coping strategies for stressed teachers19€¦ · you see, when you consider the effect of these...

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NEEDS-FOCUSED TEACHING Coping Strategies for Stressed

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Coping Strategies for Stressed Teachers

5 Quick & Powerful Ways to Relieve Teacher Stress Right Now


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In this Short Report You’re About to Discover the Special Technique You Can Use to REDUCE ANXIETY and STRESS-

PROOF Yourself Plus 4 Additional Stress Management Strategies

But first, some comments from a few of our Quiet Mind for Teachers satisfied customers:

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“IamabletostaycalminstressfulsituationsandtofocusonNOWratherthanworryingmylifeaway.Iamenjoyinglifeagain.”

“Iwasverystressedbeforethecourse.Iworriedalotandwasunabletorelax.Ifeltresponsibleforthehappinessofmywholefamily.Iamnowfindingitmucheasiertostayrelaxedandnotbecomestressed.IamabletostaycalminstressfulsituationsandtofocusonNOWratherthanworryingmylifeaway.Iamenjoyinglifeagain.”StephJack,Bursar

“Ifeelasifthestressislikedropsofrainonmywaterproofjacket–theyjustrunoffratherthansoakingin.”“Iusedtoconstantlymulloverwhathadhappenedatworkandrepeatscenariosoverandoverinmyhead.Iworriedaboutwhatmighthappeninthefutureandcouldn’tswitchoffatall.Ifelttotallyoverwhelmed.Now,eventhoughworkandhomelifeisjustthesame,Iamabletodealwithiteffectivelywithoutdwellingonthings.IamalsoabletoswitchoffanddetachfromsituationswithoutlosingempathyorcompassionforthoseI’mdealingwith.


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Ifeelasifthestressislikedropsofrainonmywaterproofjacket–theyjustrunoffratherthansoakingin.”LindaSmith,HeadTeacher“Bettersleep,anxietywaydown,nolongerbeingupsetwiththecrazinessatwork(studentfights,fowlmouths,dangerousurbansetting)”“IthasbeenaGodsend.Icontinuetobethrilledbythepositiveimpactithashadonmylife.Bettersleep,anxietywaydown,nolongerbeingupsetwiththecrazinessatwork(studentfights,fowlmouths,dangerousurbansetting),physicalpainmitigation,improvedsenseofsmellandtaste,weightlosswithoutanydieting...Ifitsoundsmiraculous,itisbecausesometimesitfeelsthatway.IfeellikeI'mgettingalifebackandamsograteful!"BarbaraHinners,TeacherNJ

To find out how you can take part in this career-saving stress reduction program for teachers and learn powerful tools you can use for the rest of your life, register for one of our free web tutorials here:

http://needsfocusedteaching.com/webinar-sign-up-2/


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Introduction

I know you’re busy and short on time; you’re at the sharp end of education so you’re bound to be. For that reason, I’ll keep the preamble to a minimum and get straight into this.

Bottom line: stress is a killer.

It’s the main reason why so many teachers are leaving the profession and, let’s be honest, it’s the reason why you’re reading this.

Because without getting too melodramatic, I’m guessing you’re already concerned about the effects your ridiculously heavy workload is having on your life.

Effects such as being increasingly irritable with your students, your colleagues and perhaps even those close to you. Feeling overwhelmed by the constant demands on your attention and time. Feeling annoyed that you no longer seem to have any time for yourself or your family. Finding it difficult to concentrate. Dismayed by the senseless paperwork. Annoyed at the ridiculous stress and strain of constant student testing. Angered by the lack of support & needless pressures placed upon you. Feeling drained and tired out but unable to sleep when your head finally hits the pillow after yet another evening of planning, marking and other school work.

With all this pressure you may have already noticed a few cracks. Perhaps you suffer from headaches? Maybe you’re worried about the fact that you find it so difficult to relax. You might have already seen your doctor about stress-related illnesses? You may even have had thoughts of leaving the profession.

If ANY of that is true… you might want to read the rest of this little report very carefully because I’m going to tell you about some powerful tools you can use to alleviate the pressures you’re facing right now as well as how to stress-proof yourself against further difficulties and responsibilities. I’m also going to show you how to achieve a state of deep calm and relaxation whenever you feel things are getting too much.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. Let’s start by looking at why it’s so important that you learn how to protect yourself from the ravages of stress…


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The human body is not actually designed to cope with the type of stress associated with the teaching profession. Our innate mammalian stress reflex, the ‘fight or flight’ response, was originally intended to protect us from genuinely life-threatening dangers such as hungry wild animals. I’m sure you know how this automatic reflex operates – your body, in response to a dangerous situation, releases stress hormones (such as adrenaline and cortisol) so that you are prepared and ready for immediate action – to either run away or defend yourself. Heart rate and blood pressure is increased (to get more energy round your system), muscles become tense (to cope with the strain you’re about to put them under) and non-essential systems such as your digestive organs – are temporarily shut down (because they’re obviously not needed at this time).

