An artificially aged photo of me and absolutely how old I feel on some of my tougher days.
Stress makes you age prematurely, it weakens your immune system, and it takes a toll on your mental health. I don't pretend to be an expert at dealing with stress well, but it is something I am working on. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2017, all of the doctors I saw reiterated over and over that stress is a killer and I needed to do everything I could to eliminate it in order to get well. At the time, that meant taking a leave of absence from teaching to undergo treatment and to heal and recover after the chemo and radiation were over. I DEFINITELY should have taken more time before returning to work but I felt guily about not going back. I felt like I should be all better since I'd finished treatment a month and a half prior. Looking back, I was definitely not all better but c'est la vie.
1. Disconnect! Go home and disconnect. Turn off your phone, your internet, your connection to the outside world. Focus on your family, those who are immediately present, and spend some quality time together. This may still involve venting a little, but try not to do it too much. Save it for a colleague who can relate to your job stresses rather than your spouse who feels like they aren't able to help you fix the problem since they aren't there. It can become a burden and a downer for them if all you ever do is complain. Instead, spend time doing things you enjoy together. Make dinner together, play a game, watch a movie or TV show, care for your children, or get intimate.
2. Breathe! There is a huge push in our schools with the Trauma Informed Movement to teach our students coping mechanism for when they are feeling out of control or upset. Breathing techniques are a main method for helping them cool down, and guess what! They don't just work for kids. Breathing deeply also works for adults, as it turns out. You can either just do your own deep breathing, or follow a guided lesson. There are lots of different breathing techniques online to help you regulate your heartbeat, calm down, and destress.
3. Hobbies! Now, this one is a little tougher... What teacher really has much time for hobbies, right? Well, make time. Make time to do something you enjoy that has nothing to do with school or teaching. Make jewelry, do yoga, garden, knit, bake, chop wood, read books... the options are truly endless. This not only will help you relieve the stresses of teaching by focusing your mind on something else, but it will also make you more interesting for your students. Kids (I am an elementary teacher, but I assume the same would be true for older students) love hearing about what you do on your own time. They are interested to hear about what kind of hobbies you have. It makes you more real and helps them connect with you on a more personal level, and being a good teacher starts with a good relationship with your students.
4. Sleep! This one may not be as necessary for everyone else, as it is for me. I am one of those people who needs a solid 9 hours in order to feel good and rested the next day. As a new mother, that number is NEVER hit but I still strive for 7-8. When possible, I at least lay down when my one year old does once or twice a week in order to try and get a few extra ZZZZs. Getting plenty of rest gives your body time to recharge and recover from the stresses of the day. In order to be your best self in the classroom, you need to give yourself the time and space to recover from whatever was wearing you down the day before. Let it go and move forward.
5. Socialize! Hang out with friends, spend time with loved ones, get out of the house and see people. This is especially beneficial when those people are not connected to your school in anyway so you can avoid getting hung up in work conversations. During these Covid-19 times, this can be done through Facetime, Google Meets, Zoom, or whatever other video conferencing method you like. In other times, go grab a drink together, sit down and eat a meal with other people, go for a walk with friends, play mini golf, or really just do anything you enjoy but with other people who you like to spend time with. It is nice to be reminded of a world outside of your classroom or school. I am an introvert, but even I need to see and talk to my close friends sometimes in order to feel okay. Being around people you love and who love you unconditionally is a very healing thing.
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