stress management for efl/esl teachers

8/11/2019 Stress Management for EFL/ESL Teachers

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Believe it or not, I actually had someone come up to me at a party recently and say, "So,

how do you become a teacher? My son is thinking about teaching because he wants a job

that's easy and not stressul!"

I just wish I had a photo to show you the look on my ace when I heard this woman say

those words! My ace looked like a combination o outrage and the type o conusion youeel when someone is speaking to you in a totally oreign language! I you're a teacher,

you probably had a similar epression when you read the words yoursel!

#bjectively, teaching has got to be one o the top $ most stressul careers in the world! In

a single hour, we can play many dierent roles% nurse, babysitter, counselor,

administrator, parental doormat, paper pusher, and maybe, i we're lucky, educator!

&ter my irst year o teaching, what surprised me most was the act that the least o myproblems are actually in the classroom dealing with the kids! hat's the easy part! he

beore school, lunchtime, and aternoon meetings, not to mention the obnoious amounts

o paperwork, are enough to drive even the sanest teacher to the sanitarium! (or thesereasons and many more, teaching has the highest degree o career turnover o any

proession!

But, I don't need to tell all o you that! I'm preaching to the choir! )But I would, o course,

like to go ind that lady and tell her to read that last paragraph*+

#, so teaching is stressul! But, how can we -uit our complaining and attempt to avoid

serious burnout? Is that even possible? .ell, to tell you the truth, I'm not -uite sure! But,

we certainly can try* &nd, summer may be the best time to talk about it!

/ead ahead or some humble tips that I think may be able to set teachers on a practicalpath away rom burnout! 0ere are a handul o humble tips that may be easier said than

done! But, these ideas could potentially kick your stress levels down a notch! It's worth a

try*

1! Ask for Help2 his is a really hard one or me to do! #ten, it seems ar easier tojust do it mysel than to eplain how something should be done! 3arents, school

volunteers, riends, and students can be a valuable time2saving resource in your

classroom, but only i you take the time to ask them!

.ith a little planning and time invested up ront, you can set up routine times andduties or the people available around you! his is a big one that I am really going

to work on mysel net year!

And Let The Small Stuff Go...

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff2 his is a big piece o advice that applies in all areas olie! But, in teaching, we really need to put things in perspective! Is any one but you


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Stress Management

What is Stress?

Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continuallychanging environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create

positive or negative feelings. s a positive influence! stress can help compel us toaction; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. s a

negative influence! it can result in feelings of distrust! rejection! anger! anddepression! which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches! upset

stomach! rashes! insomnia! ulcers! high blood pressure! heart disease! and stroe.With the death of a loved one! the birth of a child! a job promotion! or a new

relationship! we experience stress as we readjust our lives. #n so adjusting to

different circumstances! stress will help or hinder us depending on how we react to

it.

How Can I Eliminate Stress from My Life?

s we have seen! positive stress adds anticipation and excitement to life! and we allthrive under a certain amount of stress. $eadlines! competitions! confrontations! and

even our frustrations and sorrows add depth and enrichment to our lives. %ur goal isnot to eliminate stress but to learn how to manage it and how to use it to help us.

#nsufficient stress acts as a depressant and may leave us feeling bored or dejected;on the other hand! excessive stress may leave us feeling "tied up in nots." What we

need to do is find the optimal level of stress which will individually motivate but notoverwhelm each of us.

How Can I Tell What is Optimal Stress for Me?&here is no single level of stress that is optimal for all people. We are all individual

creatures with uni'ue re'uirements. s such! what is distressing to one may be a joyto another. nd even when we agree that a particular event is distressing! we are

liely to differ in our physiological and psychological responses to it.

&he person who loves to arbitrate disputes and moves from job site to job site would

be stressed in a job which was stable and routine! whereas the person who thrives

under stable conditions would very liely be stressed on a job where duties werehighly varied. lso! our personal stress re'uirements and the amount which we can

tolerate before we become distressed changes with our ages.

#t has been found that most illness is related to unrelieved stress. #f you areexperiencing stress symptoms! you have gone beyond your optimal stress level; you

need to reduce the stress in your life and(or improve your ability to manage it.

How Can I Manage Stress Better?