The key word here is ‘temporarily’ - this process is supposed to be a short term intervention because stress hormones are detrimental to your health over time.

Fortunately, once the danger subsides, hormone production is shut off and everything reverts back to normal; you can relax again. If you’re ever lucky enough to go on safari or watch a wildlife film showing grazing animals such as zebra, you may see this process in action. When a predator appears, the animals spring into action and run like crazy (the stress reflex has kicked in) - but as soon as the danger has passed, they immediately go back to munching on grass as if nothing has happened. The automatic reflex shuts down automatically and the animals revert back to their normal, relaxed state.

In teaching, of course, the stress we face is different to that encountered by our ancestors and life-threatening situations are very rare (unless you teach in Gateshead). Having said that, the thing that makes this type of stress so dangerous and damaging is that it is CONSTANT. It’s relentless. The goal posts keep changing and the bar is continually being raised.

Managing difficult students and trying to get them interested in learning, dealing with unsupportive parents, putting up with school leaders who don’t seem to care, being walked on by bureaucrats who don’t know what they’re talking about, meeting crazy deadlines or any of the million-and-one other pressures you face each day in school (not to mention the additional pressures you face at home – ill/elderly relatives to care for,


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children and spouses to look after, money worries, your own health etc. etc.) – results in a near-constant stream of toxic stress hormones circulating round your body.

Did you get that? When you’re under continual pressure, the stress hormones in your body aren’t given chance to subside. Unlike the zebra, you rarely revert to your fully relaxed condition – your body experiences a never-ending succession of mini-fight or flight reactions leaving you in a perpetual state of TENSION and ANXIETY.

The longer you live like this without doing something about it, the more unhappy, unhealthy and VULNERABLE you become.

You see, when you consider the effect of these stress hormones on the body - increased blood sugar, raised heart rate, muscle tension and shutdown of non-essential systems and organs – is it any wonder that so many of us today are suffering from stress-related illnesses and complaints?

High blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, strokes, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome are well known stress-associated problems but it is now believed that almost ALL illnesses can be attributed to stress in some way.

Research suggests that raised levels of stress hormones can cause inflammation in the body and this can aggravate conditions like arthritis, psoriasis, eczema and skin rashes. This inflammatory response can also have a debilitating effect on our immune system making it harder to fight off colds and other infections.

Then there is the issue of unrelieved chronic muscle tension. This has been shown to cause tension headaches, back pain, joint problems, tendonitis and bones being pulled out of alignment resulting in further pain.

Finally there are the knock-on effects which can spring from chronic exposure to these health complaints - depression, panic attacks, irritability, obesity, social withdrawal, insomnia etc.

Many of us cope with stress and the problems it causes by reaching for cigarettes, alcohol, food or even drugs. Of course, a glass of wine can help us relax, and a bar of chocolate can cheer us up (mmmm, chocolate), but ‘self-medicating’ excessively by consuming any


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of these things in excess can lead to further health problems that in turn create even more stress. And even healthy coping strategies - such as exercise and offloading to friends, can’t be relied on 100% as they merely mask the underlying causes of your stress.

So it becomes something of a downward spiral once stress starts to impact on your life, and the magnitude of the problem can’t be overlooked. According to the Health and Safety Executive in the UK, stress is now the biggest cause of sickness in the UK with up to five 5 million people ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed through work. It is estimated that as many as one in four will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year.

The very fact that you downloaded this report would suggest that some or all of these issues are of concern to you. And unless you do something about your situation, it isn’t likely to improve.

So what’s the answer?

Well, in the next few pages I’m going to show you how you can effectively stress-proof yourself from here on in by learning an incredibly powerful method of relaxation by getting connected to all the peace, calm and clarity that lies inside you. And I’m going to give you four additional strategies to further equip you against the immense pressures you’re under.

But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself so that you can trust what I’m saying here.

First and foremost… I get it. I understand. Believe me, I understand. I’ve been extremely close to the end of my rope on many occasions.

