regular action.
Six steps to de-stress
We’ve brought together some simple but effective steps that you can take to reduce your stress levels at work.
Step 1. Pace yourself. Don’t over-commit yourself. You can’t afford to burn out so plan some days to be less demanding.
Step 2. Remember to eat well – don’t skip meals. Snack on nutritious, high-energy foods such as bananas rather than chocolate bars.
Step 3. Consider taking vitamin supplements to help your body fight off all the viruses that the pupils will bring into school.
Step 4. Take exercise and get some fresh air during the school day. Teaching makes you feel very tired but exercise will give you more energy, and you function better all-round if you keep fit.
Step 5. Plan some ‘me’ time. Do whatever makes you feel better. This might be soaking in a hot bath, reading novels or watching escapist films.
Step 6. Invest some time and attention in friends, loved ones and family: they need you and you need them.
These steps were taken from Successful Induction for New Teachers by Sara Bubb.
Why did you become a teacher?
As well as taking daily steps for preventing stress, when the going gets tough it’s good to remind yourself of the reasons why you got into teaching. Have you always wanted to be a teacher? Did you want a job where you can make a difference? Do you see Education as a way of making the world a better place? Or do you just love a challenge?! Why not a take a moment now to jot down the rationale behind your decision to enter the teaching profession. You might find it useful to refer to when days are challenging.
This idea was taken from The New Teacher's Survival Guide to Behaviour by Sue Roffey.
A short term, quick fix
Sometimes just listening to a happy song will be enough to lift you when you’re feeling frazzled. Here are 5 upbeat songs to help you make it through a hard day!
Anti – Anxiety Apps
There are a variety of stress-busting apps to help you relax after a long day. Here are some of our favourites:
Headspace uses meditation and mindfulness techniques to train your mind for a healthier life. You can sign up to a free 10 day program to teach you the basics of meditation in just 10 minutes a day.
Worry Box encourages you to use a digital diary to help you determine how to cope with the worry. If it's controllable, you can list the steps you can take to manage the worry. If it's not controllable, there’s a list of coping statements to help you approach it differently.
Self-help Anxiety Management or SAM, helps you figure out what's making you anxious or stressed while also suggesting ways to combat it.
Breathe2Relax provides information on the effects of stress on the body and instructions and exercises to help you learn diaphragmatic breathing as a stress management skill.
Trello is a project management app that helps you keep on top of everything that’s going on. It allows you to create trackable task lists that you can invite other people to use as well.
For more on mindfulness and managing stress take a look at:
