Rethinking Stress
“It’s not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” – Hans Selye
Teaching is a rewarding yet demanding career – not for the faint of heart. The wearing of numerous hats, pressure from state mandates, schedules that seem to multiply, needs that continuously change, and most importantly – the genuine desire to truly impact the lives of our students comes with a price – stress.
Studies continue to show that the number of teachers reporting “great stress in their day to day work” has risen consistently. This matters because these high stress levels directly affect job satisfaction and influences whether teachers remain in the profession.
Stress is inevitable in our profession. You walk into your classroom, ready to impart knowledge and have rhythmic day filled with quality learning, and something happens that spoils your best laid plans. These unwelcome events trigger one of the oldest human reactions – the stress response. Let’s see:
- The jaw tenses
- Heart beats faster
- Blood pressure increases
- Adrenalin and cortisol production rise
- Muscles tense
- Anxiety surges
Stress is inevitable, so we need to learn how to make stress our friend. Stress prepares our bodies to meet a challenge. Maybe it is time for us to make a change and view our stress response as helpful instead of harmful. When we feel stress rising, here are a few things we can do:
- Take a deep cleansing breath. (You might even stop and ask your class to join in..)
- Stop and evaluate the situation. Is it really as bad as you first thought? Think before you react.
- Change gears. If a lesson is not working, stop and use it as a teachable moment.
- Get up and move. Take a stretch break.
- Talk to someone. Stress makes us social. It enhances our empathy and allows us to connect with others.
- Put on some good music and move for a couple of minutes. Then get back to business.
Stress can be harmful, but if we try to look at it differently, the outcome might take a turn for the better. If we are familiar with our stress responses, when we feel them coming on, we can prepare for the challenge. Stress has become one of the most common words used in the English language, so let’s use it to get better at handling life’s challenges. Health psychologist Kelly McGonigal says that stress gives us access to our heart and a passionate heart brings us joy. How we think and act helps us to transform our experiences with stress. Trust yourself to handle life’s challenges, so remember – teaching is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are determined to learn and grow.