Such dedication need not be negative. A teacher should, above all, be a person who wants to make a big difference in students’ lives. The challenge is to make that difference without permitting stress to drive you out of teaching. The challenge is to practice good stress reduction techniques.

Understanding Stress Reduction

An understanding of stress reduction must begin with an understanding of stress. Stress is not that stack of un-graded papers. Stress is not the child who insists on asking endless questions, no matter how well you explain. Stress is not a matter of two teenagers leaping into the aisle to fight, while the rest of the class chants, “Fight, fight, fight.” Stress is not the parent who calls repeatedly to complain that you are not doing what is best for her child. Stress is not even the principal inviting you to the office for a job review conference.

All of the above are stressors, not stress.

Stressor Defined

A stressor is a stimulus that causes stress. The illustrations above are of stressors. When Job broke that expensive science equipment, his action was a stressor. When Betty brought her father’s spearfish for show-n-tell – and stabbed it into your right arm – that was a stressor. They were stimuli that caused stress. They themselves were not stress, but they stimulated stress.

Stress Defined

Stress is your RESPONSE to the above examples. “Good stress” or “bad stress” is produced dependent on your response. Which calls for job stress reduction?

On the one hand, you respond negatively in fight-or-flight mode. Adrenalin floods your body and muscles tense. Blood is shunted from extremities to core organs. All systems are “go” for fleeing or fighting the enemy.

On the other hand, you respond positively by becoming excited and challenged. Endorphins power happy determination to move ahead. You are flooded with a feeling of euphoria, ready to make the best of the stressor.

Stress, negative or positive, is your response to stressors.

We continue with a brief look at the two kinds of stress.

Eustress – Beneficial, Good Stress

Teachers, job stress reduction programs are unnecessary when the stress involved is eustress. Eustress is an appropriate, positive response to the stressors teachers meet. “Eu” means “good” in Greek. Picture joy and laughter. Eustress is pleasant, healing stress.

Eustress may appear to be an emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical overload, but it does not drain away power. It energizes you; helps you handle the overload. Teachers’ job stress reduction programs should begin with a presentation of eustress and the benefits it offers.

Distress – Detrimental, Bad Stress

Most teachers’ job stress reduction programs focus only on distress. Distress is an inappropriate, negative response to the stressors of a teacher’s job. “Di” means “two” in Greek. Picture double trouble coming your way. Distress is often a disabling, crippling stress.

Distress, like eustress may appear to be an emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical overload. Unlike eustress, distress drains power for anything other than fight or flight. Distress tires you; freezes the brain, and makes it difficult to handle the overload. Teachers’ job stress reduction programs should include a presentation of distress and the detrimental effects it carries.

Employ Stress Augmentation!

Paradoxically, teachers, job stress reduction can be as simple as job stress augmentation. You need to augment, or increase, eustress on the job.

Remembering that stress is nothing more than your response to the demands placed upon you, recognize that you have control over job stress. You may choose to respond positively or negatively; with eustress or with distress.

Look at the following two examples.

1. You face a huge stack of un-graded papers at the end of the day.

A distress response is to sigh, and take “flight” down the hall for another mug of stale coffee and some small talk. Eventually, you plod back to the classroom, “flight” still written clearly on every part of your body. You sit down forlornly, and gaze dejectedly at the clock. Your shoulders slump as you reach for the first paper. You wish for job stress reduction, unconsciously defining it as a magic wand that will make the papers go away. That does not happen, of course, and you begin to reap the detrimental effects of distress.

A eustress response is to smile, allot 2 hours to finish the work, and divide the stack into 8 stacks. Now you have bite-sized work piles. You set a goal of completing each stack in no more than 15 minutes – less if responsibly possible. Promising yourself a cup of coffee after the first hour, you tackle the first stack, eager to meet or beat you goal. Augmenting eustress, you enjoy job stress reduction and all of its healthy benefits.

2. Betty insists on asking endless questions, no matter how well you explain.

A distress response is to “fight” with Betty, stress reduction hopes shattered. You feel neck and shoulders muscles tighten. A frown yanks your mouth downward as you approach Betty’s seat. Unconsciously, you clench your fist. You will not permit Betty to demand so much attention, and you make that very clear in sharp, “fighting” tones. Betty cowers into silence, and you begin to reap the detrimental effects of distress.

