It’s no secret that teaching is a stressful profession. Between managing a classroom of unruly students, meeting high educational standards, and dealing with demanding parents, teachers have their hands full. And that’s why stress can easily take its toll on teachers’ health and professional performance.
So, if you or your team members are feeling overwhelmed and stressed, it’s time to take a step back and find a way to restore the balance!
This blog post explains how to reduce teacher stress at both personal and organizational levels, so you can continue taking care of your students and excel in teaching.
Main Causes of Teacher Stress
While there are many potential causes of stress in teachers, some of the most common ones are as follows:
- Heavy workloads. In addition to planning and managing classes, teachers often have to deal with after-school activities, parent-teacher conferences, and grading. All of this can quickly deplete their energy and make them feel overwhelmed and exhausted.
- Unrealistic expectations. Teachers are expected to be experts in their field while also being able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people. They are expected to maintain a positive attitude at pretty much all times while at work and be patient with their students. Sometimes, these expectations are rather impossible to meet, and when a teacher fails to meet them, they often get overridden with guilt, and their self-esteem suffers.
- Lack of support. Many teachers feel isolated in their classrooms and do not feel like they have anyone to turn to for help or guidance. This can leave them feeling frustrated and alone.
- Classroom disruptions. Let’s be honest – some students can be the true instigators of chaos. And when they act out, it can interfere with the flow of carefully crafted lesson plans and disrupt a teacher’s train of thought, which may negatively affect one’s perception of own competence and professionalism. Besides, any conflict is a source of stress. So, when classroom disruptions take place daily, one cannot help but feels their adverse effects.
Adverse Effects of Teacher Stress
When teachers are constantly pulled in multiple directions, with little time to themselves, they face a higher risk of burnout and a whole host of other problems:
- Decreased job satisfaction. Stressed teachers find it hard to enjoy their work. They tend to have lower job dissatisfaction and even feel resentment towards their students.
- Poor health. Eventually, stress takes a toll on one’s physical and mental health, leading to such problems as headaches, depression, and high blood pressure. So, the longer teacher is exposed to stress, the higher health risks they face.
- Impaired professional performance. An overwhelmed teacher might find themselves making more mistakes or having difficulty concentrating on their lessons.
- Personal problems. Stress affects our moods. It can make us less social and more irritated, which often leads to strained relationships with spouses, children, and friends.
- Increased absenteeism. When a person is stressed out, they are more likely to call in sick. Thereby, higher levels of teacher stress mean less time in the classroom with students.
- Worse student performance. Studies have shown that emotionally exhausted teachers are less likely to feel engaged in their jobs and able to provide support and guidance to their students. In addition, they may be more likely to withhold praise or give negative feedback. In the end, all this has a negative impact on students’ academic achievements and motivation.
How to Reduce Teacher Stress: Tips for Educators
1. Have high-quality personal time
Personal time is often considered to be a luxury (especially for teachers), but it can actually be quite helpful in managing stress.
One of the best things about personal time is that it allows you to focus on yourself. When you’re constantly juggling work and family obligations, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself. But taking even just a few minutes each day to do something that you enjoy can make a big difference in your stress levels.
Thus, make sure to schedule some personal time into your week and use it for anything that you enjoy, whether it’s going for a walk, reading a book, or doing yoga.
Taking just an hour a day for yourself can help you to recharge and come back to your work with fresh energy. In addition, by making personal time a priority, you’ll be able to model healthy stress management for your students.
2. Get support
When life gets tough, it’s important to have a support system to lean on. Whether it’s a group of close friends, a trusted mentor, or even a furry four-legged companion, having people (or animals) to rely on can make all the difference when dealing with stress.
A support system provides a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and sometimes even a much-needed dose of perspective. Just knowing that someone has your back can help to ease the burden of stress and give you the strength you need to keep going.
So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, reach out to your relatives or friends and let them help you weather the storm.
3. Take care of your health
Health is not often at the forefront of a teacher’s mind. However, there are some very good reasons why taking care of your health can help you deal with stress:
- When you’re physically healthy, you have more energy and stamina to deal with the demands of teaching.
- Healthy habits and lifestyle allow you to set a good example for your students. After all, if you don’t take care of yourself, how can you convince your students to do otherwise?
- Taking care of your health helps you to feel better about yourself and increase your quality of life.
Therefore, take your diet under control, get enough sleep and find some time to exercise – your future self will definitely thank you for this.
4. Improve emotional intelligence
By definition, emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. For teachers, this means being able to recognize when they’re feeling overwhelmed and taking steps to manage their own stress levels. It also means being attuned to the emotions of students and understanding how they might be feeling on any given day.
When teachers have emotional intelligence, they’re better equipped to deal with the challenges of the job. So how can they develop this important skill?
Here are a few tips:
- Try to see things from others’ perspectives. It can be easy to get wrapped up in your own point of view, but it’s important to try and understand where other people are coming from.
- Always be respectful of others’ feelings and opinions. Even if you don’t agree with them, it’s important to show that you’re willing to listen and have an open mind.
- Become more aware of your emotions. Pay attention to how you’re feeling throughout the day, and try to label your emotions accurately. Are you angry? Sad? Anxious? Jealous? It can be helpful to keep a journal to track your emotions over time.
- Start processing your emotions effectively. This means acknowledging your emotions and allowing yourself to feel them fully without judgment. It might also mean finding healthy ways to express your emotions, such as through art, writing, or movement.
Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to develop emotional intelligence – the important thing here is to focus on empathy, effective communication, and self-awareness. By doing so, you’ll be well on your way to understanding and managing your emotions – and the emotions of others.
5. Manage your time well
Teachers are some of the busiest people around. They have to juggle lesson planning, grading, meetings, and extra-curricular activities, all while trying to maintain a personal life. It’s no wonder that so many teachers feel like they’re constantly playing catch-up.
The good news is that there are some simple strategies you can use to start managing your time more effectively:
- Try time batching. For example, if you know you have several grading sessions scheduled, try to do them all in one day instead of spreading them out over the week. This will help you to focus and get into a groove.
- Delegate and delegate often! Don’t try to do everything yourself – ask for help from colleagues and family members whenever possible.
- Make use of technology. There is a number of great apps and online tools that help you stay organized. Web-based to-do lists, work schedulers, and time trackers are just a few examples of them – there’s something out there for everyone.
Cannot choose between a work scheduler and a productivity tracker? Consider actiTIME! It combines both of these features and lets you manage work in a truly efficient way.
Plan your tasks, schedule them in an intuitive calendar and track working time with up-to-minute precision – actiTIME has it all to help you stay organized and productive.
For more information on how to track time and manage daily work schedules with its help, feel free to check out the below post.
How to Reduce Teacher Stress: Tips for School Administrators
1. Provide teachers with adequate resources
It has been said that the three most important things in real estate are “location, location, location.” When it comes to education, however, the three most important factors are “resources, resources, resources.”
Adequate resources – such as information, materials, and even time – allow teachers to do their jobs effectively. Without them, teachers are forced to improvise and make do with whatever they have on hand. This can lead to a decline in educational quality and may even put students at risk.
In addition, inadequate resources can lead to teacher burnout and turnover. That’s why it’s vital for school administrators to give teachers all the resources they need to be successful.
2. Reduce workloads
One of the best ways to de-stress your teachers is through effective workload management. Actually, this is THE ONLY BEST way. And do you know why?
- First of all, teachers are already overworked and underpaid. They spend long hours grading papers and preparing lesson plans, and they often have to work extra jobs to make ends meet.
- Secondly, if their workloads are not reduced, they quickly become burned out. And when teachers are burned out, it affects their ability to teach effectively.
- They may also start calling in sick more often, or they may simply stop caring about their students’ education and start to think of leaving the job and profession.
In short, reducing teacher workloads is essential for ensuring that students receive a quality education. It’s also important for retaining good teachers – when you give them enough time for every planned task and provide support, they are more likely to stay in their jobs. Thus, effective workload management is not only good for students but also good for schools.
3. Promote positive team connections
When it comes to dealing with stress, a good support system is a proven remedy. And for teachers, that support system can be found in positive work connections. Whether it’s a colleague who always has a kind word or a principal who is willing to lend a helping hand, these positive interactions can make a big difference in managing stress levels.
Good work connections provide a sense of community and belonging, which can be especially beneficial for those who are new to the profession. In addition, they can provide an outlet for venting frustration and sharing ideas.
When teachers feel connected to their colleagues, they are more likely to feel supported and valued. But how can school admins promote positive work relationships?
- One way is by hosting regular team-building activities and social events, such as potlucks or happy hours. Corporate parties and get-togethers give staff members a chance to interact with one another in a relaxed setting.
- Another way is by providing opportunities for professional development. This allows staff members to learn new skills and knowledge together, which can help to build bonds between them.
4. Show appreciation
If you ask any teacher, they’ll probably tell you that one of the most important things in their job is feeling appreciated. After all, teaching is a demanding profession that requires long hours, patience, and a lot of hard work.
When any employee feels appreciated, it helps to motivate them and make them feel valued. Among teachers, this can lead to improved performance in the classroom and a better overall experience for students.
So why is it that some school administrators fail to show appreciation to their teachers? Perhaps they’re too busy, or maybe they simply don’t realize how important it is.
However, recognizing your teachers’ efforts is easy. A simple “thank you” goes a long way toward making a teacher feel valued and may have a lasting impact on the quality of education at your school.
5. Adopt useful technologies
Modern technologies automate administrative tasks and provide access to online resources. Thus, they can free up teachers’ time and let them focus on what they do best: teaching.
By doing all that, technology can significantly reduce teacher stress and improve student achievement. And if you’re still using some obsolete or primitive systems for work management, consider shifting to a more advanced and efficiency-boosting solution.
actiTIME is one excellent option to explore. As a multifunctional time tracker, it helps you take control of your resources and manage teacher workloads in an effortless way.
For instance, you can:
- Create multiple projects and tasks in your account,
- Set cost of work rates for them,
- Distribute tasks across employees,
- And then track how much time and money you spend on them.
Besides, actiTIME allows you to track the progress statuses of different tasks and monitor whether your teachers have too much or enough on their plates. It also can be used to keep tabs on overtime and staff absences. And in case you integrate actiTIME with actiPLANS – a simple resource planning solution – you can create visual work schedules for your entire team in a matter of minutes and get access to detailed leave reports.
Ready to manage your teachers’ workloads and school resources in a more streamlined way? Sign up for a free actiTIME trial here.
Conclusion
Stress is a universal experience. The good news is that there are ways to manage it so that it doesn’t take over your life.
With these tips, you should be able to reduce teacher stress at both the personal and the organizational level and build a better work environment for everyone in your school. After all, every teacher deserves to be healthy and happy! So, give these tips a try.
