Managing Stress as an Educator

What is stress?

• "The state of emotional disequilibrium..." - Alane K. Daugherty
• Our body's reaction to an event or situation that can cause physical and mental harm

PHysical/Mental Responses to Stress

• Digestive difficulties
• Headaches
• Disengaging with others
• Increased heart rate, blood pressure
• Avoiding certain stressful situations
• Sweating

fight or flight or...

• Fight: fight the perceived danger
• Flight: run away from the danger
• Freeze: become immobile (deer in the headlights)
• Fawn: people-pleasing through a stressful situation
• Flop: become unresponsive to stress

Small Group Work:
Take 5 minutes to share with your table partners how you find yourself responding to stress

How can we manage our own stress?

Mindfulness
Social and Emotional Learning
Connection
Engagement
Resiliency

Mindfulness

• Recognize overt activity
• Learn to pause
• Recognize the power of your attention
• Become present
• Releasing reactivity through body and mind

Social Emotional Learning

Connection with others can help manage stress
- eases pain
- increases happiness
- makes you feel understood

Time to connect

engagement

• Gratitude: "If you seek happiness, be grateful"
• Empathy: "That sounds so hard, I am here with you"
• Compassion: giving each other grace
• Hope: makes us more optimistic and resilient

Resilience

• Allowing ourselves to practice these stress management tools so that we can continue to do so over and over again

Questions?