A eustress response is to smile quietly, and see Betty as one reason you decided on a teaching career. You want to teach Betty stress reduction along with proper listening techniques. You wait for a time when the rest of the class is occupied, and then go quietly to Betty’s desk. Smiling, you take Betty’s hand and lead her gently into a quiet, private part of the room. Relaxed and happy, you set a goal with Betty. You and she will work together to help her listen in such a way that she needs fewer questions. As she learns to control her response to the stressor of listening, she can win small rewards along the way. By the time Betty returns to her desk, you both are happy. Augmenting eustress, you enjoy job stress reduction again.

Tip: Teachers, job stress reduction is a choice. No elaborate stress reduction program is necessary if you have the backbone to commit to augmenting eustress and refusing to engage in distress

Discover an easy and effective way of managing your work. These simple techniques have been proven time and time again. In essence, the simple secret lies in taking charge of your time.

1. Write it down! I never cease to be amazed by how often stressed out people try to keep all the things they have to do in their heads. Stress is often more about knowing that we have a lot to do but not being able to remember exactly what.

2. Write it ALL down! In order for you to have a to-do list that you can rely on, you must trust that it contains ALL the things you have to do. Otherwise, you will still have a nagging feeling that you may not be focussing on the
right things.

3. Channel interruptions to your to-do list. Interruptions are a part of life so don’t let them stress you. 95% of all interruptions are either very quick so that you can deal with them straight away or something that you can defer to a time when YOU decide.

4. Don’t let your email inbox become your to-do list. Receiving emails can be great fun. Unfortunately, it is also very easy to confuse your inbox with your to-do list. Try to only scan your email inbox once every hour or two
(If you lack the discipline, you can set your email client to do this).

5. You don’t have to do everything! If I had to choose one single reason why people fail with their to-do lists it would have to be that they lack the ability to strike things off it. Things change and so should your to-do list. If you are uncomfortable with deleting tasks, create a “storage” list and move it to that.

6. The Nibble. Let’s face it, some tasks are big, vague and truly and utterly boring. We end up postponing these tasks forever and as a result they never leave our to-do list. Eventually, our list is filled with these types of tasks
and finally we decide not to look at the depressing thing. The trick is “The ibble”. Break the task down into smaller components. Make sure that the first step is takes less than 5 minutes to do. Then take that first step.

7. Not my time of day - Listen to your own rhythm. Let’s face it. Were human, not machines. At times we are productive and at times we are not. I see it as a surfer who times the waves and then rides them to their fullest. Try to find a task management system that let’s you monitor your own “waves”. You will probably find that you know less about yourself than you think you do.

8. Play! Why oh why do all planners and task managers have to look so professional and at the end of the day, so very very boring? Make your work into a game. Set small targets and reward yourself.

<b>Here goes the boss’s pet</b>, a phrase used commonly against people that try to be extra friendly to their seniors or bosses. This is mainly done with the motive to get noticed in the eyes of your seniors or bosses. People who are called so cause unavoidable stress to the rest of their colleagues. Their colleagues won’t just envy such people but would be worried that their contribution towards the company would be overlooked and decisions could be influenced by that particular person. On the other side of this story would be the fear incurred by such people, of loosing the attention that they got from the seniors. The co-operation level got by their colleague would constantly be reducing. Hatred and anger would be emotions constantly shown towards people with this behavior. This could be considered as one important factor that could cause that person to part ways from the company or cause their colleagues to do so.

Another point that was high up in the list of factors that cause stress in a corporate environment is <b>sabotage the company</b>. This can happen in many different ways, so let us see few incidents on this topic. This is what happened in one case scenario; A senior chef of a hotel got a better job opportunity at another place. He made up his mind and decided to leave. During his notice period at the company, he offered better job opportunities and remunerations to his junior chefs and asked them to quit too. They did the same and joined him at his new work place. All the chefs who left were happy. However this is not the end of the story, here we see that one person so easily sabotaged the entire hotel. This is one concern that keeps bothering many people. They keep living under the fear that if any member of their team quits then how do they manage the rest of the team, so that it doesn’t affect the business.

