January 2, 2023
Maybe you are experiencing or realizing more of your anxiety or stress because of so many demands you have when teaching in today’s schools. Perhaps you are sharing some of the symptoms you were unaware of before. According to the EdWeek update article and having conversations with teachers from various schools in the Hudson Valley area of NYS, teachers feel more overwhelmed and stressed today than in past years.
You are out doing some errands and getting ready for the holidays or commuting to work, and suddenly it hits you. Your heart begins racing, and you feel like your breath becomes shorter, and maybe it feels like you can not breathe anymore, your palms become sweaty, your legs start shaking, or perhaps you feel like something terrible will happen to you. Have you recently felt exhausted, anxious, having panic attacks, or having trouble sleeping? Maybe you have been so overwhelmed that you are out of place, discouraged, and do not think you are teaching effectively anymore, helping your family well, or both. Are you experiencing feeling stressed day after day teaching? Perhaps you have not been sleeping well, and you are also overeating, or you are having trouble enjoying downtime with friends because of stress. Maybe you tried to listen to soft music, exercise, take anxiety medication, cognitive treatment, meditation, and eat healthily. There is a possibility that you were not aware of the stressors that are contributing to your anxiety. Perhaps you have reached out to your friends and families for help and are still experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, or stress.
The truth is we go through anxiety; it may affect our relationship with our students and the desire or the likelihood to continue teaching. During COVID-19, I was delivering instruction to my graduate students and trying to develop relationships with them online, and honestly, it was challenging and discouraging. Students were having difficulties adjusting to the new teaching mode of long-distance learning and going through the challenges of COVID-19. I experienced lots of stress because of my many demands as an instructor, leader, and practitioner. I was also facing the reality of the need to stay healthy for my family. I did not know why I could not sleep and why I was feeling anxious.
At some point, I felt like I tried everything, and still, I was experiencing not sleeping better, feeling anxious, or having panic attacks. I wondered If I would able to overcome these issues and right at that moment I doubted I would ever get better.
It turns out that there are ways to overcome panic attacks, anxiety, lack of sleep, or feeling anxious to keep them from ruling your life, and yes, it will work for you too. Research demonstrated that our emotions, physical symptoms, behaviors, and perspectives are warning signals of an underlying issue, story, or cause-the root of thought. Remember, your feelings and emotions come from just repeated thought links.
I always think of this quote from Orison Marden, which said, "There is no medicine like hope, incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow." Changing from negative to positive thinking will transform a person's life and that's not always easy especially if you have difficulties with changes. The first number one challenge when making positive personal changes is dealing with emotions or feelings. People want to change, but they often do not know how to get past their feelings.
Practice accepting the feeling by saying, "it is ok for me to feel anxious or have panic attacks; it is not a big deal." When you start to think of a situation you feel anxious about or that triggers panic attacks and then put yourself in that uncomfortable situation it is a great way to manage your anxiety, stress, or panic attacks. Remember putting yourself in an awkward position can be challenging and scary. Please stay in that situation for a few minutes and remind yourselves that it is ok to feel anxious. Tell yourself repeatedly until you feel the anxiety starts to diminish. When you feel better, embrace it and pat yourself on your back. Please take a moment to celebrate it and feel proud of your accomplishment.
I want you to continue learning to accept when you start feeling anxious, having panic attacks, or feeling stressed again and again. Each time you think that way, remind yourself that you did it before, and you can do it again. Just keep going, and you will find it that is getting easier all the time, and you will be on your way to becoming healthy again.
Remember this quote from Earl Riney, "Our emotions are the driving powers of our lives." I often think of these questions when reflecting. Have you observed how your mood affects the way you act? When you feel happy, are you more energized and more likely to be kind to others, and do you take on tasks more readily and complete them confidently and competently? How about when you are having a terrible day? Do you get less work done and need more patience with your family and colleagues?
John C Maxwell said, "an attitude is a little more than a mood or predominant emotion sustained over time." I often reflect on the following quote from John Maxwell. "Attitudes are the librarian of our past, the speaker of our present, and our prophet of our future."
Remember, your behavior follows your attitude, which is inseparable. Therefore, changing your perspective changes your behavior, and that changes everything.
I will be creating future blogs where I share how to detox your brain when you are under stress in today's demands as a teacher or instructor. So I am inviting you to visit to learn all about me by clicking the bottom below.
Your thoughts provide me some great ideas for changing my life!