As a young teacher I was passionate, committed and devoted to my students… but hopelessly ill-equipped to deal with the stress & strain of the teaching profession. True, I am now the author of several best-selling books on classroom management (cue the shameless plug for Take Control of the Noisy Class) … but you must understand that I really struggled with the pressures of teaching before I finally started to get a grip on


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things. I hated pointless paperwork, tough students frustrated the hell out of me and I could see no point whatsoever in the constant hoop-jumping and box-ticking exercises.

I truly came very close to leaving the profession because of my frustration and it was only a lack of money which kept me in the job. A period of resentment followed during which I had to literally drag myself to work each morning and spent every minute of the day complaining bitterly and getting more and more depressed.

My first big turnaround came simply as a result of becoming better at my job. To cut a very long story short, I had a few breakthroughs with some very troubled and badly behaved students and my confidence started to go up. The more success I had, the better I felt. It’s obvious, I know, but progress is a tremendous antidote to stress. It removes the feeling of helplessness, of not having any control. Incidentally, if you are looking for some novel and effective strategies and tools in the areas of classroom management, student engagement, connecting with tough students, time management and other teaching related topics, pop over to my blog when you get chance. You’ll find everything you’re looking for there. Here’s the link: www.needsfocusedteaching.com/blog

My second big turnaround (really big) came much later – after I had left teaching and had set up my first training business – Behaviour Needs Ltd. Again, I’ll not go into detail here but let’s just say life had got on top of me and I was finding it hard to get out of bed in a morning; I was on the verge of a breakdown. This time it was ‘life stress’ rather than teaching stress but I’m sure you’ll appreciate and understand some of the pressures because they are common to most adults at some stage – house moves, relationship breakdown, financial hardship, parenting issues and caring for dying relatives (my poor mother had dementia and cancer while my dear father had Parkinson’s and leukemia). In addition, my elder sister was desperately in need of a kidney transplant and I was rapidly developing stress-related health issues of my own. All in all it was a very difficult time. Actually, there was nothing out of the ordinary really – most people experience similar trials and tribulations in life - it’s just that over a period of about 5 years, I was experiencing everything at once.

Things came to a head in 2010 when my partner, Sally, and I were almost killed in a bizarre knife attack while we slept at our home. From here, for another couple of years we added Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to our list of difficulties.


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But I’m a firm believer in the old adage ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ and that every problem carries with it a tremendous opportunity for growth… should we choose to look for it.

My big growth opportunity was finding a way to deal with the incredible anxiety I was now under and I’m delighted to say that eventually, after trying almost every imaginable therapy and technique, I discovered true, lasting, life-changing peace and happiness.

My life changed totally after learning the techniques I’m going to tell you about in a moment and ANYONE can experience the same incredible benefits.

Oh, and let me clear here - my circumstances didn’t change – certainly not immediately. The same stressful stuff was still present – the time pressures, the people pressures, the health pressures, the financial pressures. It was all still there. Life didn’t change… I changed.

You see, you can’t escape stress. You can’t change the world so that it suits you. You can’t change the weather. You can’t change other people. You can’t control events. Life doesn’t work like that. The more you try to control life, the more you try to bend it to suit you, the harder it becomes.

There will always be unwelcome reforms and changes in education. There will always be crazy deadlines, ridiculous amounts of paperwork and curriculum initiatives which make no sense. There will always be students who refuse to behave appropriately, parents who offer no support and colleagues who make things worse. There will always be managers who don’t have a clue, don’t offer support and use bullying tactics to get what they want.

You can’t escape these things. And even if you manage to achieve a breakthrough in one area, something else will come along to take its place. You can’t escape stress.

But what you can do is change the way stress affects you.

You can make yourself more resilient. You can learn to remain calm, relaxed and composed in the face of chaos and adversity. You can learn to be happy even when life isn’t going the way you’d lie it to.

Let’s find out how…


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I want to now tell you about the incredibly effective stress-management technique I learned a few years ago - and have been practicing ever since – which completely changed my life for the better and enabled me to cope with the extreme stress I was facing. The technique is MINDFULNESS and I practice it in various ways, including meditating.

Mindfulness can be defined as simply paying full attention to the present moment. Sounds simple, and it is, but it is paying attention in a very specific way which creates the magic.

This unique quality of awareness is the golden key that unlocks the door to absolute freedom from stress, anxiety, unhappiness and worry.

