Coping with Distress Techniques

During these troubled times, it is easy to feel anxious and overwhelmed. It is the fear of the unknown that is scary. We don’t know what will happen in the future. We are establishing a new norm and every day can be something new and different. We worry about “what if” and we don’t have a lot of control about the future of the world or the economy. Our students are feeling the same way! So, I wanted to give some coping techniques that might help in dealing with these feelings of distress.

Mindful Meditation – Recently a couple of our faculty organized some mindfulness sessions where we learned some deep breathing techniques and calming exercises. I found some websites that you might find helpful.

1-minute mindfulness exercises

Mindfulness exercises

Hand Over Heart – place your hand over your heart and breathe

Hand Over Heart

Exercise – walking, running, aerobics or anything that gets your body moving. There are plenty of exercising videos on YouTube. My favorite video selections are featured in  Walk at Home by Leslie Sansone.

Read – I like to find a fiction book in a genre that I enjoy and just escape from the real world.

What other relaxation/stress relief do you do? Please share.

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

Resting

In Take a Rest from Cool Cat Teacher Blog by coolcatteacher@gmail.com, Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher shares,

“Sometimes you must rest to be your best.”

I think I tend to give 110% and if I’m not giving until I’m exhausted, I feel that I’m not giving my best.

I remember when I would work through my lunch time and not stop to eat.

I remember bringing lots of work home and after my children were in bed, I would work until my own bedtime.

On weekends, I would feel like I had to do school work instead of watching TV or doing fun things with my family.

I thought if I worked my fingers to the bone, it would show that I was being a good teacher.

Then I realized that being good didn’t mean being effective.

Sure, I was showing others that I was willing to work. I would work on my own time and even to the point that it could affect my own health. But I was not being an effective teacher because my students weren’t learning faster or better.

I learned that it was important to stop for lunch and eat my lunch. This helped me stay in good health and it let my brain recharge. This kept me from getting overstressed and overwhelmed with all the responsibilities that I faced.

I learned to have hobbies and enjoy my free time at home. By allowing my mind and body to rest from the stress of work, I was able to better focus when I was at work.

I learned to focus on my family when I was at home. My family was my support system and I needed to nurture them as much as I did my work.

What others might see as idleness was actually rest for my body and mind.

I think employers need to see what their employers do to reenergize and how they deal with stress. If they make sure their workers are happy, I believe they would be more productive.

When I’m not working, I am doing one of the following things: hiking, gardening, knitting, spinning yarn, crocheting, reading, or traveling. I have a variety of interests to keep my mind happy.

I think this makes me a good role model for my students. It is important to show students how to work but I think it is important for them to see that relaxation when appropriate is also important.

How do you rest? Do you feel it is important? Please share.

Taking a Sabbatical

In 5 Simple Steps to Plan a Summer Sabbatical from Cool Cat Teacher Blog , Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher asks,

Have you ever taken a sabbatical? What works for you? 

Sometimes I get in a rut and get too connected with others through my laptop, iPad, and phone. I work on my blog and my course material. Sometimes I watch YouTube videos or Netflix while I’m knitting or spinning. But there comes a time that staying connected is too much like drinking too much caffeine. There comes a time when I can’t shut it all off.

There are times that I have to force myself to disconnect. I try to cut my online presence on Sundays by at least 50%. During spring, summer, and fall, I plan camping trips with my husband. Usually when we go camping, there is no cell or internet service.

When I get disconnected like this, I look around and see how lucky I am. I try to remember why I don’t do this more often. When I’m not connected, I realize how much I love being outdoors. I love seeing all of the colors and listening to all of the sounds of nature. I get in this habit of being connected and can’t turn it off.

I think this summer when I’m at home I will set the time. For every hour I am connected, I will do something that is disconnected. I will work hard to get in my 10,000 steps or more each day.

When we have a chance, we will go camping and get away from cell and internet service. Those mini sabbaticals are important and I will use those times to recharge.

What do you do for a sabbatical? Please share.