Everyone likes the idea of leading a more healthful lifestyle that includes eating nutritious food, exercising, and reducing stress. Many of us, in fact, think of the benefits of those very habits as we speed past the gym in our cars while gulping down coffee and a rushed breakfast.
As life has become faster and more stressful for most people, personal wellness has plummeted on the priority list to just above washing the cat and cleaning out the gutters. Which is too bad, because eating more healthful foods and working out are among the best ways to fortify the body and mind against stress that can leave you too drained at the end of the day to do anything but coax your spouse, children, or cat to hand you the remote.
Teachers -- who must be “on” all day -- have little control over large portions of their schedules, and are being pressured to demonstrate more and better results, often shoulder yet additional stress. But instead of reaching for another brownie and cappuccino and becoming one with the couch, you can improve your health and outlook with just a little daily maintenance.
STRESS AND THE GREAT ENERGY DRAIN
A survey in a January 2004 article in NEA Today -- Stressed Out -- reported that 88 percent of teachers experience moderate to high levels of stress. And teachers, who traditionally are dedicated, “giving” people who often put others' needs before their own, often don’t recognize the toll stress takes on their overall health.
Tips for Fitting in Exercise, Healthful Meals
While many people can’t imagine making more time in their day to exercise or to prepare more nutritious meals, it’s not as hard as you may think, according to Drs. Andrea Thompson and Sue Finn. “It is possible to squeeze in exercise time and healthy meals on the go,” said Dr. Thompson.
Teachers can involve their classes in 30 minutes of daily movement, said Dr. Finn. One way is to design three 10-minute intervals of activity everyone can do during the school day. Also, teachers can start and end the day with some exercise by avoiding the parking spaces nearest to the school, and walking a little further to and from the building.
Are you settling for whatever is on the lunch line because you are too busy to make a healthful lunch every day? Teachers can form lunch clubs by dividing their faculty into groups, Dr. Thompson said. Each group can be responsible for a day or two of providing healthy meals for their colleagues.
Schools also can encourage exercise by investing in a teachers’ gym, Thompson added. “This way, teachers won't have to travel far to get their exercise. Some teachers may even arrive early to utilize the gym and get their minds in gear to meet their daily challenges.”
That is especially important for teachers to remember at a time when pressures are coming from every direction. “I believe teachers are more prone to stress based on the nature of the job, the high level of expectation, and the overwhelming responsibility for learning, scrutiny, and accountability involved,” said Dr Andrea Thompson, an adjunct professor and education consultant, who also is the director and founder of the Educators/Teacher Stress Institute and the author of several books about teachers and stress.
Dr. Thompson became interested in teacher stress after watching educational reform movements ramp up without the architects considering the impact of reform efforts on teacher retention, burnout, and attrition. “It led me to wonder, ‘How effective will these changes be if educators’ stress, which is linked to teacher attrition, is not addressed?’” told Education World. “Stressed teachers are unable to perform effectively and meet the goals of student achievement; therefore someone needs to bring to light the fact that this is a missing link.”
The stress sources, Dr. Thompson said, include overloaded classes, lack of parental support, increased scrutiny, a rise in accountability, the growing job pressures and workload in light of educational reform, role conflict, overload, insufficiency of resources, and low self-efficacy.
IDENTIFYING STRESS
The first step in relieving stress is assessing a person’s ability to cope, Dr. Thompson said, and coping begins with an appraisal of the perceived stressor.
“The healthier we are, I would imagine, the more equipped we are to focus and maintain perspective.”
Educators can choose to take either a problem-focused or an emotion-focused approach to relieving stress, she continued. “Being emotion-focused means that educators will turn to programs designed to reduce or eliminate the emotional impact of the stressor,” according to Dr. Thompson. These can include strategies such as engaging in exercise, relaxation techniques, and perspective building.
Other educators would rather focus on eliminating the stressor, that is, to take a problem-focused approach, she noted. Those educators could engage in developing action plans and problem-solving approaches.
Administrators can help their faculty by first being aware that a portion of their own stress is directly related to teacher stress, Dr. Thompson noted. “Leading a stressed staff poses a challenge, impacts school climate, and impedes student achievement,” she said. In addition, administrators need to develop an awareness of stressors within the educational system, recognize when their teachers are stressed, and use effective management strategies to reduce stress.
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Working Wellness Into the Teaching Life