Learning some classroom stress reduction techniques can be helpful for both students and teachers alike.
The Need for Stress Reduction Techniques
Many teachers and students feel stressed within the classroom setting, and various factors can contribute to this stress. Whether it's trying to master new material for an upcoming exam, or mitigating conflict between boisterous children, the classroom can be a hotbed of stressful activity.
Learn Classroom Stress Reduction Techniques: For the Student
The following classroom stress reduction techniques may help students:
Journaling
Consider keeping a journal. The beauty of a journal is that it is for your eyes only. This means that you are free to express yourself in whatever manner you choose, without having to worry that it's going to be "graded".
Get Enough Sleep
Many young people adore staying up late, but loath having to wake up in the morning. Unless your school schedule changes to a later time, this is a reality you'll just have to accept. Make time to get most of your work out of the way so that you can get to sleep at an appropriate time.
Talk It Out
Stress is a phenomenon that many people, not just students, experience, and many experience it daily. This means that if you were to try to talk out some of your stress, there's a very good chance that others will understand; they may even have some helpful tips!
Limit Some Activities
It's not unusual for students to have many activities, some of which may include sports, school clubs, or other extracurricular activities. However, if those extracurricular activities are starting to weigh heavily on you, it may be time to think about cutting back. Figure out which activities you truly love, keep those, and scale back on activities you don't mind quitting.
Separate Homework and Play
"Play" is meant to apply to any activity that you engage in that you truly love, while homework is self-explanatory. The key is to engage in those activities in separate areas. Psychologically, this can send a signal to your brain that says, "When I'm in this area, I work, and when I am in this other area, I play".
Manage Time Wisely
It is virtually impossible to cram everything that needs to be done into one day. To visualize what needs to be done, why not purchase (or make) your own personal calendar/date book? This book can be as large as you'd like and be kept on a desk, or small and portable.
Classroom Stress Techniques for Teachers
Teachers can often have a lot of stress. Teaching children can be an enormous source of personal satisfaction, but it can also be a tremendous responsibility. Coupling that responsibility with your own personal responsibilities, can at times, seem overwhelming. Try these stress techniques to help you cope:
Learn to Take a Breather
School days are long, and they are often filled with stressful moments. Due to this, you'll want to take a few minutes to yourself every day. This breather can come during your student's lunch period, or anytime you have a break (for example, when the children go to gym or the music room). Feel free to turn off your classroom's lights, or even to sit there with your eyes closed. That moment of calm will come in handy when the kids return.
Prioritize
Similar to students, teachers need to prioritize, and that applies both to what you can accomplish in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom. While it's true that teachers need to teach a certain amount of material within a given day that can be a difficult task to accomplish.
Teach as much subject matter as you can, and at the need of the day, evaluate what else needs to be done. From there, consider what can be scaled back the following day so that you can squeeze the missed material in.
Make the Most of Free Time
Teachers should make the most of the time that they have away from school, particular weekends and holidays. Taking the time to re-charge your batteries during that time can help you to feel that much more grounded when you get back into the classroom.
Final Tips on Beating Classroom Stress
Learning classroom stress reduction techniques can be incredibly helpful to both teachers and students. Taking time to assess, prioritize, and in some cases, simply breathe, can go a long way in relieving classroom stress. Students and teachers should take the time to enjoy themselves and re-charge their batteries when away from the classroom. This way, when you both go back to school, you can feel refreshed, ready to learn, and engage anew.
