How to manage stress on Creating Value In Schools

Wellbeing

Please enjoy this free content - for more Need To Know articles please consider a subscription

Top takeaway

Use the Stress Awareness Month toolkit to generate ideas around stress reduction, including:

breathing exercises
ways to recharge
advice on talking to managers
how to assess the risk of stress in your setting.

1. Breathe

Taking a pause to stop and breathe slowly is a great way to reduce stress levels in the moment. Box breathing is a simple exercise which can be done any time, any place, to help regulate the nervous system and feel calmer.

Breathe in for four seconds through your nose, counting the breath in your head.
Hold for four seconds.
Breathe out for four seconds, through your mouth, counting the breath in your head.

2. Recharge

It doesn’t have to take a lot to reset and refresh. Download how to re-charge in three minutes or less for simple ways to pause, such as:

getting outside for a moment
sending a message
stretching
looking out the window
reciting some reassuring words.

3. Have a conversation

It can be hard to admit to ourselves, let alone anyone else, that we’re struggling.

Talking to your manager about stress gives tips around sharing what’s going on for you and seeking support.

Remember that your employer does have a responsibility for your health and wellbeing, and reasonable adjustments can be made to help manage periods of difficulty.

For more ideas, check out the honest conversations blog and checklist.

4. Set priorities and boundaries

Be confident in knowing your priorities and saying no when you need to. What really is the most important thing you need to do today, or this week?

Saying no: advice for setting boundaries encourages you to be firm and friendly in the face of impossible requests, and use phrases such as the following when you need to say no:

Thank you for considering me for this. Let me check my diary before I commit.
I can’t realistically commit to this without letting go of some other tasks. Let me discuss it with my line manager.
That time frame won’t be possible for me due to other commitments.
I have some concerns. Can we find some time to talk this through?

In The art of balance, headteacher Josephine Smith talks about the importance of knowing your core purpose, values and priorities:

Keep pulling yourself back to those priorities. Otherwise, you’ll be in the ‘Whac-A-Mole’ school of educational leadership, responding to the first person at your door and the person that sent you those emails.

And in You can’t turn off the machine, Caroline Doherty shares a great tip:

For motivation, I tend to have just one, two or three things that I have to get done that day. They might be big, they might be little, but know that when you do find the time, that's the thing you're going to prioritise. So when you sit down at your screen again, you’re not saying, ‘Oh, what was I supposed to be doing?’

5. Know the signs

Signs of stress and burnout could include:

Fatigue or changes to your sleeping pattern
Changes to your diet e.g. eating more sugary foods; drinking more caffeine
Working around the clock and feeling that you are not doing enough
Feeling apathetic or dissatisfied with your work
Headaches or other aches and pains
Feeling overwhelmed or anxious
Feeling irritable, extremely sensitive or critical of others who don’t ‘do things your way’.

Areas for reflection and action

Is there something from the 7 ways to feel good this school year list you could promise for yourself this term?
Do you need to practice saying no?
Next time you feel your stress levels rising: try the box breathing exercise.
If you’re a line manager, have you had conversations with team members about managing stress? Has it been beneficial? What advice would you give a colleague who is finding things difficult?
Would you be able to spot the signs of stress and burnout in yourself?
Have you ever conducted a stress risk assessment? Would this be useful for your setting?

Sign In

How to manage stress