teacher stress

                        Teacher stress

The teacher today is faced with new challenges in education calling for greater effort from teachers. In addition there are heavy demands made by the society on teachers to perform various roles. This cause heavy stress on teachers. If the stressful situation is unmanageable, various aspects of teacher’s performance such as creativity, classroom management, and implementation of educational techniques may suffer. If their professional obligations are not met, their self image and their ability to cope may be endangered

Signs and symptoms of stress

            1.Physical signs

                  Headaches, migraines, heart palpitations,   constant cold and other infections.                   Mascular aches and pain,. Stomach problems, acidity, indigestion, sweating,   allergies skin irritation, increased blood pressure, and asthmatic attacks

         2. Mental and emotional signs

             Reduced interest    and concentration, poor memory, difficulty in decision making, making mistakes, reduced control, becoming  suspicious ,and unhelpful,, losing sense of humour, losing enthusiasm, becoming resentful, and losing self esteem

            3.Behavioural signs

           Lethargy, moodiness, and grudges,, being less co operative, showing disapproval, isolation, increase in drinking and smoking, eating disorder, deterioration  in personal relationships., fidgeting, procrastination, and obsessions

Coping strategies

1.      Positive thinking: Think positively and constructively. Positive thinking will eliminate worry and enhance performance.

2.      Set realistic goals for yourself: Reduce the number of events going on in your life and you may reduce the circuit over land .

3.      Persistence: Develop powers of willpower and determination . Be positive about your performance and concentrate on  achieving excellence

4.      confidence This is a belief in ones own ability. Failure situations should be avoided

5.      concentration ; build a wall of concentration around you. You must become so absorbed in what you are currently doing that you become completely aware of  all other potential  distractions. Think about the task rather than about yourself

6.      Don’t overwhelm yourself : Don’t  overwhelm yourself by fretting about entire workload. Handle each task as it comes ,or selectively deal with matters in priority

7.      Relaxation: Meditation and breathing exercises have been proven to be very effective in controlling stress. Practice clearing your mind of disturbing thoughts.

8.      Health Sleep, exercise. and eating wisely  are all ways  of keeping a sound mind in a sound body. A balanced diet with adequate fiber will combat stress and fatigue.

9.      Work out stress: Get rid of stress with physical activities.

10.  Support system: It is a good idea to discuss your worries with a trusted friend or family member. A sympathetic ear and a good listener are great antidotes to worry. Just having someone to confide occasionally can be a great source of peace and comfort.

11.  Laughter is the best medicine: Develop a sense of humor. Laughter often provides new perspectives on stressful problems. Laughter is therapeutic> It can relax nerves, improve digestion and help circulation. Learn to laugh at yourself and at life. Try to see the humorous side of life.

12.  Stress diaries: These help you to identify the most important and most frequent stresses that you experience. This helps  you to identify areas where you need to improve your stress management skills. and help you to understand the levels of stress at which you are happiest and most efficient.

13.  Develop a rational approach to teaching:  Focus on the good thing associated with teaching , plan events in advance, establish a sensible teaching routine, and think objectively and unemotionally about problems.

14.        Try to “use” stress: If you can’t fight what’s bothering you and you can’t flee from it, flow with it and try to use it in a productive way.