3.11.15 5 Quick Stress Busters
Ask any educator what their top health concerns are, and you will hear STRESS near the top of everyone’s list. Stress is not only the harsh reality of today’s 24-7 culture, but one that impacts the lives of educators in a very deep way.
While everyone experience stress, educators have unique stressors and circumstances that make it an issue that must be addressed, and addressed on a continuous basis.
Now we all have our own strategies for coping with stress; some healthy (a trip to the gym), some not so healthy (hello, too many chocolate chip cookies!). But what would happen if we did little mini stress busters every day — kind of a prevention/maintenance plan to keep stress in check for the most part? Could we keep more of an even keel, and reduce our major stress-out times overall across the school year?
We would like you join us for a little self-care stress reduction experiment. Try to do at least two quick stress buster activities a day, and see if they help you reduce your overall stress level and/or cope with a stressful situation. You’ll find a list of ideas below, but you can do whatever (healthy!) stress busters that work for you. Try this for 30 days and see if you notice a change in your overall feelings of stress and/or mood.
5 Quick Stress Busting Ideas:
- Start your day with five-10 minutes of gentle stretching to get the brain and body ready for the day ahead. No time in the morning? Try these stretches that you can do during the workday.
- Skip the news on your morning commute and pop in some music instead. Whether you drive, take public transportation or bike to work, kicking off your day with music is a great mood booster that will stay with you, helping you navigate whatever comes your way. Of course, added bonus stress reduction comes with singing in the car!
- Take a meditation break! Find a quiet spot and take a brain break. Shut your eyes and breathe deeply, clearing your mind as best you can. (Some of us are better at that than others, but don’t fret about it!) If you feel comfortable doing so, remove your shoes to promote deeper relaxation. Check out these tips on mediation.
- Make some time to unplug and get outside! Whether it’s a quick walk around the block, a trip to the school garden or sitting on a favorite bench under a tree and watching the birds and squirrels, Mother Nature has a way of calming us and soothing the soul like no other.
- Take a few minutes to be grateful! At the end of each day, think of at least three good things that either happened that day or you just feel good about in general. Either write them down or share them with a friend or family member. You can even get someone to be your partner in this endeavor and make it part of your daily ritual.
Again, you can do whatever works best for you. Shake it up – try new things, just keep yourself in mind each day and take steps to manage stress. We would love to hear from you, so please be sure to share your favorite stress busters in the comments section below.
Posted by Bethe Almeras
on March 11, 2015