#dentifying unrelieved stress and being aware of its effect on our lives is notsufficient for reducing its harmful effects. )ust as there are many sources of stress!

there are many possibilities for its management. *owever! all re'uire wor toward


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change+ changing the source of stress and(or changing your reaction to it. *ow doyou proceed?

1. Become aware of your stressors and your emotional and physical

reactions.,otice your distress. $on-t ignore it. $on-t gloss over your problems.

$etermine what events distress you. What are you telling yourself aboutmeaning of these events?$etermine how your body responds to the stress. $o you become nervous or

physically upset? #f so! in what specific ways?2. Recognize what you can change.

an you change your stressors by avoiding or eliminating them completely?an you reduce their intensity /manage them over a period of time instead of

on a daily or weely basis0?an you shorten your exposure to stress /tae a brea! leave the physical

premises0?an you devote the time and energy necessary to maing a change /goal

setting! time management techni'ues! and delayed gratification strategiesmay be helpful here0?

3. Reduce the intensity of your emotional reactions to stress.&he stress reaction is triggered by your perception of danger...physical danger

and(or emotional danger. re you viewing your stressors in exaggeratedterms and(or taing a difficult situation and maing it a disaster?

re you expecting to please everyone?re you overreacting and viewing things as absolutely critical and urgent? $o

you feel you must always prevail in every situation?Wor at adopting more moderate views; try to see the stress as something

you can cope with rather than something that overpowers you.&ry to temper your excess emotions. 1ut the situation in perspective. $o not

labor on the negative aspects and the "what if-s."

4. Learn to moderate your physical reactions to stress.

Slow! deep breathing will bring your heart rate and respiration bac tonormal.

2elaxation techni'ues can reduce muscle tension. 3lectronic biofeedbac canhelp you gain voluntary control over such things as muscle tension! heart

reate! and blood pressure.Medications! when prescribed by a physician! can help in the short term in

moderating your physical reactions. *owever! they alone are not the answer.4earning to moderate these reactions on your own is a preferable long5term

solution.5. Build your physical reserves.

3xercise for cardiovascular fitness three to four times a wee /moderate!prolonged rhythmic exercise is best! such as waling! swimming! cycling! or

jogging0.

3at well5balanced! nutritious meals.Maintain your ideal weight.void nicotine! excessive caffeine! and other stimulants.

Mix leisure with wor. &ae breas and get away when you can.6et enough sleep. 7e as consistent with your sleep schedule as possible.

. !aintain your emotional reserves.$evelop some mutually supportive friendships(relationships.

1ursue realistic goals which are meaningful to you! rather than goals othershave for you that you do not share.


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3xpect some frustrations! failures! and sorrows.lways be ind and gentle with yourself 55 be a friend to yourself.

ips o =ase ension

.e all know what it eels like to get emotionally mangled by the weight o day to day

struggles! #ur bosses yell at us, our spouses yell at us 2 it eels like an endless circle

where getting ahead at the oice can leave us with so little energy or home that hometurns into battleield that leaves us with no energy or work!

Is mere survival all you can ask o a hassle2illed world ? >o! Stress, in act is not only

something you can beat, but a orce you can turn into an advantage! 8ou don't have to run

rom it, and you don't need any special stress management! he ollowing tested tipsshow you how to combat stress 2 and win!

.ork #n 8our &ttitude!

he most important point you can make about stress is that in most cases it's not what's

out there that's the problem, its how you react to it! hanging the way you think can

change a lie o stress and discomort to a lie o challenge and ecitement!

hink &bout Something =lse!

4istract yoursel 2 to break the thoughts that are producing your stress, you must think

about something else! &nything will do, as long as it breaks the chain o bad thoughts!

hink 3ositive!

hinking about a success or a past achievement is ecellent when you're eelinguncertain, remind yoursel o all the good things you've achieved in the past, and tell

yoursel that you're going to do the same in the uture!

ake & Mental @acation

Imagine yoursel lying in warm sand on a beach in the Bahamas, a cool wind blowing o

the ocean, the sur rolling in -uietly in the background! It's ama:ing what this can do tohelp you rela!

ake 4eap Breaths

Belly breathing is what some people call it! It's an old and useul trick or deeating

aniety and nervousness! he basic idea is act calm, be calm! .hen your eperiencingstress, your pulse races and you start breathing very -uickly! (orcing yoursel to breathe

slowly convinces the body that the stress has gone, whether it has or not! he correct way


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to breathe is abdominally 2 eeling the stomach epand as you inhale, and collapse as you

ehale!