Another cause of the stress element in everyday professional life is <b>competition</b>. In fact competition is one issue that if done over a certain limit could be harmful in any phase of life. This is what I once witnessed; two good friends were employed at the same law firm. They were new and the urge to impress your seniors was obviously. This led to mere competition between the two of them. For every small case they got they was always a tough battle for the poll position. Every case was thoroughly studied, well researched and amazingly presented to their seniors. The seniors were happy with both their performances. However, something that was ignored and later faded was their friendly and their trust in each other. A healthy competition is always a step towards success but over a certain limit it could be very harmful. This competition would make all the competitors stressful. It could cause ill health, mental sickness, employee sabotage or even force an employee to quit their job.

Last but not the least is <b>back stabbing a colleague</b>. This happens in most cases and could cause a lot of stress to the person who is being back stabbed and the person who back stabbed him. The first person may be extremely stressed as he was back stabbed once and would fear to trust any other employee. He might also be forced to quit his job due to bad performance. The back stabber on the other hand will also be stressed because he would fear the fact that someone else could back stab him or else if his colleagues would realize his behavior then they would avoid him and ignore him completely. People generally back stab other friends or colleagues with the intensions of hatred, envy and jealousy.

These were some conclusive factors that the second survey resulted in. One more thing I often see is people often change their jobs because they were offered more pay or a lesser hard working job. Well your work should be spiritual. So work hard and true, there are no short cuts in life. You may try a short cut but soon you will realize that we don’t work for the money but we get money because we work.

When feeling anxious, stop what you are doing and try to do something that will relax you. A person should take a deep breath and try to find something to do for a few minutes to get their mind off of the problem. A person could get some fresh air, listen to some music, or do an activity that will give them a fresh perspective on things.

Remember that our fearful thoughts are exaggerated and can make the problem worse. A good way to manage your worry is to challenge your negative thinking with positive statements and realistic thinking. When encountering thoughts that make your fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts by asking yourself questions that will maintain objectivity and common sense.

When overwhelmed with worry, a person may encounter a lot of scary thoughts coming at them all at once. Instead of getting upset, remember that these thoughts are exaggerated and are not based on reality. From my interviews with various professionals, I’ve learned that usually it is the fear behind the thoughts that gets us worked up. Ignore the fear behind these thoughts, and your worry should decrease.

Remember that all the worrying in the world will not change anything. I realized that most of what we worry about never comes true. Instead of worrying about something that probably won’t happen, concentrate on what you are able to do. Everything else you can leave in the hands of God.

As a Layman, I realize it is not easy to deal with all of our fears. When your fears and anxieties have the best of you, try to calm down and then get the facts of the situation. The key is to take it slow. All you can do is to do your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride. Take things one step at a time, and things will work out.

” If you can’t be in the job you love…

Love the job you’re in (or the way you do it) ”

LOVE YOUR JOB !

Friends ! loving your job is an extremely useful tip for reducing tension from life :- Love your job.

I know that not everybody among us is fortunate enough to have a job of his/her liking. We all are living in a fiercely competitive era. In today’s time, just being eligible  for a job is not enough. We have to be most eligible than all other eligible persons to get a dream job. Now to be the most eligible of all is not that easy. It depends upon a number of visible and invisible factors such as our family background, our educational qualification, our physical appearance (in some jobs at least ), our performance in a particular exam etc. Since not everybody can be the most eligible one, most of us will have to contend with other jobs which may or may not be of our liking.

Let us consider your present job. It may be the case that you are doing a boring, routine and less rewarding job. May be you are not getting the chance  to  work at your full potential in this job. Certainly a man/woman of your caliber deserves something better. And if you are making all the necessary efforts to  get the perfect job  in your dream company, I give you my best wishes for your efforts. However, it is my humble advice that while you are searching for that perfect job, enjoy the way you are doing your present one, and keep celebrating and expanding all the other joys of life that surround you.

No matter how bad, boring, frustrating, and less rewarding your present job is, one thing is certain - you’ll go nowhere by fuming and fretting about it ! Consider this :  at any given moment your job is the main source of your income. Your bread and butter comes from the money you earn in this job. You pay your monthly bills, your taxes and your child’s school fee from the salary of this job. You take your wife out for a dinner and give her a beautiful present from the money you earn from this job. Your present job is the platform on which you’ll lay the foundation of your future dream job. So dear friend your job is no that bad. Just see the positive side of picture. Love your job , respect it.

