Anxiety is a serious psychological condition that affects many teachers globally.
Research shows that teachers are suffering from mental conditions now, than any other time in history.
In Australia, for example, overworking has turned their teachers into some of the most anxious and depressed workforce (source).
Anxiety affects a teacher’s productivity, effectiveness, and ability to teach, as well as, their psychological, mental, and physical wellbeing.
Some of the causes of anxiety include low self-esteem, overworking, & burnout amongst other things.
Can you overcome Teacher Anxiety? Yes. There are many scientifically-proven remedies of dealing with, managing, and preventing teacher anxiety like healthy living, avoiding isolation, spending time with family, incorporating new teaching methods etc.
In this article, we share with you 27 effective ways of overcoming anxiety as a teacher.
Most of the tips we share require self-discipline and dedication in order to be effective.
With these strategies, you can easily manage anxiety and treat it altogether.
Let’s get started
1. Accept and Seek Help
The first step to deal with anxiety, mental stress, and depression is acknowledging that you are not okay and seeking help. Acceptance is usually the first step toward treating anxiety.
According to the National Alliance of Mental Illnesses, patients who accept their current state of mind deal with mental issues fast and more effectively.
If you feel stressed and anxious, it is important that you admit and seek help to treat your condition. From there, you can undertake all the other steps and start your healing process.
2. Embrace Healthy Living
A global study confirms that more people have eating disorders than ever before.
Unhealthy eating and lack of exercise are linked to obesity and the subsequent development of anxiety. An Iranian study found that adhering to alternative healthy eating helps manage anxiety and depression.
You need to maintain self-confidence to be effective in the classroom. If you want to get in good shape, you have to embrace healthy eating and exercise.
So, maintaining a healthy diet and exercising frequently can help prevent teacher anxiety and boost your confidence.
3. Work Out
Teaching is a demanding job that requires you to be in good physical shape. Busy schedules during the school session can lead to burnout and cause anxiety.
Physical exercise can be effective in the prevention and management of a variety of anxiety disorders. A study found out that physical exercise is an effective adjunctive treatment for anxiety disorders. So, teacher who work out regularly are less likely to suffer from anxiety.
4. Socialize
Two major causes of anxiety and depression are isolation and loneliness are key (source). So, maintaining beneficial relationships with colleagues at school and your loved ones at home helps you open up about personal issues that cause anxiety.
A research study found that forming social relationships helps prevent anxiety.
Friends help you during emergencies or when you suffer anxiety and panic attacks. That way, you prevent the development of mental stress that can lead to anxiety and depression.
Moreover, you get a close partner to help you through the process of fighting anxiety and depression. For example, your buddy can help you exercise, maintain a healthy diet, set, and accomplish goals etc.
5. Get Medical Checkups
Annual medical examinations are very important. However, many teachers work long hours and lack time for routine checkups.
Not knowing your health status increases stress levels, which can cause anxiety.
As a teacher, it’s important to undertake routine medical checkups. This helps you maintain a healthy lifestyle, stay motivated, and prevent teacher depression.
6. Adopt a Saving Culture
Research indicates that there’s a correlation between personal debt and poor mental health. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, states that the average salary of a teacher in the US is between $40000 and $60000/year.
Many teachers get into the profession with crippling student loans, credit card debt, and a high cost of living. This mushrooms into financial constraints that can spark mental illness and anxiety disorders.
One way of maintaining financial freedom is through saving (at least 20% of your income). Adopt a saving culture to help you handle financial hurdles and prevent mental illness like anxiety, stress, and depression.
7. Meditation and Yoga
Mindfulness activities like meditation and yoga have been linked to mental well-being (source). An Ontario school study found that teachers who meditate are less stressed, fatigued, and possess low anxiety levels.
It is recommended that you meditate at least 20 minutes daily for the best results (source). However, depending on your personal mental health needs, you can meditate as frequently as you possibly can.