Stretch

& lot o us respond to stress with muscle tension! Ideally, we'd preer to eliminate thecause o the stress, but stretching the muscles at least reduces the sensation o stress 2 the

muscles rela, and we eel less tense!

ake & 0ot Soak

0ot water works by deeating the stress response! .hen we're tense and anious, bloodlow to our etremities is reduced! 0ot water restores circulation, convincing the body it's

sae and that it's ok to rela! old water must not be used because it has the opposite

eect, and will increase tension! &n oice alternative might be running hot water over

your hands until you eel the tension starting to drain away!

=ercise!

/egular eercise will burn o some o the stress chemicals tension produces, and

eercise will tire your musles 2 a tired muscle is a relaed muscle!

5isten o Music

Music soothes as perhaps nothing else does! 8ou can use it in two basic ways 2 to rela orto inspire! >ew 2 &ge music is very relaing!

I trust these points will be o beneit to your wellbeing! hank you or reading my article!http%66www!inormation2city2online!com

The Effects of Stress on the BrainBy% 5eon =dward

.hen the human body irst eperiences stress adrenaline takes over and causes a

chain2reaction within the nervous system! he heart begins to beat aster, the si:es o the

blood vessels are changed, and the body actually prepares itsel or a rightening oremotional event! =ven though the humans that are in eistence today arent in constant

physical danger rom wild predators as our pre2historic ancestors were, we still

eperience this amiliar ight2or2light reaction due to a great deal o dierent types o

stressors!

here are two main types o stress eperienced by humans, either chronic or that which is

emergency2induced! he chronic type o stress can be particularly harmul to the brainbecause o hormones and chemicals reerred to as glucocorticoids or 9s! .hen the

body eperiences a rush o adrenaline which is accompanied by stress, a portion o our

brain called the adrenal corte begins to release these 9s which are useul or dealingwith the emergency2type o stressors!
http://www.information-city-online.com/http://www.information-city-online.com/http://wellnessarticles.net/profile/Leon-Edward/861http://www.information-city-online.com/http://wellnessarticles.net/profile/Leon-Edward/861


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hemicals such as cortisol, hydrocortisone, and corticosterone act together to increase the

production o glucose, constrict blood vessels and essentially help our brains deal with orregulate stress! he 9s tell our brain either to calm down or to boost its levels o

awareness and reaction in order to deal with the issue at hand! hese glucocorticoids also

aect memory unctioning, especially in the hippocampus region o the brain!

.hile the 9s may help us remember rightening or stressul events so that we are better

able to deal with them in the uture, they can also be harmul to the delicate neurons othe brain! 3rolonged periods o stress or depression may actually lead to the damage or

even the death o certain neurons, especially those within the memory center o the brain!

It is important to remember that dierent people react dierently to stressorsA one personmay be able to move on rom a trying event while another may suer rom serious

psychological eects rom a similar event or situation! 5earning i your stress is chronic

or acute is critical or counteracting the negative aects it has on the brain! hose people

who are prone to anger, aniety, depression, and who suer rom low sel2esteem are armore likely to eperience damage to the brain than their calmer, more relaed peers!

Most every one o us eperiences bouts o depression or periods o the blues at some

point in our lives, but a person who is constantly angry or depressed may re-uire medical

or proessional assistance! .hile it may be possible to recover rom depression throughvarious means such as drug therapy or counseling, the long2term aects on the brain are

still largely unknown! 4octors have recently reported that as many as ity percent o

patients who eperienced periods o major depression also possessed high levels o

cortisol, which as we know can have negative eects on the brain and cells!

& recent study conducted by he .ashington niversity School o Medicine located in

St! 5ouis, Missouri has shown conclusive evidence o damage to the brains neurons inpeople suering rom depression! =ven those people who had been depressed years prior

to the testing still showed signs o brain damage, as much as 1C21$ percent cell atrophy in

their hippocampus, resulting in the loss o an ininite number o memory cells!

&erobic eercise is an ecellent way to reduce stress and its negative eects on the brain!

By engaging in some sort o physical activity the body is able to rela, relieve levels o

tension and stress, and burn o nervous energy all at the same time! =ndorphins, whichare the eel good chemicals produced within the brain, are dramatically increased when

we eercise which in turn makes both the body and the mind eel better! >ot surprisingly,

sel2esteem can also even be lited with regular eercise as well as an increased overallbody image!