I know it is not very easy to love our boring and dull jobs. However, if we want, we can easily make our job interesting . A little bit of effort & innovation can make any kind job interesting. Let me give you a very useful tip : If you want to make your job interesting, then ask yourself - “How can I do this job in a better way ? How can I improve my productivity ? ” Just think over these two questions and you will get the answer. The best way to make your job interesting is to constantly find the way of doing it in a better way. Here are few benefits which you’ll get by loving your job:

(1)   Your productivity and performance output will increase.

(2)   Your image in the eyes of your seniors will improve.

(3)   You will feel less tired and exhausted at the end of the day.

(4)   Your overall relationship with your colleagues will improve.

(5)   You will be able to finish your work quickly if you do it with passion.
As you love your job and do it wholeheartedly, you will not find the time for fuming and fretting over its negative aspects. You will remain busy in it and will not feel frustrated or tense owing to the dullness or monotony of your present job.

According to the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, work-related stress is a physically and emotionally harmful response that occurs when the requirements of a job don’t match the capabilities, resources or needs of a worker.

Enduring tension headaches, neck and back pain, and tiredness are a few of the telltale signs that you may have work-related stress. Unfortunately, stress can affect more than just your performance on the job. It also can affect your health.

Because extreme stress can take a toll on many parts of your body, this state of mental tension and pressure can leave you with various degrees of health effects - from uncomfortable conditions, like heartburn, to chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. In turn, many stressed-out workers have found that Mother Nature holds the key to stress-relief.

Studies show that some all-natural products can help you control stress during trying work situations while bringing significant changes to your long-term health. For instance, Vital StressX, developed by CyberWize.com, contains a blend of seven unique herbs, known as adaptogens, that help fight stress and restore balance in your body.

Discovered by the Soviet Academy of Sciences, the adaptogens found in Vital StressX increase the body’s ability to cope with internal and external stress factors by helping control the production of excess amounts of cortisol, hormones that are always present in the body but are disrupted during times of high stress.

Clinical studies also show that adaptogens can help boost energy and endurance, promote heart health, sharpen memory and alertness, build immunity and help fend off and repair damage to your body’s cells.

Malcolm S. Forbes once said, “If you have a job without any aggravations, you don’t have a job.”

So if workplace stress is a given, then how we handle this stress has a large impact on how well we perform and how much we enjoy our job.

The fact is that living and working with others is not always easy. You don’t have to like the people you work with, but you do need to be able to co-exist and co-operate with them. You can start by remembering that everyone has their place and the more harmony you can bring to the situation the more enjoyable it will be for everyone.

Why not try bringing a little harmony to the workplace by imagining your job as being a member of a choir. In a choir some people sing too loud, others too softly and some out of tune, but we’re all still part of the same choir. If you sing louder to compete with the loud singers or sing so softly that you are not heard or sing out of tune just to fit in, then you do nothing to help the choir-you don’t add anything to the harmony.

You can’t change how another sings, you can only do the best that you can and hope that others follow your lead.

The Roman philosopher Sallust said, “Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay.”

Wise words, indeed. Whatever you do, don’t add to the disharmony, this will only make matters worse and drag the choir further out of tune.

Your performance should be based on how well you perform, and not the performance of others. The more harmony there is in a choir the better it sounds. The more harmony we can create at work the less stressful our job becomes. Don’t let someone else singing off key ruin your song.

We all need to feel important and that we are contributing in a worthwhile way. You have one of two choices, either find something to engage yourself in at work, or to change your career path. For most people the second option is what is really needed, though they fear it the most. They have taken a job that offers ‘financial security’ instead of following their dreams; and so imagination, inspiration and motivation all atrophy.

However these dreams do not truly die and can be reawakened with the correct guidance. By clearing the fears and ‘what ifs’ around change, and in this case specifically the change of career, then his head will no longer try to suppress his heart. He is one step closer to resolving the inner conflict that causes the tension that is experienced, and reflected, in all areas of his life.

By using Energy Psychology Techniques such as EFT these fears can be released completely, often in one short session. There are often a collection of fears and each specific fear can be identified and treated. Examples include the fear of not having enough money should things go wrong; the fear of not being good enough in the new career; the fear of being successful and the responsibility that would bring. It is these fears that cloud or block our motivation or desire to change.

Many people go to motivational seminars or listen to motivational audio’s to find the inspiration to change their lives. The only problem is they are feeding from someone else’s motivational energy. Shortly after the seminar this energy fades and they are back where they started. The word motivation is derived from the word motive meaning ‘the reason why’. It is essential if we want to have lasting motivation we discover our own personal reason why, our own purpose.