What you can expect from mindfulness:

1. You’ll stop getting so wound up As I’ve already mentioned earlier in this report, you can’t stop stressful events from happening. Life continues to do what it does – stressful things happen, day in day out. But when you practice mindfulness you begin to notice that things which would normally wind you up simply don’t bother you as much. You’ll be able to face the same situations and circumstances without the same level of anxiety, depression, anger, irritability and confusion. You’ll experience life without being so tied to the turmoil.

A friend of mine – who trained to be a meditation teacher with me - describes the feeling you get from practicing as being ‘Teflon-coated’ and I really can’t think of a better description. Stressful events no longer get their teeth into you; they just slip away.

From a practical point of view this means you’ll become far less reactive. You won’t get so annoyed and you’ll be able to respond to difficult circumstances coolly and calmly. It really is quite amazing that a few minutes doing something so simple can bring about such profound results.

2. You’ll be able to relax much more easily With surprisingly little practice, mindfulness can lead you to a deep level of relaxation and peace within a matter of minutes; a state of profound stillness where NOTHING can bother you. This can be a massive relief if you’re going through a difficult patch or just


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need a break. It’s like going to your own private oasis; your mental chatter slows down and you settle into a very calm state of being.

In this stillness even sounds won’t disturb you and stress and worries simply melt away. And the best thing about this is that these benefits continue LONG after your actual practice – you can feel waves of peace and calm washing over you throughout the day which makes it MUCH easier for you to relax.

3. You’ll sleep better As your ability to overcome the effects of stress improves and as your busy mind starts to settle and become more peaceful, problems associated with sleep naturally subside. You’re likely to find yourself dropping off to sleep much more easily and waking up during the night less frequently. This was a major event for me having long suffered from insomnia and Restless Leg Syndrome. The first day of my mindfulness training course I slept right through the night for the first time in years.

4. Your immune system will work better People who practice mindfulness regularly have been found to be better able to ward off infectious disease and develop serious illnesses far less often than non-meditators. Psychosomatic Medicine (2003), Perspectives on Psychological Science (2011), Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (2010 ) 5. You’ll experience more freedom from negative emotions Anger, grief, sorrow, fear, anxiety and depression can prevent us from enjoying life and if not addressed they can lead to illness. While you can’t force the world to change and make all the problems go away you CAN learn to feel calm & peaceful in the midst of these things. People who meditate regularly tend to find that negative emotions no longer bother or affect them the way they once did.

6. You’ll probably start to feel happier Research using brain imaging shows that parts of the brain associated with happiness actually change when people meditate. Networks linked with happiness, empathy and compassion become stronger and more active while those relating to anxiety, stress and general unhappiness appear to weaken and dissolve. Biological Psychology (2004).


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One of the biggest improvements I’ve noticed since learning to meditate is coming to the realisation that happiness doesn’t depend on material ‘stuff’ or situations. It doesn’t really matter what we’ve got (or not got) because ultimately it’s only our thoughts about these things which make us happy (or unhappy). Meditation helps you see that you have total choice over your thoughts and that by changing them, you really can change your world.

Shakespeare wrote a wonderfully perceptive line in Hamlet which explains this beautifully ‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.’

He obviously meditated a lot in between best sellers.

So… whichever areas of your life you want to improve, be it:

ü to reduce the effects of stress and be able to relax deeply

ü to stop out-of-control emotional feelings from running your life

ü to improve your sleep and overcome insomnia

ü to reduce feelings of anxiety and depression

ü to feel a general sense of increased happiness

ü to have more energy and a greater sense of health and well-being

… it’s highly likely that meditation and mindfulness can provide you with a realistic way of getting through all the blocks to achieving these things. And the most amazing thing is that you can see results from just a few minutes practice each day.

I’ll explain how you can find out more about these techniques at the end of this guide in a special program I’ve put together just for teachers like you. For now, while it is beyond the scope of this report to give you a comprehensive training in mindfulness, I’ve included a special mindful breathing technique which can help reduce your anxiety levels and make you more resilient when under stress. Practice this for a few minutes a day and you should very soon start to see an improvement in your ability to remain calm and in-control when facing a difficult class or stressful situation at school. You’ll find the


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breathing technique at the end of this guide along with three other techniques for managing teacher stress…


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Stress Management Strategies for Teachers

1. Whole-Class Behaviour Files

Most teaching courses train student teachers to be adept at organizing the ‘teaching’ part of the job. When new teachers qualify they very quickly develop special mark-books, subject files, schemes of work files, assessment sheets, report banks, lesson plan templates etc. etc.

But there is, of course, much more to the job than just teaching. Increasingly, a large part of the busy teacher’s day is taken up managing behavior problems and dealing with associated pastoral concerns, external agencies, parent contacts etc.

