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Hello Teachers!
The idea behind this book is to act as a First-Aid Kit to
manage your stress as a teacher. The main focus here is not
to completely eliminate stress from your life, because life
without stress will be plain dull and uninteresting dont you
think? However, we need to know how to manage our stress
in order to prevent it for becoming a huge problem later in
our life. As the famous saying goes :
It is not stress that kills us,
it is our reaction to it.
~ Hans Selye ~
If really want to understand why your life is the way it is and
you really want to know how you can change it, here is a
book for you, written in the simplest language to ease your
reading, and hopefully change your life too!
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When Teachers are
Stressful...
Im so stressed out. Have this line
been your almost-routine mantra
lately? You could be experiencing
stress that could affect not only
your performance, but also yourstudents, as well as your personal
life. High stakes exams.
Demanding administrators.
Challenging students. Teaching has
now become a very demandingoccupation with a lot of responsibilities to shoulder besides
just educating the children. Despite all the issues, both big
and small that may cause your stress, remember why you
became a teacher in the first place.
Teachers nurture the seeds of today so they might
blossom into the flowers of tomorrow!
(Source :Fragile What, 2008)
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Read more:
http://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-
category-Stress-page-0.htm#ixzz1I4kAGnPu
Read more: http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-
bin/quotes/index.pl?read=3088#ixzz1IC51etVF
Manish kapoor 2008
Get to Know Your Stress
We are sure many of you have a slight idea about stress. Do
you really know what is stress?
Stress is the physiologic response to an event.
It is not the event itself. You may not be able to
preventexternal stress-producing eventsfromhappening, BUT you can learn to control
your response to those eventsDr Kelly Traver
(clinical assistant professorat Stanford
and has been practicing for 17 years)
Stress is your bodys response to change. It is avery individual thing. The key is to manage
stress properly, because unhealthy responses to
it may lead to health problems. There is no way
to say that one thing is bad or stressful
because everyone is different
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
Stress is not what happens to us.
It's our response to what happens. Andresponse is something we can choose
- Maureen Killoran
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http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-is-
stress?partner=drozAHA
Dr Kelly Traver
http://www.mentalgamecoach.com/articles/StressMyths.ht
ml
stress myth
2011 Truthought LLC
http://www.truthought.com/comic_concepts.asp
http://jammersworld.net/wordpress/index.php/category/gr
and-canyon/
http://synchealthblog.wordpress.com/2010/10/08/tips-for-
coping-with-stress-at-work/
http://www.solveyourproblem.com/stress-relief-guide/stress_quiz_self_assessment_test.shtml
1998
Maureen Killoran
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Avoiding Teacher BurnoutPractical Tips for Avoiding Burnout and Renewing Your
Commitment to Teaching
References
Symptoms of Stress
From SolveYourProblem.com
When you suffer from stress, you experience a variety of
symptoms, sometimes without you realizing it. Take a look at
the list of symptoms below and compare those with how you
are feeling at this moment.
Physical SymptomsYour Bodys Response to Stress
tightness in chest
chest pain and/or palpitations
indigestion
breathlessness
nausea
muscle twitches
aches and pains
headaches
recurrence of previous illnesses/allergies
weight loss or weight gain
change in menstrual cycle for womensleep problems/tiredness
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Emotional Symptoms
How You Feel Insidemood swings
feeling anxious
feeling tense
feelings of anger
feeling guilty
feelings of shame
having no enthusiasmbecoming more cynical
feeling out of control
feeling helpless
decrease in confidence/self-esteem
poor concentration
Behavioural SymptomsThe Things You Do
drop in work performance
more inclined to become accident-prone
drinking and smoking more
overeating/loss of appetite
change in sleeping patternspoor time management
too busy to relax
withdrawing from family and friends
poor judgment
inability to express feelings
You may use this kit to help you with this part.
Do Remember...
Read what you have written, and mark all positive andnegative words so you can distinguish them.
This allows you to separate which stressors are normaland a part of your regular life and which are not.
Use your diary to analyze your stress at the end of usingit for a few weeks. Make out a list of the most
unpleasant stressors you have experienced with the
most unpleasant at the top and the least at the bottom.Look at the list and determine which ones you need to
learn how to control. After you have analyzed your
stress, you should be able to determine how you can
handle your stress and how to react to your stressors.
We cant solve problems by using the same kind of thinking
we used when we create themALBERT EINSTEIN
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Askyourself : What happened?, What did Ifeel?, How did I behave?
