We don’t need to explain that teaching is stressful. If you’re in a classroom with children all day, you already know – there’s no stress like a teacher’s stress. As we enter a new school year, it’s time to start thinking about a stress management strategy. Because let’s face it – you will experience stress this year. That part is unavoidable. But the more you prepare for it, the better off you’ll be at handling it when it does come up.

Let’s talk about three ways to manage stress for teachers.

1. Anticipate stress.

Teaching is unpredictable. After all, children are the very definition of unpredictable. You never know how each day will go as you open your classroom door each morning. But… there are some things you can expect. Each of us handles stress differently, so this step will take a bit of self-reflection. Think through your typical day. What times of day are most stressful? Maybe it’s that really rushed moment before students transition to another class, or maybe it’s when the students’ energy is high after recess. Maybe it’s at the end of the school day when you’re exhausted, but you realize you still have ten things left on your to-do list before you can go home. If you’re not sure what the most stressful parts of your day are, take notes! At the end of each day, jot down the most stressful times of that day. After a week or two, look at your notes. Are there consistent times of day? Is there anything in common about the stressful moments?

When you know when you will have stress, you can better prepare for it. There’s nothing worse than being blindsided by a stressful encounter. Think of it like a weather forecast. If you know a storm is coming, you’ll grab an umbrella, plan to drive instead of walk, or stay home until it passes. But if you don’t check the forecast and you head out on a long walk without a jacket, rainfall could ruin your whole day.

2. Create a non-negotiable time to close the stress cycle.

The book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski teaches us about the “stress cycle”. They explain that our brain often knows when a stressor is gone, but our bodies can be slower to catch up. Think, for example, about a traffic jam. When you see those red taillights in the distance, both your brain and body begin to react. You know that you’re entering a stressful experience and you’re anticipating the level of threat. Imagine then that the traffic jam dissipates. Your brain receives the message that it’s okay to resume your daily activity. The stress is gone. But wait – your body hasn’t quite received the message yet. Our bodies operate a little differently, and that means that we have to “complete the stress cycle”, according to Nagoski and Nagoski (twin sisters!).

Completing the stress cycle means to move the stress out of the body – either through physical activity, positive experiences with other people, affection, laughter or tears, or other methods. You can learn more about the stress cycle here.)

As a teacher, you should make completing the stress cycle a daily practice. You may even need to do it multiple times a day. Look at your most stressful times and build in a way to complete the cycle. Maybe you listen to your favorite song every day after you drop students off for specials, or take an intentional walk for the last five minutes of lunch to get your heart rate up. Schedule a minute or two each day and make this time non-negotiable.

3. Build a community of support.

You know that feeling when you go to someone and they completely understand your struggle? You don’t have to explain all the nuance or identify all the different people involved, because they already know what you’re talking about? It’s such a great feeling when you need support, and you get exactly what you need.

Think of support like a series of concentric circles. One circle may be your teaching partners, another may be your family, your friend group, your book club, your workout friends, your neighbors, etc.

People in different circles can support you in different ways and at different times. Sometimes when work is stressful, your teaching partner may not be able to support you as they may be going through the same stress as you and may have few resources left over to help you with your stress. And maybe your family doesn’t understand what you’re going through and can’t support you. Keep shopping around through your circles of support to find what you need. Maybe you’ll find support in an online community of educators, or in your running group who work in different jobs but understand workplace stress.

Intentionally building these communities of support is not just nice to have, it’s essential. We can’t manage our stress alone. But they are important for more than just stress management! Communities of support keep us afloat and provide respite. Teaching can be all-consuming, but every educator needs a life outside of the classroom. Communities of support can be an outlet and allow you to have richness and joy in your life beyond the walls of your school.

With these three strategies, stress management can be, well… manageable. And when stress is under control, it allows us to show up as our best selves every day!

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