Pressure management (stress management) for teachers

When people talk about "stress management", they really mean "pressure management". Strictly speaking, pressure refers to "eustress" and stress refers to "distress". However, "stress" is commonly used in everyday language to refer to both eustress and distress.

Dr D B Posen is a Canadian stress management specialist. The following information of particular relevance to UK teaching is based on his article "Stress management for patient and physician" in the Canadian Journal of Continuing Medical Education, April 1995. (www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p51-str.html)

Two major components in a strategy for coping with work pressure are pacing and taking breaks (time-outs). If an individual teacher is unable to implement these two strategies, then it is up to the school management to modify the way the school is organised. The potential reduction in staff performance, staff absence and loss of staff far outweighs any difficulties in not taking action.

Pressure management strategies

• pacing
• taking breaks
• other strategies