The best part? Mindfulness activities benefit both the teacher and the students. A Canadian teacher says that meditation helps him improve patience, understand students’ needs better, and enhances performance (for both parties) (source).
8. Set SMART Goals
Teachers work over 60 hours/week during a school term, which prompts many to quit because of burnout (source).
Teaching is overwhelming and demanding so it’s important to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals to reduce overworking and burnout – key causes of mental stress and anxiety.
Having SMART goals helps you create a workable plan and contributes to the achievement of student learning outcomes (source). That way, you accomplish many tasks easily and effectively without overworking yourself.
9. Accomplish Them
Teacher self-efficacy is essential for you to be an effective teacher. When you set unattainable goals you kill your motivation, overwork, and may suffer teacher anxiety (source).
It is important that you set attainable goals that you can accomplish easily and effectively without overworking yourself. A study found out that positive psychological constructs like the motivation that comes from accomplishing a set task prevents anxiety and emotional stress.
Once you accomplish a set objective, you get motivated to take up other tasks. You stay motivated, become more productive and effective, which helps prevent mental stress and anxiety.
10. Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself after achieving an objective boosts motivation and performance (source). As a teacher, it helps improve your attitude at work, enhances your desire to participate in the academic environment, and boosts your interest in student progress (source).
The reward can be anything from shopping for new clothes, travelling, going out for a personal date etc. Anything that helps you stay motivated can be used as a reward. Research indicates that positive psychological constructs like motivation help prevent stress and anxiety.
However, over-rewarding yourself can cause laxity and affect the attainment of other set goals (source). So, always reward yourself accordingly and avoid overdoing it.
11. Take Part in Volunteering Programs
Volunteerism yields many mental health benefits. Research shows that volunteerism improves access to psychological and social resources that mitigate negative moods like stress, anxiety, and depression. It also boosts self-appreciation, motivation, and increases productivity and performance.
Volunteering imparts a feeling of fulfilment, boosts motivation, and increases productivity (source) – effective strategies of mitigating mental stress and anxiety. It doesn’t matter where or how you choose to volunteer. You can volunteer in school activities, church programs, community service etc.
12. Learn to Take a Break
Overworking is one of the causative factors of teacher burnout, which can lead to anxiety, emotional stress, and depression. Many teachers work for over 60 hours/week during school session with minimal break periods.
An international survey confirms that most teachers are overworked – especially in developed countries like the US. Overworking has made teachers in Australia to be considered the most anxious and depressed globally (source).
Learn to take breaks in between sessions, lessons, and throughout the school session to prevent anxiety and emotional stress. Research shows that taking breaks positively affects an employee’s mental health and helps prevent stress, anxiety, and depression.
13. Use Reflective Teaching
Reflective teaching is a wholesome teaching approach where the teacher conclusively reflects on a lesson /session’s impact on the teacher and his/her students (source).
According to research, reflective practice boosts moods, improves classroom engagement and participation, improves the teacher-student relationship, and makes learning interesting. It also balances teacher workload, prevents burnout, emotional stress, and anxiety.
Although there’s no direct correlation between reflective teaching and the prevention of depression, reflective practices prevent burnout - a major cause of teacher anxiety and depression.
14. Leverage Technology in the Classroom
Technology makes learning easy, reduces teacher workload, and enhances the overall classroom experience. Using new digital gadgets and apps in the classroom can help you prevent anxiety by making your work easier.
You should incorporate technology that improves your efficiency and productivity in the class. Some of the strategies include workload automation, tech integration, and adoption of practical tech-based lesson plans (source). That way, you become less anxious and more productive and efficient in class.
15. Get Enough Sleep
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most US working adults sleep for lesser than recommended (7 hours). The lack of adequate sleep affects mental health and can lead to conditions like anxiety and depression.
A strong bi-directional relationship exists between sleep disturbance/deprivation and mental health (source).
Research also shows that sleep-related conditions like insomnia are bi-directionally related to anxiety and depression.
