EEEK!? Now, I'm not completely devoid of humour, don't worry... I can see the funny side and get that some of these memes are amusing! I certainly know that teaching is incredibly stressful... But, there's a part of me that is a little alarmed at just how many memes there are out there about teachers drowning themselves with alcohol in order to cope with the stress; it must mean there is an element of truth to it, right?

Not to get all "teachery" on you, but I care about your well-being so I'm going to say this! The odd tipple here and there is totally fine for most people, so generally it's not likely to be a big problem, but obviously alcohol is not an effective long term solution to teacher stress.  
According to DrinkAware.co.uk: "while alcohol may help deal with stress in the short term, in the long run it can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety and make stress harder to deal with."

That's pretty serious. The last thing you need to be doing is making your stress worse in the long run, so all funny memes aside, if you're genuinely looking to live a healthy lifestyle and would like some better alternatives to wine to help you handle the stress of teaching, try out some of these ideas!

1) Yoga
If you've never tried it, it's very simple (and no, it does not involve tangling yourself up in pretzel positions while humming!). It's literally just stretching with some controlled breathing to relax the mind and body. Look up some YouTube videos on Yoga for beginners if you'd like some guidance to get started. Honestly, doing a few minutes of relaxing stretching and deep breathing at any point during the day will make you feel so much calmer and it's great for toning your muscles too, bonus! You can even do desk yoga while you're at lunch for a mid-day boost!
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2) Face mask
This is just nice for a pamper night if you can fit it in! Any face mask is nice, but I do have a holy grail that you can really feel working! It's made from completely natural clay and I kid you not, it actually feels like someone is massaging your face, it's insane! Bonus points for its beauty benefits in helping clear your skin, keep you looking fresh and improving circulation! Here are some Amazon affiliate links for Amazon [US] or Amazon [UK] for you to check it out and get your own - the mask is great value and last absolutely ages!


3) Calming music / sounds
Whatever floats your boat with this one. It can be music, or it can be rain, fire, thunder, wind, the ocean... whatever makes you actually feel calm will do the trick! I do this sometimes during my prep lesson or during lunch if I am having a particularly rough day... I tend to use head phones so as not to draw unnecessary attention to myself!


4) 7) Essential oils
I love essential oils and I use a diffuser so I can breathe them in! You can find oils for all kinds of things, for example there are oils for stress, anxiety, sickness, body aches, fatigue, focus etc. I've previously blogged about how I use them to prevent germs spreading in my classroom if you want to read it!
There are lots of oil diffusers you can choose from! Check out these affiliate links to see the Amazon range of oil diffusers in either the Amazon [US] or Amazon [UK] stores!


5) Going for a walk
Again, another one that can be done during the day or outside of school but will still be beneficial for stress. I know a lot of colleagues in my school do this as I've checked the signing out book and I see a lot do write that they've gone out for a walk for 15 minutes or so! It's great for getting blood pumping, clearing your mind and having a change of scenery. If you can't leave the site, just go for a stroll around the playground or the building, it's better than nothing!


6) Exercise
Linked to the previous point, getting the blood pumping will really help burn off that extra stress you're feeling. It's the old adage of "fight or flight". Either way, stress is causing your body to need to move. If you don't get active, the adrenaline will come out of your body in other ways such as headaches, sickness or anxiety, so try and get moving!


7) Reading a non-teacher related book!
Reading about things NOT related to your job is really important as it can help give you a form of escapism and help develop your imagination! That's why books are better than movies sometimes: the stories last longer and you have to create the visual in your mind. So, take your mind off your own problems and give it a rest with a good book.


The great thing about most of these, is that they can all be done in the same amount of time it takes to down a glass of wine, and some can even be done at school (which trumps the wine option, haha!). But more importantly, these ways will mean your mind, body and soul will love you for it much more.

Who isn't looking to develop resilience in students, right?! It's a growing concern that even colleges and universities are starting to flag up. Some possible reasons for the gradual demise of resilience in our young people could be down to "helicopter parents", increase in mental health issues or perhaps a screwed up school system which doesn't give our students the opportunities to solve their own problems. Even though we might not be able to control the system in place, we can control our own classrooms and we can make an impact on those students we teach.
​Keep reading for 3 simple solutions to help you develop resilience in your own students!

What is resilience first of all, and why do we want our students to have this value?
Resilience is the ability to manage difficulties and bounce back from the bumps of every day life. Not only is this a crucial quality when in school (oh the dramas!) but it's a life long skill that we all need to be developing.

What are some ways we can help our students develop resilience?

​1) Allow to them solve problems independently.
Now, I'm not saying to abandon our students and leave them to it! Of course we can help, coach, guide and encourage them along the way, however we have to try and let them find their own solutions to problems (and this is both in class and in their personal lives!). We also need to normalise struggle and failure. So often students think just because they struggle or fail at something it "just isn't for them", but that couldn't be further from the truth! If it's challenging them it's changing them and we need to celebrate that struggle and growth. We need to encourage them to be the ones to take action and solve the problems independently as that's where growth is and that's where confidence comes from. Speaking of.... see the next point!


2) Help them develop confidence.
Get them to identify their strengths. One way to do it is with these achievement pennants below. You can find them in this "self-esteem" pack which also contains lots of other useful resources to help build your students' confidence, plus if you're a fan of my quote colouring pennants, I have some of them specifically for self-esteem too!

So many times our students are quick to point out the negative within themselves. However, having them take the time to really think about their good qualities and skills and then put them on display somewhere (either in the classroom or somewhere personal) will really help build their confidence over time as they focus on the good!

Sometimes though, you may find you need to go back a step and be their personal cheerleader first before they can see the good within themselves. In cases like that, a great technique is to focus on their positive actions and mentality!

​One way to do this is to reward them when you notice them using a Growth Mindset - this will encourage them to be aware of their thinking and to choose their thoughts and responses to difficulties more carefully. These Growth Mindset reward table tents are an easy and effective way of helping your students recognise positive actions: 

3) Give them choice.
This ties in both allowing students to solve their own problems and building confidence. Our students are usually always having decisions made for them and constantly being told what to do - at home and at school! I personally like to help develop their independence and encourage them to take ownership over their choices. One simple way to do that is by giving them freedom with homework assignments and let them present work in any format they feel comfortable in (poem, art, essay, presentation etc). This helps build resiliency as they realise they can achieve when they are able to use their personal strengths to reach a goal.
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And of course, my signature quote colouring pages are also available with quotes to do with resilience that are great for quiet mindful reflection time and also work great as classroom decor once completed!

Thanks for reading! If you found this valuable leave a comment below or share it out!
Resilience is such an important value for our young people to have. We need to teach them how to develop resilience in order that are successful in school, but even more importantly, successful in life.

Feel free to download a free self esteem colouring pennant: