There are many different ways that eucation staff can manage their stress levels. Self-care, exercise, and quiet time alone are all common methods. Another way that can help to improve teacher wellbeing is meditation. Meditation is used worldwide in many cultures to reduce anxiety and stress while providing emotional stability. It can help you deal with the stressful moments that come out of nowhere and help you stay engaged and energetic for your pupils.
Meditation is a practice used to relax the body and mind. It can involve focusing on and being aware of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the present moment. It may also centre on losing focus on busy thoughts, or simply concentrating on the breath.
When you start a meditation session, taking a few deep breaths is usually best to relax your body and mind. This allows you to recognize your thoughts and feelings without judgement or criticism.
The goal is to be mindful of your current experience and accept your thoughts and feelings without letting them control you.
There are many different ways to implement meditation to improve education staff wellbeing. You can add it to your daily routine and meditate in the morning or the evening. Alternatively, you can meditate after a challenging class, meeting, or lunchtime.
Stress is nothing new to teachers. However, you might be surprised to know that teachers experience twice the average level of workplace stress compared to other professions. Unfortunately, these high-stress levels result in many teachers leaving the profession.
Meditation for teachers can be a great way to improve wellbeing and decrease stress levels.
You can break down the benefits of meditation into two types, immediate and long-term. Some of the primary benefits of meditation are:
These immediate benefits can help you navigate particularly stressful experiences or intense times during term, for example, when you have to mark mock GCSE exams. You can experience these benefits by meditating after a stressful class or as soon as you get home.
The long-term effects of meditation are just as impressive. After a few weeks or months of consistent meditation practice, you may start to feel:
These effects build on each other to create a profound sense of wellbeing. The long-term benefits can prevent you from feeling stressed in the moment and help you keep calm even in the most challenging classes. It's important to note that meditation works for many people, but it is not a one-size fits all solution.
Many different types of meditation can improve teacher wellbeing. You can experiment with different meditation methods and identify the best type that suits your needs and routine.
Mindfulness meditation is one of the most common and popular types of meditation. This form of meditation encourages you to be completely aware and present in the moment. While practising mindfulness meditation, you become aware of what you feel, think, and do without getting attached to your thoughts or emotions.
Mindfulness meditation is perfect for the end of the day. After the final student walks out the door, you can reflect on the day and identify your feelings. This practice can help you process your emotions and prevent them from overwhelming you in the long run.
This type of meditation involves focusing on the breath and using it to relax. It teaches you how to control your breathing, which can help you stay in control during stressful times.
Breath awareness meditation is a preventative type of meditation. Controlled breathing is one of the most effective methods of reducing stress.
Visualization meditation uses your imagination to create a calming and peaceful environment in your mind. You can use it to escape from stressful situations or use it as a way to practice positive thinking.
Unlike mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation requires a more active approach. You repeat a word or phrase you want to embody during mantra meditation while focusing on your breathing. This type of meditation helps you calm down, eliminate unwanted thoughts, and embrace new behaviours or characteristics.
This form of meditation can be beneficial if you have a particularly stressful class or have an upcoming parent meeting you are stressed about. Before the class or meeting, you can take a few minutes to repeat your mantra and clear your mind. You can enter with a positive mindset and a good attitude.
Walking meditation is an excellent method if you have difficulty clearing your thoughts and focusing on your breathing. You can complete a walking meditation by putting in your headphones, listening to calming music, and concentrating on walking and breathing.
You can practice these types of meditation for five minutes at a time and gradually increase the duration as you get more comfortable with it.
The best part of meditation is that you can start practising it today. You don't need to take complicated classes or read heavy books to start.
It's important to remember that meditation is a practice, and like most things, practice makes perfect. It takes time and consistency to experience the full effects.
If you are interested in exploring ways to improve your mental health, why not sign up for the Welbee Wellbeing Toolkit to access helpful free resources to help you improve your wellbeing?