So, despite your busy schedule, it is important for you to spare enough time to rest and sleep. Having enough sleep rejuvenates the body and mind, boost productivity, performance, and prevents mental stress, anxiety, and depression.
16. Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
Coffee is the most popular drug in the world consumed by billions every day. Despite its benefits, overconsumption of caffeine affects your sleeping patterns lead to sleep deprivation and causes the development of other sleeping disorders (source).
Teachers who regularly consume caffeine-induced products are more likely to suffer from insomnia and burnout, which causes anxiety and depression. A controlled intake of caffeine helps you improve alertness, boosts your working stamina, and keeps you stimulated.
The problem with caffeine arises from the withdrawal symptoms experienced once your supply runs out. You may suffer from irritability, irregular sleeping patterns, low performance, and eventually depression. Reducing your caffeine intake gradually helps you reduce dependency and prevents the development of sleep-related conditions.
17. Regulate Social Media Use
Social media is a powerful communication tool with numerous benefits. However, when abused, it can be detrimental in many ways. If you suffer from low self-esteem issues, avoid spending too much time on social media as a proactive measure to prevent anxiety, stress, and depression (source).
Research on the effects of social media on stress anxiety levels of its users paints a grim picture of just how harmful social media can become. A US study linked the use of multiple social media platforms to the development of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Teachers who frequently use social media may end up feeling unappreciated, stressed, become unproductive and in extreme cases fall into anxiety, emotional stress, and depression.
18. Take Part in School Activities
Some teachers suffer from anxiety because they don’t take time to understand their working environment and the people they work with. Taking part in school activities creates cohesiveness with work colleagues, creates healthy social interactions, and limits the development of mental conditions like anxiety and depression (source).
As a teacher, you have a difficult job. You must meet strict deadlines, mark assignments, maintain civility within the institution, and ensure your students receive a quality education. School activities like sports, clubs, trips etc. are designed to help teachers and students to reduce stress and anxiety levels by giving you a time to unwind.
Teachers who take part in school activities are usually less anxious, happier, perform better, and find it easier to interact with colleagues and students (source).
19. Spend More Time with Family and Loved Ones
As a teacher, it’s essential to create time for social interactions with family members, friends, and colleagues. Value the importance of interpersonal interactions with loved ones as a measure of reducing anxiety, stress, and depression.
Studies show that family accommodation helps in the management of anxiety disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). You are less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression if you frequently reach out to family, friends, and other close persons.
Spending quality time with loved ones creates a sense of belonging and self-worth. Your loved ones provide you with emotional support to help prevent or curb the development of psychological conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression.
20. Listen to Music
Music rejuvenates the mind and alleviates stress and anxiety. It creates an emotional balance, relaxes the mind, and improves your mood.
You can listen to music after work hours to unwind after a busy day. A relaxing playlist of your favorite music is good for your mental, emotional, and psychological health.
Research shows that listening to music while under stress, anxiety, frustration and has some therapeutic effects on a person. People who constantly listen to relaxing music have lower rates of mood changes, irrational behavior and have better coping mechanisms (source).
Music therapy offers short-term relief for affected persons by creating a relaxed environment without the triggers for stress and anxiety.
21. Join a Teacher Support Group/Forum
Peer-to-peer interaction groups/forums can help teachers cope with the effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. In these forums, teachers share their issues and collectively offer solutions, which prevent the development of teacher anxiety.
Teachers’ forums can be online or physical. Research shows that online support groups with online cognitive behavior therapy programs help decrease the symptoms of anxiety, depression and improve dysfunctional thoughts.
By joining such groups, you can form social relationships with colleagues, discuss challenges, and enhance cohesiveness at work. Such groups help to promote the mental health of teachers, reduce stigma and improve the overall performance (source.) Forums are awesome support groups for teachers who may be going through a hard time psychologically and mentally.
22. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Although getting out of the comfort zone proves difficult, it is an effective remedy for psychological conditions like emotional stress, anxiety, and depression.
A study by Duke University found that the stimulation of brain regions used for abstract reasoning and cognitive flexibility prevent anxiety and depression. One way of doing so is by facing your fears or taking part in activities that trigger your adrenaline rush.
For instance, you can try new teaching activities, switch schools, teach new subjects etc. With such a mentality, a teacher reduces their anxiety levels, increase productiveness, foster innovation, and improves performance.
23. Travel More
Travelling has many health benefits. A change of environment is necessary and promotes your overall mental wellbeing.
Staying in one environment for long can affect your motivation, mood, and your psychological health – a recipe for the development of mental conditions like stress, anxiety, and depression.
Sentiments teachers show that many of them don’t get enough time to travel and take a break from their jobs. Statistics indicate that many people agree that teachers are able to take vacations all summer.
According to research, active travel and change of environment are beneficial to the psychological state of an individual. So, although you might not get enough time for the same, it is important to take time off your schedule to explore other environments. You alleviate stress, stay motivated, and prevent the development of anxiety and depression.
24. Go Beyond Your Limits
Creating and overcoming challenges keeps you motivated, improves your self-esteem, and builds your confidence – effective strategies of dealing with anxiety and depression. Instilling a strong ‘I can do it’ mentality and going beyond your limits to overcome challenges helps you alleviate anxiety, stress, and depression.
Research shows that trying out new things, testing your limits, and facing challenges builds resilience, which improves your psychological wellbeing and prevents the development of anxiety and stress.
You can go beyond your limits by formulating and solving mentally challenging activities you consider difficult or impossible. This helps you alleviate stress, anxiety, and devise better coping mechanisms when you encounter challenges.
25. Take Control of your Lifestyle
Many people suffer from mental conditions like anxiety, stress, and depression because they live beyond their means.
According to CNN, you know you are living beyond your means if you have a poor credit score, don’t save, and expenses like rent account for more than 30% of your income.
According to the study, people with lower financial power are more likely to suffer from mental stress, anxiety, depression, and related ailments (source)
As a teacher, you can prevent this by living within your means, working on a budget, and taking charge of your finances. Surplus income can be saved or invested in lucrative financial investments. That way, you avoid anxiety, stress, and depression.
26. Diversify Your Income Streams
Reliance on one source of income can cause anxiety, stress, and other related conditions. As a teacher, you have plenty of alternative incomes sources aside from teaching that can help you diversify your income sources and maintain your lifestyle.
For instance, you can undertake passive income ideas like blogging, podcasting, creating niche sites, affiliate marketing etc. These forms of alternative income are very passive and don’t interfere you’re your teaching schedule.
A teacher who wants to prevent anxiety, stress, and depression should ensure that they have financial security that allows you to sustain your livelihoods.
27. Take it Easy!
Have you noticed teacher anxiety symptoms? Take it easy! Most of the time, anxiety is prolonged and magnified by overthinking. You should realize that you can’t get everything you want when you want it.
Constantly stressing on issues causes damage to your mental health and may affect your performance. It is important for teachers to have a more optimistic attitude towards life.
You can take some days off, go for vacations, and explore new opportunities among other options.
Related Questions
How can I overcome teacher anxiety? The most important bit in overcoming teacher anxiety is admitting and acknowledging that you have the condition. From there, you can incorporate all the other tips we’ve shared to start the healing process. As a mental condition, you can overcome depression by changing your mindset, seeking out support, attending therapy sessions etc.
Is medication a good alternative to the above tips? Depending on the severity of your anxiety, medication can be used hand-in-hand with all the other shared tips. Personally, I don’t recommend medication as a cure to depression especially if your symptoms are mild.
How long does it take to handle teacher anxiety? There is no definite lifespan as to how long the condition can take. It depends on your attitude and willingness to get better. A teacher with a positive attitude towards the treatment is more likely to recover faster.
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