"I'm totally stressed out." Listen carefully when teachers repeat that almost-routine mantra. They could be experiencing stress that affects their performance, students, and personal lives. But, stress doesn't have to take a toll.
High stakes exams. Demanding administrators. Challenging students. No wonder teachers are stressed! On a daily basis, those circumstances can challenge teachers to do their jobs well -- or even overwhelm them.
Stress is physiological: it negatively affects the way the brain and the nervous system operate. Critical cognitive processes -- the ones that normally help people manage conflict -- become impaired, resulting in an "inner noise."
That "inner noise" leads to memory loss, the inability to solve problems, and the absence of creativity, among critical coping mechanisms, according to Drs. Rollin McCraty and Robert A. Rees of the Institute of HearthMath. (See their Web site, Institute of HeartMath.)
Couple those impairments with stress's physical and emotional effects -- such as headaches, irritability, and depression -- and you find a teacher who is emotionally spent and professionally ineffective.
Stress heavily strains teachers' "pro-social emotion"-- compassion and empathy,
added Dr. Margaret Kemeny, professor in psychiatry at the University of
California in San Francisco. "Teachers want to keep giving until they
reach 'compassion exhaustion'," said Kemeny.
STRESS MANIFESTED
"Stressed teachers affect their environment, both personal and professional,"
said McCraty. "Often, they are exhausted from lack of sleep and overwork,
which has an impact on their preparation, their class demeanor, and their
relationships with others in school."
Manifestations
Of Teacher Stress
Physical, then emotional, exhaustion
Short fuses -- impatience, irritability, and anger -- with students and colleagues
Repression of feelings
Lethargy
Depression
General lack of resiliency
More frequent absences
No sense of humor
Difficulty being organized
No time to listen to anyone
Frequent illness
Students especially respond to stress. "What we see from research
is that students sense teacher stress and react to it," explained Dr.
Liza Nagel, associate professor of health education at the University
of New Mexico. "Sometimes, the reaction is exactly what the teacher
does not need: acting out," Nagel added.
How do teachers "manage" stress? Some reach out to friends or family,
or they exercise; those are among some of the recommended positive activities.
Others resort to less productive methods, like social separation, overeating,
and compulsive activities.
TAPPING INTO INNER STRENGTH
Linda Lantieri, founder of Project
Renewal, a program that helps educators tackle trauma and adversity,
said that even teachers who experience "compassion fatigue" have an
inner resilience that enables them to handle stress. The right methodologies
and tools -- including those that allow teachers to get in touch with
their mind, body, and spirit -- can help them do that.
Such strategies, added Rees, not only help teachers; they help change
a school's overall climate for the better. "The sustained use of those tools
usually not only produces a qualitative shift in an organization's social
and emotional climate, but also favorably affects other important indicators
of organizational success," he said.
Coping With Stress:
Tips for Educators
Before educators can help students cope with their problems and be
ready to learn, they must first take time to care for themselves, says
Dr. Leah Davis. The following are ways educators can take control of
their lives and manage their own stress so that they will be available
to assist their students.
Make a list of things that you enjoy doing that are good for you. Arrange
to do one a day.
Write down how you see yourself a year, five years, or ten years from
now. Share your ideas and goals with someone you trust.
Write down at least five of your worries. Rank order your list by their
importance in your life. By each worry write Accept, Change,
or Reject. For each worry decide what your first step will be
toward accepting, changing or rejecting it. Carry out the steps you
listed.
There are a variety of proven-effective stress reduction methods teachers
can use. For example, Nagel has introduced teachers to self-reflection,
cognitive restructuring (turning negativity around), meditation, massage,
and exercise, among several strategies she underscores in her article,
"The ABCs of Teacher Stress."
HeartMath's Resilient Educator™ program helps teachers move from "chaos
to coherence," explained Rees. Teachers begin to understand what stress
is -- emotional reactions that turn into turmoil and then performance
blocks -- and engage in "positive emotion refocusing techniques" that
help teachers build positive energy and responses to challenges and
alter stress' physiological impact.
In the absence of such sophisticated measures, teachers and administrators
can themselves reduce stress in school. Nagel suggests that teachers
find satisfaction in the rewards their profession brings, like successfully
integrating parents into the classroom setting or acknowledging the
one challenging child who has learned to value concepts being taught.
Nagel believes that an administrator must understand his or her role
in teacher stress; and then change that impact by practicing "participatory
leadership and supporting teachers" when they need help. "One simple
way to show support," said Nagel, " is to use teacher in-service days
to teach or reinforce skills that will have a positive impact on school
climate: stress management, conflict management, communication skills,
skills for working with parents," she described.
Lantieri recommends that administrators put time into teacher schedules
for professional development that addresses stress or offers strategies
for teachers to maintain an inner calm. Or, to provide a quiet space,
other than the teacher lounge, where teachers can find silence and respite
during the school day, or where they can enjoy soothing activities,
like listening to music or drawing.
"Our recommendation would be that every school district have specific,
proven programs for reducing stress and for helping administrative,
teaching, and support staff manage stress and improve communication
and problem solving skills," urged McCraty.
Nagel highly recommends that teachers take the advice of "the famous
American philosopher" Dolly Parton: "Nobody's gonna live for ya," so
ensuring your mental health is a priority. "Find time for exercise and
meditation," she advised. "Avoid the toxic influences in your life.
Recognize that stress is a perception and you have control of your perceptions."
RESOURCES
Seeking expert stress-reduction guidance? These programs and resources
can help teachers and administrators implement stress-reduction initiatives
and strategies in their schools.
Project
Renewal
Founded by Linda Lantieri, Project Renewal helps teachers physically,
mentally, and emotionally replenish themselves by developing their inner
resources for resilience. The program offers teachers around the country
day-long and seasonal residential retreats and after- and in-school
programs, yoga classes, and individual stress-reduction sessions from
certified bodywork practitioners.
The
Institute of HeartMath's Resilient Educator™
This program teaches teachers around the country scientifically-validated
tools and strategies proven to stop the negative impact of stress --
mentally, emotionally, and physically. Among the things teachers do:
learn about the concept of resiliency within an educational context;
identify areas of stress and areas of well being in their professional
lives; and implement the stress-reducing strategies they have acquired.
From Chaos to Coherence: Managing Teacher Stress