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Prevent, Eliminate, or Recover From Stress Ep. 7

April 12, 2023 by Inspired Together Teachers 2 Comments

Listen to this episode to learn more about how you can prevent stress, eliminate the negative repercussions of stress or recover from stress.

Show Notes

Episode summary: Have you felt stress in the last day? The last week? Or maybe even in the last hour? When you understand where your stress comes from, you can find ways to prevent it, eliminate it, or recover from it. In this episode, we’ll help you get a handle on your stress!

In this episode:

Ways to prevent stress:

Reduce the number of decisions you need to make each day. Set up systems and routines.
Become a master planner.
Get clarity and prioritize- how does each thing you need to do align with your values and your purpose? Refer back to episode 6.
Overwhelm is often a problem with clarity- you don’t know where to start, which task to choose etc.
To prevent fight, flight freeze, or fawn decide ahead of time which tasks are the most important to prioritize and then get those done first. Making a physical list, in order with the most important first, will give you a clear place to start when you are ready to work.
Time block by combining like items, scheduling work and scheduling free time and family time.

Ways to eliminate stress (or stop feeling stressed):

Stop looking for the negative, you find what you focus on.
Create moments of calm, use breathing and mindfullness activities.
Know what is yours to deal with- saving the entire world is stressful!
Don’t take on other people’s stress.
Don’t stress about things that haven’t happened yet.
Remember the good stuff, celebrate good moments and events.
Remind yourself what you can be proud of.

Ways to recover from stress:

We discuss the book Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski. They share how we can recover from stress by completing the stress cycle.
In stress, your entire body and mind change in response to preceived threats.
Stressors activate stress in our bodies. Stressors can be anything that are stressors to YOU.
Stess is the neurological and physiological shift that happens in your body.
It is an evolutionary adaptive response that is deisnged to help us cope and to help us survive.
A flood of hormones come rushing in- adrenalyn, cortisol, glycogen and epiniphrine which pushes blood to your muscles.
Endorphins help you focus on the danger but not the uncomfortablness, your heart beats faster, your blood pumps harder, you increase the rate of your breathing, and attention is at high alert. Your other organs and systems slowdown.

How your body recovers from stress:

You need to stop the hormone rush and signal that your body is now safe.
That means you need to DO SOMETHING to signal your body that the stressful event is over.
Things you can do to tell your body to recover from stress: exercise, laugh, or cry.
Involuntary shuddering or shaking or uncontrolable sobbing also signals that an event is over.
Take deep breaths.
Show affection, try a 20 second hug or a long kiss with someone you love and who makes you feel safe.
Engage with pets- petting your furry friends reduces blood pressure.
Take time for creative expression- art, music or any kind of creativity allows us to move through our feelings.

Recap:

Stress is inevitable. However, there are practical steps we can take to prevent stress from happening, strategies we can use to eliminate some of the stress that already exists, and ways that we can mindfully and physically recover after we have encountered stress. Stress does not have to rule our lives.

Quote:

If you don’t get through to the light at the end of the tunnel, you stay in chronic stress.

From Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Burnount: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

The Inspired Teacher’s Guide to Taking Back Your Life

The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self

Is Feeling Stressed Inevitable?

Connect to the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspired-together-learning/

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to live an inspired life.

Set Priorities to Take Back Your Life Ep. 6

April 5, 2023 by Inspired Together Teachers 1 Comment

Listen to this episode to find out how you can reduce overwhelm by learning to set priorities based on your values, purpose, vision and goals.

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Have you ever found yourself with so much to do that you are so overwhelmed you don’t even know where to begin? Do you often feel that you’re stretched too thin? In today’s episode we’re going to talk about how to set priorities. Asking yourself a few questions each day can lead to the clarity to help you set priorities and take control of your life.

In this episode:

1. When you set priorities, you need to align your actions with your values and purpose.

Start with why.
Live by design, not by default.

Ask your self questions:

What is most important to you?
What matters most right now?
Who needs me on my A game?
What is best for ME?
If everything is a priority, nothing is.

2. Action steps you can take when finding your why or to answer some of those questions:

Search for a quote that inspires you and reminds you of what is most important in your life. Keep it near you.
Plan your ideal day, your ideal week, your ideal life. What do you really want?
Learn to filter your decisions through the lens of who you want to be and what you value. Knowing your why provides a clear filter for decision making.
Protect the basics.
Eliminate the non -essentials.

‌3. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Quote

“Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.”

Greg McKeown, Essentialism

Nature abhors a vacuum.

