everything curriculum | July 2021


Don’t bottle up anger and frustrations


Express and discuss your feelings. If it is impossible to talk it out, plan for some physical activity at the end of the working day to relieve tensions. Let go of grudges – they affect you and your state of mind more than the other person.


Remember to seek help and support when you need it It’s ok to ask for professional help. If you feel that you’re struggling to manage on your own, then you can reach out. It’s important to know that you can get help as soon as possible, and that you deserve to get better.


The first person to approach is your family doctor. He or she should be able to give advice about treatment and may refer you to another local professional. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (this is a type of therapy that works by helping you to understand that your thoughts and actions can affect the way you feel) and mindfulness-based approaches are known to help reduce stress. There are also voluntary organisations which can help you to tackle the causes of stress and advise you about ways to get better.


A side note to the gentlemen… You need to talk too; andysmanclub.co.uk is one of many meeting groups set up for men to talk.


Know your limits It’s completely ok to say “No, thank you” when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Accepting extra tasks and volunteering for different projects can be exciting and refreshing, but it’s easy to become wrapped up in saying yes to every request.


Take a step back and come to terms with the amount of time you truly have, then go from there, agreeing to only what you’d like to do.


Burnout is common, so reducing teacher stress in the classroom by rationalising and understanding how valuable your time is could really help.


However, don’t forget about the importance of trying new and exciting experiences! This can help reduce stress, both inside and outside of work.


You can do anything, but not everything! Saying yes all the time can leave you feeling tired, stressed, and overstretched which often causes you to become run down, leading you to be more susceptible to illness. Your immune system is your main defence system, and when you’re stressed, this negatively impacts how well you can fight off bacteria, germs, and viruses. This could, in turn, impact your prior commitments, possibly leading to you having to say no to much more important things. So, before getting anxious about having to say no to someone, remember the chain that saying yes to one more thing could cause.


Learn to say no No is seen as such a negative word but it’s all about perception. Saying no can be seen as selfish, but often saying yes is actually the worse option. Saying yes and then not being able to give the best version of you, giving low-quality time or effort is much more upsetting than saying no.


Taking action


Review your lifestyle • Could you be taking on too much in or out of work?


• Are there things you are doing which could be handed over to someone else or could they help more at home?


• Can you do things in a more leisurely way?


To act on the answer to these questions, you may need to prioritise things you are trying to achieve and re-organise your life. This will help to release pressure that can come from trying to do everything at once.


Take time for self-care Try to keep in touch with how you feel and what, if anything, is a particular issue for you. Try and find a distraction technique to get you through difficult times. It might be headphones on the way in, a podcast in the car, or just five minutes of peace at lunch or break to do a meditation track or fresh air.


Take a moment and think about all the feelings you had yesterday, from the time you got up in the morning, to the time you went to bed. What do you notice? Probably a roller-coaster of powerful, overwhelming feelings which can change dramatically in a second. You can be in the depths of despair one minute and then elated the next. Why is this? You were probably dealing with students all day who were experiencing wildly fluctuating emotions and trying to help everyone. Teaching is about managing relationships in an intense, public arena all day. Some emotions will be overwhelming and difficult to manage. They will not be helpful for teaching and learning.


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