7 tips for less stress and healthy teaching success

Would you or your teaching team like to keep doing the wonderful work you do but without compromising your personal health, wellbeing or life balance? Here’s a few tips from our ‘Healthy Staff Happy Schools’ staff development program to help. Mark Bunn

1. Appreciate that YOU choose your attitude
   The ancients taught that stress is not something outside of us, it is our reaction to external events. While there are innumerable things we can get stressed about each day – students, parents, colleagues – the latest research in ‘mindbody medicine’ and ‘positive psychology’ shows that by changing our mental attitude we can significantly reduce the stress of everyday events. From today, take responsibility for how you respond to events in your work-life, and for your results.
2. Ride your body’s peak performance cycles
   The Eastern traditions understand that specific daily cycles regulate the optimal performance of our minds and bodies. Where possible try to;
   1. Make time for lunch – skipping lunch leads to poor concentration, mood swings, binge eating in the afternoon and suboptimal energy levels.
   2. Have 1-2 pieces of fruit at afternoon tea
   3. Eat ‘light at night’ – eating earlier or lighter at night is one of the most profound ways to transform every area of your mental and physical health (including losing weight!)
   4. Start the day with some physical activity – Exercising first thing in the morning is ideal as that way you will tend to start before your brain realises what you are doing – Lol!
3. Learn to breathe properly and meditate
   Right now, take a deep, slow breath through your nose, hold for five seconds, and then exhale slowly through your nose. Ahhhhhhhh! Learning how to breathe properly can significantly reduce stress and create clearer thinking.

   Learn to meditate. Meditation is the quickest and best way to ‘switch’ our overactive brains off, leading to greater mental clarity, better concentration, a happier disposition and an inner sense of calm and ease. Try the little meditation here –  http://www.healthspeaker.com.au/meditation_breathing.php

Hope that helps, and wishing you happy, healthy teaching.