Vitamins For Stress: How To Stay Strong During This Period By% =velyn 5im

It is important to take care o your body even when you are undergoing a period o

stress! hrough diet, you can make sure that you have an ade-uate supply o nutrients and
http://wellnessarticles.net/profile/Evelyn-Lim/226http://wellnessarticles.net/profile/Evelyn-Lim/226


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vitamins or stress because there are certain things that the body needs in order to cope!

=cessive stress can cause you to eel overwhelmed! 8ou begin to eel the eects o poorhealth when you do not eat or sleep properly due to stress and your immune system

becomes low! 8ou may also eperience re-uent headaches, constipation and panic

attacks i you ind that you just cannot cope with the situation!

It is inevitable that stress comes with modern living! 8ou may eel stressed in the oice

or at home dealing with your amily members! #r you may eel stress i you eel that youare alling short o your desires or more wealth and success! It is thereore important that

you learn to cope with stress and view obstacles positively!

>utrients and vitamins or stress include%

1! @itamin ! 8ou may be surprised to hear that the best place to get @itamin rom is

potatoes! >atural remedies that are rich in @itamin include the skins o baked potatoes,

raw green cabbage, cantaloupe, strawberries and citrus ruits such as oranges!

C! alcium! his mineral helps to regulate the rhythm o your heart, contractions o yourmuscles and nerve impulse transmission! .henever your body needs to work hard to

ight stress, it will lose more calcium than usual! 9ood sources o calcium can be ound

in dairy products, tou u, almonds and broccoli!

D! Magnesium! Besides helping you to manage your stress level, it can also keep you

rom getting muscle spasms! Some o the best sources o magnesium are ound in green

vegetables such as spinach, nuts like almonds, as well as seeds!

E! #mega2D atty acids! hese not only help you manage your stress but they also reduce

your risk o developing coronary heart disease! oronary heart disease i not managedwell can lead to death! >atural sources o omega2D atty acids can be ound in salmon,

tuna, laseed oil herring, mackerel, and walnuts! Since canned tuna does contain some

levels o mercury, you may wish to substitute this instead with other sources o omega2Datty acids!

I you ind that you are not able to eat well through a regular during this period, consider

taking the above in the orm o vitamin supplements! .hile it is better to obtain thesevitamins rom natural sources, not even having them is worse! &lso, do ensure that you

choose good -uality supplements! 8ou want to give your body the proper nourishment as

you deal with the pressures at hand*

&rticle Source% http%66wellnessarticles!net

=velyn 5im posts about natural home remedies in her blog! &s a natural health

researcher, she hopes to educate her readers about using non2drug alternatives to treating

a variety o health conditions! 9ain some insight here www!>atural2/emedy2Secrets!com
http://wellnessarticles.net/http://www.natural-remedy-secrets.com/http://www.natural-remedy-secrets.com/http://wellnessarticles.net/http://www.natural-remedy-secrets.com/http://www.natural-remedy-secrets.com/


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Try to remember five situations either in class or before!after class which cause"

you stress# How "i" you "eal with it$ What was the outcome$

Situation or Stressor 0ow 8ou 4ealt .ith It #utcomeA 3ositive6>egative

1!

C!

D!

E!

$!


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What %f Any Stress&alleviatin Tips Do You (se$

1!

C!

D!

E!

$!


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What Type of )*ercise Do You )n+oy$

When Was The ,ast Time You Di" This or How -ften Do you Do This$.


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Apart /rom %n Teachin Situations What!Who Are The 0ain Stressors %n Your

,ife$

12e Honest34

5ow %n Your Teachin ,ife What!Who Are Your 0ain Stressors$

/inally How 0any -f These Stressors Are 6ommon To 2oth 6ateories Above$


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%"entify The Stressors in The /ollowin Scenarios Suest Solutions An"!-r )rrors

0a"e#

S6)5AR%-7.

It is a warm summer day! & student reuses, point2blank to take part in any eercises or

even open his book, continually speaks @ietnamese to his riends and now takes out his

mobile, does some teting and then answers a phone call! 8ou have spoken to him onmany occasions but today you eel your anger rising

stress management for efl/esl teachers

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