15 Easy Stress Management Techniques to Calm the Mind & Body + Free Printable

Read to find a variety of easy stress management techniques (great for busy teachers) to help relax, to calm the mind and body + free printable.

Wherever you’re working at the moment, whether it’s at home or at school, the busyness can be stressful. The role of classroom teachers is complex and often comes with a great deal of stress — for many, it’s a real concern!

Causes of Teacher Stress

If you need convincing, this interesting infographic from Teacher Wellbeing explains the causes of teacher stress — things like the rise of student demands and expectations, increased workload and administration, lack of time to meet administration requirements, demanding parents, being involved in up to 1000 interpersonal contacts per day, and the list goes on.

I’m sure you can relate to all of this.

And with the current disrupted routines; trying to teach from home or juggling the new requirements at school at the moment, it can really be tough on you.

Knowing this can make you feel validated, but it can also be hard to grapple with the overwhelm and frustration of it because I’m sure you’re probably aware of the worrying health impacts of chronic stress.

Many of you have told me that you sometimes find it difficult to manage the stress.

It’s tough, I know. But as a teacher, stress does come with the territory. In saying this, you can help yourself cope much better if you could learn to change your attitude about it.

Research tells us that it’s often how you react to stress that impacts how well you cope with it. When you identify your reaction, you can then make the necessary changes to reduce health impacts.

Along with this attitude shift, a practical approach to stress management is needed, as well as some proven strategies to help minimise the effects and assist your body and mind to relax and calm down after a busy day at work.

Here is a one-page printable with all 15 stress management techniques. Get it now!

Impact of stress on the body

I’ve written other posts about the huge impacts of stress on the body and the need to take control of it.

I know in my own life, I’ve been so determined to find the answers to assist in dealing with my stress levels; to stop the energy drain, the sleep problems and the anxiety… Because honestly, stress management doesn’t really come naturally to many of us — I know it didn’t for me anyway!

So I’m super keen to share with you what I’ve learnt because this issue can weigh heavy on many teachers.

I want to make you aware of how to get a better handle on your stress and reconnect with a much happier and more relaxed self. And I’m sure your loved ones around you want this too.

I’ve provided some super-easy ideas to kick-start healing in your life and give you a stress-management strategy than will work for you. Choose one or more of them to incorporate into your day to minimise the energy drain and the worry that you’re feeling.

I’ll be honest when I say – Don’t go back to what you’ve always done! It’s not working. I know this was true for me.

Burnout is inevitable if YOU don’t make the changes to your stress levels. Trust me…I know this as a fact!

If you don’t do something to help yourself – who will?

First steps to take to manage the stress response

One of the initial things I had to come to terms with was, that I was the one contributing to an overload of stress in my life. Then, I had to ask myself if there was anything I could change to make a difference.

The number one positive step I took was to scale back on my responsibilities. I did this by reducing my work commitments and pull back on the number of days I worked. (5 days down to 4).

The second step I took was to seek out professional help. This came in the form of a trained chiropractor with Sympathetic Dominance (SD) Protocol training to support chronic stress conditions. Seeing him was a game-changer for me, as the adjusting techniques helped assist my body to handle the high levels of stress I was experiencing.

Finally, I learnt some easy ways to practice stress management techniques on a daily basis and learn how to relax. Here are some of them for you…

Stress management techniques for teachers – help relax your mind and body

I’m keen to get going on this, but before I do, I want to stress with you (haha! no pun intended), not to underestimate the power of these activities because of their ease.

Many of the stress management tools are proven to help teachers like you and other highly stressed segments of our community who suffer from things like anxiety and PTSD.

Also!! Important Tip: Choose a relaxing activity from the list that will work for you… Remember we’re all different, so not all of them might necessarily be right. Just pick a tool, implement it for a good length of time and then see what it can do for you.

N.B. These are great ways of teaching stress management and relaxation to your students too.

Alright, here we go…Find details of 6 easy relaxation strategies to help reduce your and then get a FREE printable with all 15 Stress-Busting Tips to calm your mind and body:

1. Deep Controlled Breathing

Use slow deep focused breathing to release the tension and stress from your busy day. Spend a few minutes over the day, using 6 – 7 controlled breaths to relieve the stress and bring you back to the relaxation response. Read this post here for more detailed instructions.

2. Daily Journaling

Take some time at the start of the day or at night, to write down your thoughts and worries into a journal. Using a problem-solving journal to document your troubles and negative thoughts, is an easy technique to manage stress and find your inner calm. This intentional time of writing releases the overwhelm and frees the junk from going around in your brain so it can rest. (You’ll also experience a side benefit of lifting your mood too).

3. Take a relaxing bath

Taking a warm nightly bath is my personal favourite way to relax and release the tension from a busy day at school. Add some bubbles and essential oil for a bit of luxury and settle in with a glass of wine, some scented candles and dim the lights for the full calming effect.

Related Post: Teachers: Enjoy the 7 Benefits of a Self-Car Bath Routine

4. Make time to sleep

Good quality sleep is so important for your well-being, but stress can negatively impact your sleep. So prioritize it. Implement a structured bedtime routine over a couple of hours, to allow the necessary time to wind-down and prepare the body for rest after your chaotic day at school. Read here for a post to get the secrets for the Best Night’s Sleep for Stressed-out Teachers.

5. Take a massage

The benefits of massage with a reputable massage therapist are many. Massage assists to soften your tight muscle and release the tension the body holds from chronic stress. It’s an enjoyable and calming experience to melt away the tightness in your neck, shoulders and back. N.B for the best stress-relieving impact, remember to include a regular therapeutic massage into your schedule.

6. Go outside and explore nature

Go outside and take your shoes off. Find a soft patch of grass and step slowly around while enjoying the feeling on your feet. By doing this grounding technique, it will help you pull away from the unwanted feelings of stress and challenging emotions. While you’re at it, listen to the sounds around you and stop to savour this grounding experience to help dissolve the stress from your body.

These are all excellent ways to help yourself with stress management.

For all 15 stress management techniques, why not sign up for the FREE printable straight to your inbox. GET IT HERE:

I hope you can implement some of these into your week and make the changes needed to calm your mind and body.

And don’t forget to get your FREE Stress-Busting Tips printable before you go.

You are worthy of your own self-care. Ellen Rollands Keene, Self-care for Teachers.

Check out these other articles on stress management techniques

• A Straight-Forward Tips to Relieve Teacher Stress (You Won’t Believe)
• Why is it So Important for Teachers to De-Stress
• 3 Powerful Stress Management Tips for Teachers
• 6 Easy Ways to Bring Mindfulness into the Classroom
• 5 Easy Ways to Relieve Teacher Stress

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