When we have purpose we feel important and so our lives have meaning again. Friedrich Nietzsche once observed ‘He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how’. To achieve maximum motivation and to discover life purpose there is a very simple formula: Max Motivation = Passion + Purpose. Otherwise stated as find what you most enjoy in life, give it a purpose and you will find motivation to achieve it.

Life is on average only 4000 weeks long. With only 7 days in every week you do not have time to sit waiting for life to get better. You create your own life through the choices you make. These choices are restricted by the fears and limiting beliefs you have established over a life time, many having come directly from your parents or society. Every excuse you have for life not being different is just that, an excuse. It is a reflection of those fears and beliefs that have limited you so long.

Don’t waste another day, learn some techniques such as EFT that will clear those fears and limiting beliefs and set you free to live your life with passion and purpose. This new sense of joy for life will be reflected in your working life, your personal life and your overall experience of life. A final thought from Howard Wight, ‘If you are ultimately going to do something important that will make a real difference…. do it now’.

it is a fact that your dream job is waiting on you, so don’t continue in a miserable job, boring or basically unsatisfying, even questionable for basic survival. Your time is NOW to get out!

Satisfaction & fulfillment is your aim, not being in a “make do” position for an extended period!

When people think of dream jobs, all  often, they think of the jobs that they thought about when they were children.

As a child, you probably thought about being a doctor or a lawyer, a nurse, even an astronaut when you finished college. Truth is  few of us kept the objective in mind for those jobs & gave up; in other words, you felt you were settling.

The problem is, lots of of those people carried the disappointment they felt from learning that they couldn’t do the jobs that they wanted as babies into their adult lives.

few people follow through with their childhood dreams, but the fact is, those childhood dreams probably would not have made you happy anyway.
Your needs & beliefs about a nice job when you were a child will be far different from your needs as an adult, & you’ll find that if you consider your needs as an adult, you’ll have a much better chance of finding your real dream job.

Think about what makes you happy, & what you need in terms of job security, monetary pay & challenges.

The first step in searching for your dream job is actually realizing that the one you are in right now isn’t going to make you happy.
Have you been waiting on a promotion or raise that never comes, or do you feel that your efforts are wasted on a routine basis?

Perhaps you feel that they don’t appreciate you, or you silently think that you are so much better than this. All of these feelings are valid; the important thing to realize is that they are feelings that should be acted upon.

When you take a look at the feelings of discontent that you have amassed about your job, realize that you spend a quarter of your life at work. Your life is basically  short to feel like that for a fourth of it!
More people find their dream jobs than you might think; For a fact, it is imperative to make your time count as you search.

Help is obtainable for you to discover the career job of your dreams. Your mindset is key when you begin to look

Though there are some students who do not like to work during the school year or during their college semesters, many of them look for summer job opportunities. Teenagers may be looking for her way to save for college or perhaps for a new car, and college students may need help with their living expenses. Either way, there are many students who are looking for jobs during this time, and there are many great opportunities out there just for them. Sometimes, people want to take advantage of summer jobs as a second source of income when they are having problems making ends meet.

Many companies who pay minimum wage have summer job opportunities. This is because these jobs have such a high turnover rate that they always need extra help. The summer job opportunities won’t pay very much, but they are a great way to make and save money if that is what you need to do. Sometimes the summer job opportunities can turn into full-time or part-time work during the school year if a student has time for it. Most students like to concentrate on their studies, but the reality of the world is that many times students need extra help paying for the high cost of college and living expenses.

Others summer job opportunities might be things like babysitting or tutoring. If you have a good head for academics, there may be parents out there who want their children to get some extra help during the summer months. There also a lot of parents who work and would like someone to be with their children during the summer while they are off from school. What these summer job opportunities pay will depend on how much you work and who is hiring you. Everyone’s rates will be different.

There are some summer job opportunities that will pay more money, but you might want to be careful about accepting them. Some of them are sales opportunities, and others are scams. I remember seeing fliers all over my town advertising summer job opportunities for students. These fliers said that the jobs pay twenty five dollars an hour. As it turned out, the jobs were nothing that anyone would want to do. In fact, though the jobs were legal, they were verging on being a scam operation. You might want to go the more traditional route when looking for great summer job opportunities.