Draw a picture of your life, including thestressful elements, label them so that you can
start to see how they relates to the others.
Focus on a specific incident or experience ofstress. Ask yourself : What was I telling myself
to make me feel so bad about the incident?
Ask yourself about the problem, What can I
control today?, Can I change the situation?,Can I change my self-talk?
Then commit yourself to control what you can control AND
to give up trying to control what seems to be beyond yourcontrol.
Ask yourself, How can I relaxand unwindto letgo of my tension and stress?
over-reacting
Psychological Symptoms and Negative ThoughtsThe Way You Think
'I am a failure'
'I should be able to cope'
Why is everyone getting at me?'
'No one understands''I don't know what to do'
'I can't cope'
'What's the point?'
'I don't seem to be able to get on top of things'
'I keep forgetting where I put things'
Something You Should Know : Six Stress MythsBy AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
There are a lot of stress myths going around and many of us
seems to misunderstand some of the basics about stress.
Lets talk about six most common ones which you should
know.
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MYTH 1
Stress is not the same for everybody
Have you ever been in a stressful situation and when youtalked to your friends or family they just dont seem to
understand? Well, what may be stressful to you may not
cause stress to others and vice versa. Not everyone
experiences stress the same way.MYTH 2
Stress is always bad for you
Stress is to the humancondition what pressure is to
the violin string:too little and
the sound is dull; too much
You just
dont
understand!
(Source :Truthought LLC, 2010)
Write Away Your Stress... TheWriting TherapyCreating a Daily Journal for Self Help
BY DR JIM BYRNE
Do you know that writing is a form of relief? When you write
down your difficulties, you can see them, think about it, andeventually let go of your negative thoughts. It helps you
focus on issues and problems affecting your daily life and
brings them into a lighter perspective.
Develop Your Awareness
Be aware of the external sources of your stress and yourcontribution to it. One best way to do it? Keep a stress diary!
The purpose of the stress diary is to track down the specific
stress problem(s) you are confronting. Its easy. You only
need to get a notebook and a pen. Set some quiet time
aside, just for you to work on your stress diary. Since this
activity will inevitably improve your productivity, it is all right
to take a little time out of your working day.
Try to Identify Your Problems
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Your Score:
Score Your Stress Level
34 or under Good - Congratulations! Your stress level is low
35-65Average - Lowering your stress level would be
beneficial
66-85Bad - Think seriously about changes in your life
to reduce stress
86 or aboveDangerous - You need to act now to reduce
stress!
When it comes to achieving anything meaningful in life,
you have a choice in how you approach it:
thehard way or the calmway
, 2010)
and the sound becomeshigh-pitched or the string snaps.
Stress itself, especially in small amount is not bad. The key is
to understand how to manage it best.Managing stress makes
us productive and happy, while mismanaging it may hurt us
and cause us to fail or become even more stressed.
MYTH 3
Stress is everywhere, so you cant do anything about it
So is the possibility offalling down every time
we walk, but that doesnot stop you from
walking, doesnt it?
What you can do, is
plan your life so that stress does not becomes overwhelming.
Effective planning involves setting priorities and working on
, 2010)
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simple problems first, solving them, and then going on to
more complex difficulties. When stress is mismanaged, itsdifficult to prioritize. All your problems seem to be equal and
stress seems to be everywhere. The key is to find a balance
in life.
MYTH 4
The most popular techniques for reducing stress are the
best ones
I have difficulty communicating with my spouse, children,family, boss or co-workers.
I handle most things alone with little support from myfamily, friends or co-workers.
I do not have enough say in decisions that affect me. My personal needs are in conflict with my work or family. I am short of cash or have other personal/business
financial concerns.
My life is one crisis after another. I regularly have headaches (2-5 times per week). I have muscle tension in my shoulder, neck or back. I have stomach pains, indigestion or other digestive
problems.
I regularly take aspirin, indigestion medication, sleepingpills or tranquilizers.
I have a tendency to overeat - especially sweets. I regularly have to drink to relax. I drink a great deal of coffee or other caffeinated
beverages.
Family, friends, or people at work tell me I drink toomuch.
Most of my time is spent sitting - I get little exercise. I would like to make changes in my life but do not know
how.
Now add your scores and write it here :
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Are You Stressed?THE STRESS CHECKLIST
BY AVERA MCKENNAN HOSPITAL AND UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTER, SD
Stress can impact you in many ways. This inventory checklist
is a quick and easy indicator if your stress level is too high. It
can also. Just answer these quick questions tohelp you
recognize some of the conditions that determine your stresslevel. Sit down, relax, and take a few minutes off your work
to check your stress level.
To complete the inventory, assign a number from zero to five to
each of the statements below as they relate to your experience:
0 = Never 3 = Sometimes 5 = Almost always
I have a lot of worries at home, at work or both. I have too much responsibility. My family makes too many demands on me. My work situation is unclear; there are too many people
tosatisfy.
I do not have enough time for leisure or taking care ofpersonal needs.
There is a great deal of time pressure at work. I have difficulty expressing how I feel about situations or
people.
I have trouble focusing on a given task.
There is no one particular stress reduction technique thatcould work for everyone. We are all different our lives, oursituations and our reactions are different. However, self-help
method can teach you many successful stress management
techniques which can be of great help, as long as you stick to
the program and practice the techniques daily.
MYTH 5
No symptoms, no stress
An absence of symptomsdoes not mean the absence
of stress. In fact you may
even try to get rid of the
symptoms with some
medications, which may
(Source :Sync Health, 2010)
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deprive you of the signals. While stress is a psychological
effect, many of us experience the symptoms in a physicalway such as feeling anxious, shortness of breath and
palpitation. These can be physical signs of stress. However,
the symptoms can be in mental signs too such as constantly
irritated or having difficulty concentrating.
MYTH 6
Only major symptoms of stress require attention
You should not ignore the minorsymptoms of stress, but treat it as
a wakeup call. Those early warning
signs are best listened to earlier
rather than later before it is too
late.
Why should you squeeze it?
BY LINDA WOODS
When you squeeze it, a certain amount of muscle
tension is not only in your hand, but also your body.
When you relax you squeeze, that muscle tension is
released, therefore providing you a sense of relaxation.
When you squeeze it repeatedly along with some
deep breathing, the effects it gave to your body will
surprise you!
When you squeeze it a little harder, this will provide
soothing effects to the muscles of the arm and alsoyour shoulder. This technique is called progressive muscular
relaxation.
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Squeezing Your Stress Away... with a Stress Ball
Do you know that the act of squeezing a stress ball may help
shift your focus away from your problem. This could provide
you with a quick relief so that you could calm down. This is
because when your attention is diverted away from the
source of stress, the mind stabilizes and there is relaxation of
both body and mind, which is similiar to the effects ofmeditation.
Its better to squeeze than shout.
So, grab the stress ball and start squeezing!
(Source :Spoiled Yogi, 2011)
Take a look at the word STRESS.Drop the two Ss from it and what did you get?
REST. Try to stop stressing about a matter and be more
relaxed. If you feel angry, take a deep breath and walk away.
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About this Kit
1. Get to Know Your Stress The BookThis mini book will guide you to the
A good belly laugh provides internal workoutfor your
body, leaving your muscles more relaxed afterward.It even provides a good workout for your hearSo go on,
laughyour heart out, it is indeed a best medicine!
"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."E.E. CUMMINGS
(Source :The Political Commentator, 2010)
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It distracts you and brings the focus away fromanger, guilt and any negative emotions.
It can change your perspectiveof the event that causesstress. Humour can give you a lighter perspective and could
help you to view events as 'challenges', thus making them
less threateningand more positive.
It has social benefitstoo!Laughter connects us with others and
dont you think it is contagious?
Not only you canreduce your own stressby
laughing your heart out, you can help your friendstoo!
2. Be Inspired and the Laughing Cure
The second book in the kit consists of two items, first, Be
Inspired and second, The Laughing Cure. Lets take a look
at this.
Part I : Be Inspired...The Five Benefits of Reading Inspirational Quotes
BY MANISH KAPOOR
It is a stress reliever.
It gives you a source of inspiration.
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They give you words of wisdom that have the power to
release the champion inside you!
It encourages positive attitudewhich would help your
personal growth.
It shows you the true meaning of life.
Some of the quotes are inspirational and funny at the same
time. It provides you a source of laughter, which wouldkeep us emotionally and mentally happy.
Give your stress wings and let it fly awayCARIN HARTNESS
Part II : The Laughing CureBY ELIZABETH SCOTT, M.S.
Stress relief from laughter? Yes, no joke.
Laughter is good for your soul--and your body!
Do you know there is a therapeutic method called humour
therapy to help people heal more quickly, among other
things? This is because humour provides several stress
relieving benefits.
When You Laugh...
Your good hormonessuch as endorphines are increased,
while the stress hormones such as dophamine decreases.This means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer
physical effects of stress.
They are good for your health!
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