Thinking about Common Core, merit pay, the achievement gap and the ever growing list of demands from administration, students, and parents, stress is bound to knock at your door. Many urban educators unknowingly take on much more than they realize and find themselves physically ill or on the verge of a burnout episode. In order to combat stress, you must take deliberate steps to do so.

1. Make a list of all of your responsibilities.

Highlight:

• Work the color yellow

• Family the color pink

• Self the color green.

If you notice that there is not enough green then you should create a go green attack as soon as possible. Think of activities (or non-activities) that will give you some green time. This should not be loosely scheduled, but planned with pen. Have you been meaning to make a spa appointment, read the new book from your favorite author, or hike up your nearest mountain? This is the time. Do it!

2. Make a trip to your place of peace, and if you happen to be walking around without one, then designate such a place. This could be your master bathroom with the lights dim and soft violins playing in the background. It could be the nearest dog park, ant farm, or lush greens at a botanical garden. No matter the place, make a trip. Spend a few hours relaxing in the environment. Take in the scenery; inhale the aromas, and most importantly give yourself permission to leave your worries tucked away.

3. Get physical. Moving is an excellent method for relieving stress, and one of my personal favorites. When the demands from administration, county and state come tumbling down, so does my running shoes. I lace up and hit the gym and run until I no longer feel tension. You may not be a runner, but joining a kickboxing, cycling, or Zumba class gets your body pumping all the same. If you are not a member of a gym then pick up a baseball, basketball, hula hoop, or a kick ball and head out to the park with your kids, friends, or local adult league. Strap up for a game of paintball, beat the old punching bag, play a round of golf, or bowl a few strikes. To help others while helping yourself, you may even think about signing up for local.5k races in your area. Race funds support many causes such as diabetes, cancer, and children, so while beating your stress you will be beating someone else’s as well. These stress outlets will get your blood flowing and increase your heart health so that you may keep making it to the white board every day.

4. Fall into sound. Sound therapy reduces stress and recharges your batteries. Many people erroneously believe that teaching is a cake walk, but dealing with a hundred different personalities can take a toll. At the end of the day, many of the conversations are still swirling around your head and you need some relief. You can’t always take a trip when you are obligated to teach six classes, but you can journey into a musical escapade. While students are working, consider playing soft instrumentals that can calm you and the students. During your planning period, take a few minutes turn on your favorite song, close your eyes, and sing. This will be an instant uplifting that can help you through the rest of the day. You can extend this exercise on your way home from work and right into your living room as you kick back and come down from the activities of the day. If work duties are keeping you awake at night, then try downloading spa music or sounds of nature to help you drift into deep relaxation. There are many sound options nowadays including iPods, mp3, and cell phones equipped with music players, slacker, Pandora, music unlimited, iTunes and several others. Access, download, or purchase those sounds that will take you away from it all.

5. Find the nearest closet, empty room, or retreat to the confines of your car and scream your stresses away. Many times, a good scream of nothing or choice words of your preference will instantly make you feel better. It will serve as a release so that you may carry on and keep calm as they say. After you have finished screaming, your frustrations have not totally dissipated and an actual solution may be in need. In order to develop a long term solution to lowering your stress levels, take out your journal and begin to free write on your sources of frustration. Do not worry about grammar, professionalism, or structure, just write. After getting it all down on paper, put it away. After a few hours or even the next day, review it and make an action plan for the future. Look for the true cause for your high stress levels. Do not focus on the surface causes, but instead go deeper. Remember to focus on the “what now” and do not get caught in the question of “why” said occurrences are present. The “why” is only important because it may house a solution, but you cannot afford to stall at that step with no further action.

Clearly, this list is not exhaustive, but it will surely be the beginning of what we all need to be conscious of, lowering our stress level before it causes us to be lowered six feet below the ground. Stress is a killer and leaving it to roam amuck is dangerous. Create a plan of attack and be sure to see it through. A happy teacher emits positivity into the classroom atmosphere and the students have no choice but to inhale.

Photo Credit: Bigevil600 via sxc.hu