Teachers seldom get shown how to handle the sheer mountain of paperwork related to this part of the job despite the fact that it takes up a large part of the working day and causes endless stress, headaches and frustration.

The best way of coping with this is to have a separate file – specifically for behaviour and associated issues.

The benefits are enormous and it will make your job a whole lot easier if you don’t already do this. Being able to lay your hands on important information from impromptu meetings, documented evidence of behavior incidents and having a comprehensive record of conversations with outside agencies and parents is very useful.

How to make your behaviour files

1. Have one file for each class you teach – otherwise you’ll find one file will fill up too quickly.

2. Have dividers labeled as follows…

i) Students’ Timetable


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In this section you keep a timetable for each child so that you know at any time of the school day where they should be.

ii) Teachers’ Timetables and contacts

In this section you keep a timetable of all the teachers so that you know where to find them at any time of day. Also have a sheet with email addresses and other contact methods for each member of staff.

iii) Map of the school

iv) Students’ Contact Details

In this section you have a separate page for each student in the class – phone numbers, medical details, specific behavior problems (if any), and any other relevant information.

v) Record Cards

Have a copy of each child’s completed ‘Record Card’ (hobby/interest questionnaire).

You can read about them in my book ‘Take Control of the Noisy Class’

vi) Parent contact log

In this section you have a sheet for each child and record any phone calls or conversations you have with parents.

vii) I.E.P for each child

This document (Individual Education Plan) details recommended strategies for dealing with a individual students as well as specific short term targets the child should attain in a given period of time.

viii) Pupil Log

I find these INVALUABLE. They are so simple to use and yet so beneficial – for writing reports and feeding back to parents, staff, outside agencies etc. I strongly advise you start keeping these.


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All you really need is a blank sheet of A4 paper for each pupil with their name at the top so that you can log information about a child when you teach them. You don’t have to write in them every day – it’s just there as a place to log important events, conversations, achievements, incidents etc. as and when they occur.

Whenever a child has caused trouble in a lesson, conversely, been helpful or hard-working, simply turn to their page, and under the date write a sentence or two about what happened such as “John was using foul language repeatedly throughout the lesson”, “Stephanie had to be removed from class today for refusing to follow instructions” or Jake finished his work early and helped two other pupils.

Over time, these comments build up to form a comprehensive record of a child’s performance so that whenever you are in a position where you have to give feedback on the child, you have at your disposal this wonderful record rather than having to rely on your memory.

Hot Tip: If you use plastic wallets to hold individual sheets of paper in your files they will end up being wider than the actual dividers – so you won’t be able to see the dividers without leafing through the whole file – very time consuming. Instead, you can use masking tape to extend the dividers outwards by sticking a piece of tape to the divider folded over on itself. You can then write on the tape instead of the divider and it will stick out past the plastic wallet for easy visibility.

2. Learn to Deal Effectively With Requests From School Managers and Other Colleagues

Sometimes we need to say “no” in order to protect our time. We say “yes” to others because we want to please them but sometimes our desire to please can lead to us taking on more than we can cope with. When eventually we can't continue, we feel guilty and both parties suffer. A desire to please often prevents us from saying no in the first place and preventing ill feeling or stress.

Next time you're asked to do something outside your normal duties:


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i. Make sure you understand exactly what is being asked of you before you respond. Perhaps the task is more time consuming than you thought. On the other hand, it may not take much effort at all. Think it all through carefully - knowing all the facts can save you from embarrassment or frustration.

ii. Remember that others may take you for granted and even lose respect for you if you say “yes” to every request. You have a right to say no. Be polite but definite if you say no. You only build false hopes with wishy-washy ‘maybe’ responses.

iii. Keep your answers and reasons short. This way, you can say no without feeling the need for a lengthy justification. ("I'm sorry, I'm not available that night.") On the other hand, some say that giving a longer answer with reasons reinforces your credibility. Let the situation decide.

iv. Always try to provide suggestions or alternatives for the person who is asking. This is a key point and stops people thinking you're just being awkward. You should always look for a suitable alternative or helpful suggestion.

When in doubt, it's easier to say no now and change your mind to a yes later, than it is the other way around.

What about when you have to say ‘yes’?

Sometimes saying ‘no’ is simply unavoidable but that doesn't mean you have to be any less assertive. Here are some techniques to use when you have to say 'yes':

- Tell the person you can agree to their request this time, but suggest the two of you discuss how they might plan better for the next time.

