hello teachers

8/6/2019 Hello Teachers

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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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