If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.
The good get asked to do more.
Consider what you will need to trade to take on another project.
Don’t make committments you can’t or don’t want to keep.
Learn to say no with grace.
If it isn’t a heck yes, its a heck no.
Know when it is not your problem- helpers naturally want to solve problems, but sometimes, it is not your problem to solve. Don’t rob people of their problems.
Having boundaries will give you freedom.
Know your deal-breakers.

‌4. Essentialism tips

Less but more is better.
The Pareto principle (aka the 80/20 rule) says that 80% of effects come from 20% of effort.
Look ahead, plan ahead.
Add 50 % to your time estimates and create a margin for calmness.
Remove obstacles- ask yourself, what could prevent me from going forward smoothly?
You can multitask, but you can’t multi-focus.
You can’t do essential work without rest, sleep, and play.
It is not humanly possible to be everything to everyone. You are not going to be the first person to ever do that so don’t even try.
Beware of casual commitments.

‌Recap:

Many teachers live in a constant state of overwhelm, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you start with a vision and purpose, you can learn to recognize and choose the essential things, so that you can do the things that matter most.

Quote:

“Once you give yourself persmission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, you can make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.”

Greg McKeown, Essentialism

‌

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Essentialism, by Greg Mckeown

The Inspired Teacher’s Guide to Taking Back Your Life

Connect with the Inspired together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource, The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inspired-together-learning/

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to live an inspired life.

Start Your Day with Intention

September 15, 2022 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

Do you ever feel like you have more things to do than time to do them?

For teachers, every day is busy. The busier you are, the more you need to focus your time and energy on the things that are most important. A teacher’s to-do list is never done. When you have more things to do that time to do them, you need to prioritize where you put your attention.

Prioritizing is hard, especially when all the things feel important.

But let’s be realistic- without prioritizing what you do, your day easily gets hijacked. Have you ever had a day when you feel like you got absolutely nothing done? You probably did a lot of things, but they weren’t the most important things, and you are left feeling frustrated.

If you don’t focus on what is most important, it is easy for others to make demands that seem like priorities in the moment but may not be your priorities in the bigger picture.

We have an easy strategy that helps us prioritize what we do each day. We learned this technique at a live workshop from personal development trainer Brendon Burchard, and we both quickly adopted it for our mornings.

This quick strategy helps us to start each day with intention. It allows us to focus on what is most important. We consider our values as we think about how we want to show up in the world, who needs our time, and what we want to get done.

Take a few minutes first thing in the morning and answer the following questions. Answering these questions will help you to be focused, resilient and positive. You’ll set your intentions for the day and get the day off to a good start.

If one word could describe the kind of person I want to be today, then that word is__________ and I chose it because….

Who needs me on my A game today?

I would know today was a success if at the end of the day I did or felt these things…

These questions don’t take more than a minute or two to answer. You can jot them down in a journal or your planner. If you answer the questions repeatedly, it will become a habit that will help you start your day with intention, which in turn, leads to living a life that is centered on your values and one that exemplifies how you want to show up and who you want to be.

We hope you will give this activity a try!

Our best,

P.S. If you want to extend this idea, we have created a journal just for teachers:

The Inspired Teacher’s Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

In this book you will find more questions to help you focus on what is most important. We’ve even included habit trackers and quotes and tips from other teachers.

You can get the book here.

https://amzn.to/3RMIq1i

Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences

October 14, 2021 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

It’s time for parent-teacher conferences. Are you ready?

Good conferences help both teachers and parents gain insight into a student’s academic and social progress, strengths and challenges. Think of it as an opportunity to grow in knowledge about the multifaceted dimensions of your students.

Here are some good reminders as you prepare for conferences:

1.Take conference preparation seriously. Plan what you want to say about each student. Highlight both strengths and opportunities for growth. Being prepared will go a long way towards assuring parents that you are professional and competent. Our free template below will help you to think about the kind of information you should be gathering.

2. Greet parents, and if you haven’t met previously, introduce yourself.

3. Start conferences with a positive comment about the student. It reassures parents that you know their child well.

4. Listen to parents’ comments and concerns. Conferences should be a two-way street, not a one-way presentation from the teacher.

5. Be ready to share data such as test scores, examples of daily work or portfolios. Explain how grades are derived and if applicable, remind parents how to use the grade portal.

6. When discussing a student’s behavior, try to be objective and specific. Consider the following:

What, specifically, does the behavior look like in your classroom?

How often does the behavior occur?

How does this behavior impact the learning of the student?