- Tell them yes, but remind them they owe you one. For example, they might cover you for a lesson/break duty next time you need time off.

- Tell them yes, but take control by saying you'll come back to them with a timetable. For instance, say, 'I expect I'll be able to do that for you by the end of the week'.

- Put a condition on your agreement such as 'If it would only take an hour, I'd be able to help, but I can't give you more than that.' You can always respond to requests by asking


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for a bit of time to think about it. Sometimes we make decisions without really considering whether we have the time to do a job, or whether we really want to do the job in the first place. Give yourself some 'think time' to look thoroughly at what's involved.

3. Exercise

Exercise is one of the most important coping mechanisms to combat anxiety and stress. By discharging negative emotions and stress hormones through physical activity, you can enter a more relaxed state from which to deal with the issues and conflicts that are causing your anxiety.

The benefits come in many ways: the sheer distraction from your worries, the effects on self-image, and the biochemical and physiological changes that accompany the exercise. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, releases hormones, stimulates the nervous system, and increases levels of morphine-like substances found in the body (such as beta-endorphin) that can have a positive effect on mood and pain.

I know exercise can seem a daunting prospect for many people so let me try and convince you that exercise should play a part in your life…

Firstly, exercise increases your energy levels. This is because it causes an increase in the number of mitochondria (tiny energy-producing organelles) in your cells. In numerous studies and surveys, people who exercise regularly have been found to have higher energy levels and significantly less tension and stress than they had before they started exercising.

Studies have shown that definite psychological changes take place in people who undertake regular exercise. They seem to find it easier to accomplish their daily tasks and become more effective in achieving their potential in all areas of their lives. Participants in exercise studies have been found to be more emotionally stable, better able to cope with stress and much more self sufficient and confident.

Exercise also enhances the production of Nor-adrenaline, a hormone found to be responsible to lift your mood and combat sensations of fatigue and depression giving a


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much more balanced emotional state. This accounts for the fact that so many emotional disorders have been successfully treated with exercise.

Even moderate exercise can raise levels of brain chemicals such as endorphins and improve a person's mood. One such substance is phenylethylamine, or PEA, a natural stimulant produced by the body. It is related to amphetamines but does not have the long-lasting effects that make "speed" or "ice" such deadly drugs.

Researchers now argue that this increase in PEA causes the euphoric mood often called "runners' high." And because depressed people tend to have low PEA levels, the researchers say this is an explanation of why exercise has a natural antidepressant action.

Finally, exercise burns fat. Yay! Studies in both animals and people have shown time and time again that exercise helps burn fat and make you lean. And the benefits of exercise don’t stop when you leave the gym, take off your walking shoes or get off your bike. Studies have shown that after 30 minutes of exercise you will continue to burn calories throughout the day at a faster rate than normal because the exercise speeds up your RESTING metabolism. That means you not only burn extra calories during the exercise, you burn extra calories when you rest as well!

So there you have it. Now you know why you simply have to start exercising!

4. The Special Breathing Technique You Can Use to REDUCE ANXIETY and STRESS-PROOF Yourself

The simple mindful breathing technique I’m going to share with you here is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. The effects are subtle when you first try the exercise but become more obvious with repetition and practice. Variations of this controlled breathing method are actually used by elite athletes to improve performance and by the military to help soldiers remain calm in traumatic conditions.

The technique is called Box Breathing and is best explained with the aid of the following diagram...


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As you can see, the pattern is simply a box (hence the name), whereby you inhale to a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale to the same count of 4 and hold again for 4. You can start at 3 if this is difficult, or take it up a notch if easy. You should be reasonably comfortable throughout the exercise – don’t stretch yourself so that breathing and/or holding becomes a strain.

Note: Box breathing is best done in a relaxed setting – it is a way of ‘preparing’ yourself for stressful situations rather than a remedial technique to be used in the middle of arguments and other stressful events - for the simple reason that it’s best not to hold your breath in such circumstances.


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Want to know how to permanently free yourself from the hazards of stress?

The QUIET MIND for Teachers program has been

specially developed for YOU.

CLICK HERE to read all about it.

About Rob Plevin:

Rob provides resources & runs training courses internationally for teachers, lecturers, parents and care workers on behaviour management, student motivation, stress management & mindfulness. His live workshops are frequently described as 'unforgettable' and his materials are used in thousands of schools worldwide. He can be found at www.theliferaft.org, www.biglovechallenge.org & www.needsfocusedteaching.com

coping strategies for stressed teachers19€¦ · you see, when you consider the effect of these...

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