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| From: www.werocktheyroll.com |
News Flash! Teaching is Stressful! That's not exactly news, is it? According to an ABC News report, teaching ranks the 4th most stressful profession and if you're also a parent, you make number 1!
For me, it wasn't until my 7th year of teaching that I began to understand the importance of taking care of myself, both physically and emotionally, so that I could better take care of the needs of my students each day. If we as educators are expected to manage student behavior, we must also manage our own behaviors. Many times, our reactions and treatment of students is based upon our emotions and stress levels and may lead to unfair treatment of both students and coworkers.
Below I've taken the word PURGE and added ways educators can effectively take care of themselves throughout the school year. Because there's a lot of stress that accumulates in our minds and bodies that must be purged or otherwise we are a bunch of grumpy and irritable individuals who no one wants to be around!
P- 1) Plan to Play. What are your hobbies? Is it gardening, playing with children and/or pets, exercising, or catching Pokemon? Each of these activities provides opportunities to smile and laugh. Make time, and plenty of it, for playing.
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| From www.truehealthct.com |
2) Prepare your week. One of the benefits of teaching is that our schedules rarely change. For me, my day (officially) begins at 7:30am and ends at (officially) 3:00pm. Realistically it's more like 7:00-4:30. With technology today, you can set reminders on your phone for however many days you want to plan your week of play or days to workout (more on this with letter E).
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| From www.workout-calendar.com |
U-Understand your triggers. You have things that get on your nerves. Everyone has their triggers, but when it comes to school, what are your trigger points? Is it a person? Is it an activity? Make a list and times of day these are likely to occur and have your response ready to how you react.
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| From www.lifematters.com |
R- Recognize your stress level. When you start feeling that pressure building in your shoulders and back or your face becoming that lovely shade of Angry Red, activate your response as listed in U. If a student who talks back consistently after being corrected causes you to want to say what you really feel and may cause you to lose control, take a deep breath or look away to prevent a regrettable decision. If your stress builds in your shoulders and back, pull your shoulders back and stand/sit up straighter. Do what is needed to get back to neutral so you are more effective in what you do.
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| From www.bwterao.wordkpress.com |
G- Get away. If you're like most educators, thoughts of your students and the ongoings of your classroom are almost always on your mind. But let me speak some truth to those of you today (me included). Get off Twitter and Pinterest, stop opening work emails at home, leave your gradebook at school and simply get away from anything related to work. Make appointments either weekly or at least once a month to rest, get a massage, and refuel by going on a weekend or nightly getaway. This also goes back to your planning. When are your most stressful times of year? October, February, May? Those are mine. Plan something special for yourself to get your mind off work stress and focus on you!
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| From www.blitzandglam.com |
E- Exercise. Yes, this is most people's New Year's Resolution and, for some, a sensitive topic. Okay, maybe your way of purging stress is to enjoy comfort food and that's okay but I'm not getting into that today. Taking care of yourself also involves planning how you relieve your stress in a healthy manner. I love how the image below shows how running is more than just exercise. It, for me, is a combination of a Get-away and taking care of my physical and emotional stability. The new school year is about to begin. Incorporate some type of physical activity into your weekly activity plans so that your mind and your body can be a little bit less stressed.
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| From www.fauxrunner.com |
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