Self-Awareness to Regulate Stressors

We are now well into the school year, and everyone has a different scenario–in-person, hybrid, virtual and some teaching one way while their own children are learning a different way. The new “now” is, no doubt, filled with some level of stress for many if not all of us. While there are many aspects we can’t control about our unique situations, there are fast and easy ways we can at least manage our situations and ward off some of the stress we may be experiencing.

What are some signs we can look for that may indicate the various manifestations of stress?

• Emotional distress might show up looking like anger or anxiety.
• Personal stress often results in isolating behavior and striving for unobtainable perfectionism.
• Physical complaints like headaches and stomachaches are often the result of the physical toll of stress on your body.
• At work, signs of stress might be not wanting to return email or avoidance of tasks.

Most, if not all, parents and teachers I have talked to in the past few weeks returning back to school have reported feeling overwhelmed and exhausted – both indicators of stress overload. While some stress is tolerable, chronic or exaggerated stress is not. It makes it really hard to think clearly, respond patiently, and feel good in general. Identifying indicators of distress is the first step to alleviating stress.

We have created a worksheet for you to use. The downloadable worksheet to identify any distress signals your body is giving you in each of the four areas. These four areas include emotional, personal, physical, and work.

This is a must – you have to identify distress be able to help reduce it. Stress shows up in symptoms, reactions and behaviors.