What interventions have you tried and how has the student reacted?

Are their additional resources could help the student to be more successful?

7. Never make conferences the first time you bring up serious concerns about a student. Imagine how you would feel if you thought things were going well with your son or daughter and show up at school only to find they are failing or presenting severe behavior challenges. If you have major concerns about a student, make parent contact before conferences.

8. Given parents specific examples of ways they can help their child at home. Encourage parents to ask their child about homework or projects.

9. Try to keep to the time schedule, however limited it may be. If you need more time, schedule another meeting.

10. Though it is not common, sometimes a conference becomes non-productive due to overly aggressive or abusive parents. If this happens, stop the conference. Explain that since the conference is not productive it will be rescheduled at a later date with an administrator, additional teacher or a guidance counselor present. Ask the parents to leave and promise to follow up to schedule another meeting.

Parent-teacher conferences are an opportunity to work together with parents to enhance student learning. You share the common goal of student success. Working together will allow you to be open to ways you can best bring about student growth.

We wish you well as you embark on your conferences,

Paula and Michele

5 Things Teachers Should Do Before the School Year Ends

May 22, 2018 by Inspired Together Teachers 2 Comments

The school year is rapidly coming to an end for most teachers. Some teachers will work in year-round schools, others will teach summer school or work at summer jobs. Many of you will attend continuing education in the next months. All of us want to find some time to relax and enjoy the summer with our family and friends.

Before you move on with your summer plans, we have a few things for you to think about that will help you finish this school year and get mentally prepared for the next year. Here are five things to do at the end of the school year:

Ask yourself, “What can I do NOW that will make my life easier in the fall?”

Although leaving things to be sorted out in the fall is tempting, you will relax knowing that things are organized and put in their proper places before you leave. Put things back in their boxes, crates and tubs and make sure containers are labeled. Toss anything broken or empty. That ¼ inch of glue in the bottom of that bottle? It is going to be dried up by next fall. Ditto capless glue sticks.

While you are at it, return anything you borrowed. This includes things from home. It is not uncommon to find out in the middle of the summer that you are moving to a new room- or a new school! Teacher’s things are often left to sit in the hallway while rooms are cleaned, which can result in things being misplaced. Take home your breakable lamp or the special desk organizer your grandfather made for you.

Keep your planning book and lesson plan notes.

It might be tempting to toss these, but they are the key to future successful lessons. If you haven’t already done it, take a look back through your lessons and mark them up. Which lessons worked well? Which lessons needed some tweaking? Which lessons took more or less time than you expected? Make a special note of any materials that need to be ordered for units next year and mark them on your calendar.

Gather a few special mementos for your “Positive Notes for Days I Really Need It” folder.

We’ve talked about the special folder we keep to encourage us on tough days. You can read more about it here. If you haven’t already made yourself a folder, this is a good time. As you are clearing out odds and ends, find a few special things to keep. This might be a positive note from a parent, an administrator or a student. Go ahead and print out a couple special pictures too, perhaps a class photo or photos of your favorite projects. These are the things that will remind you that you have a purpose and that your work has value. Trust us, there are days where you will have doubts.

Write Thank-You Notes

We often stop and thank someone verbally, but thank-you notes take gratitude to the next level. Write notes to the custodian for keeping your room clean all year, to the teachers who have mentored you, to the associate, parent or volunteer that helped keep you organized. Consider writing thank you notes to the students as well. A brief note congratulating them on what they learned and what you appreciated about their efforts this year will bring good will and may even become a life long treasure for some of the students.

Reflect on your year.

Reflection is a powerful tool for growth, especially if you do it in writing. Grab your planner and use a few pages to jot down some notes. What did you learn this year? What would you do differently? What are your goals for next year? Think about some books you might read over the summer to set you up for success in the fall.

Perhaps most importantly, consider your successes from the year. It is human nature to beat ourselves up for the things we do that don’t meet our expectations, but often we are too hard on ourselves. Make a list of all the good things you have accomplished this year. No item is too small to include. Remind yourself that you have accomplished wonderful things and made a difference in the lives of your students. Then go and celebrate, you’ve earned it.

Our best,

Will you be interviewing for a teaching job this summer? Get our free guide to help you ace your interview!

Listen to this episode to learn more about how you can prevent stress, eliminate the negative repercussions of stress or recover from stress.

Show Notes

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Listen to this episode to find out how you can reduce overwhelm by learning to set priorities based on your values, purpose, vision and goals.

Show notes:

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Here are some good reminders as you prepare for conferences:

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