The study points to the need for more of an emphasis on stress management in professional development or teacher preparation, Woods said. Other research shows that high stress levels negatively affect not only teachers\u2019 own well-being, but\u00a0the well-being and academic achievement of their students<\/a>. Stress is also\u00a0one of the main reasons<\/a>\u00a0why teachers quit.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has to be a more intentional focus on recognizing the need to teach coping skills to the adults in the education system, because it\u2019s not something that\u2019s systematically taught,\u201d Woods said. \u201cI\u2019m not saying it\u2019s a magic solution, but it certainly would not hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n After all, he said, much of what makes teaching stressful, like inadequate resources to do what needs to be done, is sometimes beyond the control of school leaders. But helping his staff develop healthy coping mechanisms is \u201ca part that I could help bring some modicum of control to,\u201d Woods said.<\/p>\n Woods and Keith Herman, a professor at Missouri and a co-author of the study, shared six positive, healthy coping strategies teachers can use to manage stress.<\/p>\n Keeping a gratitude or affirmation journal can be a simple way to positively alter your mindset, the researchers said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy to get stuck on the things that don\u2019t go well on a school day,\u201d Woods said, adding that the positive moments can sometimes become routine.<\/p>\n Taking the time to jot down the good things that happened\u2014a positive interaction with a parent, a lightbulb moment for a student\u2014can be a healthy coping mechanism for stress, he said.<\/p>\n Rebecka Peterson, a high school math teacher in Tulsa, Okla., who was named the 2023 National Teacher of the Year, credits this practice of intentional gratitude to saving her career. She was overwhelmed and stressed her first year teaching K-12, but her perspective shifted when she started contributing to a collaborative blog called, \u201cOne Good Thing<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m naturally a glass-half-empty type of gal, so this really did rewire brain into seeing the beautiful, small, everyday, moments that were happening in the classroom,\u201d\u00a0she told Education Week in an interview last month<\/a>. \u201cIt helped me tuck those away away, and then they sustained me.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods also recommended writing a short letter of gratitude to a colleague or a family member. Whether you deliver that letter or not, it can still help reduce your stress, he said.<\/p>\n Herman said he recommends teachers make a practice of monitoring their mood at least once a day and writing down circumstances that are associated with a negative or positive mood.<\/p>\n \u201cIt sets us up to be more mindful and aware of how we\u2019re feeling throughout the day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The practice can help you uncover patterns, which can then help you better manage your emotions. (Here\u2019s\u00a0a mood monitoring form<\/a>\u00a0that Herman developed.)<\/p>\n It can be tempting to commiserate with colleagues, Herman said. But\u00a0spending too much time ruminating on workplace frustrations<\/a>\u00a0can have a negative, enduring effect on your mood, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about who you are spending time with,\u201d Herman said. \u201cDoes that feel like good social support? Does it feel like it\u2019s enriching you, or making your mood better?\u201d<\/p>\n In 2016, elementary teacher Lauren Powell wrote an essay for Education Week, titled \u201cWhy I Avoid the \u2018Teachers\u2019 Lounge\u2019 and You Should, Too<\/a>.\u201d In it, she argued that gossiping and complaining with her colleagues brought everyone down.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe problem with being a part of the teachers\u2019 lounge is that it breeds negativity,\u201d she wrote. \u201cAs that negativity festers, it spreads like the plague, polluting the minds of an entire team of teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n Adaptive coping means changing your behavior or way of thinking to manage stressful conditions or emotional distress. Some examples of this coping strategy include changing expectations or taking actions to reduce stress.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t mean ignoring the problem: \u201cWe don\u2019t encourage teachers to put on rose-colored glasses and say everything\u2019s OK,\u201d Herman said.<\/p>\n But it could mean thinking about the problem in a different way. For example, imagine that your administrator is not providing you with enough resources or support before or during classroom observations, Herman said.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about: Am I willing to live with this? Can I change the way I think about it, [so it will be] less upsetting?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n If not, then it could be time to have a conversation with the administrator and tell them how you feel and what you need, Herman said. If you don\u2019t feel comfortable having that conversation\u2014or you do, and it doesn\u2019t go anywhere\u2014Herman suggests seeking out other workplace allies to get the positive feedback and support you need.<\/p>\n Competence at work is linked to occupational stress, Herman said. If you\u2019re not able to effectively manage your classroom, for example, you\u2019re more likely to be stressed. And student behavior\u00a0has been a major challenge for teachers<\/a>\u00a0since the start of the pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can become an awful cycle,\u201d Herman said. \u201cYou tend to have conflicted relationships with students\u2014that\u2019s not why teachers got in the profession. It also makes you feel bad and [have] negative thoughts of work.\u201d<\/p>\n But when teachers have more positive interactions with students, it creates a healthy cycle of, \u201cI feel better about my students; I feel better about my work,\u201d Herman said.<\/p>\n Receiving feedback or professional development on skills that you struggle with can help, he said: \u201cThere\u2019s not a simple solution to any of this, but set goals around different areas that you\u2019d like to get better in and see how much of a difference it makes in your stress level.\u201d<\/p>\n Herman also recommended having weekly or biweekly meetings with colleagues to learn about evidence-based practices on stress management. Ideally, this would be facilitated or organized by a school leader, he said, since the act of intentionally setting aside time during a busy school day to focus on coping strategies sends an important message to staff.<\/p>\n In 2019, a team of researchers (including Herman) studied the effect of a stress management program for teachers, in which the participants read the self-help book\u00a0Stress Management for Teachers: A Proactive Guide<\/i>, written by Herman and Wendy Reinke, a professor in school psychology at the University of Missouri.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition to reading a few chapters of the book each week, the teachers went through one in-person training and three additional online webinars that complemented the books. The researchers found that by the completion of the program, teachers had lower stress, improved coping strategies, and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n One of the researchers adapted the program into\u00a0a free online webinar series<\/a>\u00a0that can be completed without the book or the in-person training.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n original post<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Yan Krukau<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n1. Write down what you\u2019re grateful for<\/h2>\n
2. Pay attention to your mood<\/h2>\n
3. Avoid workplace gossip and venting sessions<\/h2>\n
4. Practice adaptive behaviors and thinking<\/h2>\n
5. Seek out professional development<\/h2>\n
6. Have a book club<\/h2>\n
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By <\/picture>Madeline Will<\/a><\/div>\n
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High-stress levels are plaguing the teaching profession, but one factor makes a big difference in terms of whether teachers are still satisfied with their job: their ability to cope with the stress.<\/p>\n