Breaking Free from Stress

My daily planner is full of dates to remember, deadlines to beat, appointments, tasks and of course reminders for things to accomplish within the day, weeks and months. I never thought that my school year will start like this. SO HECTIC! Well I know that stress is part of our daily life; we can never hide from it, especially if you are a teacher. Perhaps, even the best teachers in town, if inundated by tons and loads of paper works, will also feel a nerve-racked. Graduate schooling also adds pressures, class reporting and research works overwhelm me every weekend.

Wait! I am not complaining about the complexities of my profession… it is just that, I feel the need to break free from stress), learn how to enjoy while working and live a more satisfying life.  There are so many techniques on how we can live a stress free life, self-help books, websites and stress management programs are prevalent nowadays (it just shows that many are in need of help on how to beat stress). In this post I want to share some of my personal strategies in beating stress, perhaps some of them may also work for you.

1. Set priorities
• Setting priorities in work is one of the sure-fire ways to avoid stress. Always remind yourself of the old adage that time is gold. Have a clear short-term and long-term plans. Be sure that you are spending your time with what you considers significant for your personal or professional growth. If a paper work will be due by tomorrow, will you still consider watching your favorite movie overnight?
2. Make the most of your breaks
• I consider my breaks or vacant time as equally important as my working time. It is a time for me to temporarily detach myself from my work routines and enjoy a casual conversation with my co-teachers. Also, I will never miss to take my "power lunch" and to indulge myself with some snacks. 
3. Enjoy a mental vacation 
• Because my schedule is always compromised, it is seldom that I travel for pleasure. But, through visualization, we can enjoy the power of mental vacation. There are so many ways to do this: 
• Read your favorite book in bed. I suggest that you should read books aside from the subject matter you teach. Try reading novels, it will divert your attention and help you refocus your thoughts.
• Listen to relaxing music. Put on your earphones and indulge yourself with relaxing music, while visualizing a green field or a beautiful beach scene during a calm morning.
• Take a walk. We are all aware that walking is a form of cardiovascular exercise. Find a quite place in your school or a peaceful park in your community and savor this relaxing moment.
4. Enough sleep, balance diet and exercise
• One of the most crucial factors for a staying power of an in-service teacher is her health. Have a healthy lifestyle. Eat to beat stress. It also pays off to take multivitamins. 
• Exercise is really a challenge for most teachers. Honestly, at first, I really find it hard to include this in my daily routine. But discipline is the key to achieve a healthy physique. 
• For adults like us, 7-9 hours of sleep is considered healthy. 
5. Create a happy environment
• This is my favorite best practice in beating stress. My school head always tells us that we should create our own good weather to feel good. This becomes my credo. I usually surround myself with things that will remind me that I am happy with my job and confident with my self. Place a picture frame of your loved ones in your table. Post your favorite moving quotations in your message board. Most importantly, surround yourself with colleagues that are full of positive energies.