The daily pressure of the job causes many teachers to experience anxiety.
The symptoms are elevated heart rate and tension throughout the body that lasts the entire day.
The result is exhaustion.
This constant state of stress can also have a profound effect on your students and their level of excitability and misbehavior.
So what to do about it?
Well, we’ve talked a lot on this website about the decide-first method, the power of conscious breathing, exercise, good sleep, and the importance of hobbies. All are effective in keeping stress at bay.
But what happens if the pressure you feel is so great that it blasts right through these lifestyle strategies? What happens if the deepest breaths you can manage are still as shallow as a bird bath?
You need something in the moment. Something concrete. Something you can do that results in easier breathing and a more relaxed mind.
There is such a thing.
It’s also really simple. Furthermore, it’s effective in getting students to listen better, behave better, and feel calmer themselves. So what is it?
It’s to pause.
You see, teachers who are stressed and feeling pressure to perform tend to talk fast and with a high, nervous pitch. They run their sentences together. They get ahead of themselves and often way ahead of their students.
They fill their room with the same tension they feel on the inside, which causes students to become restless, excitable, and agitated. Unhappiness and misbehavior rise while the ability to focus drops.
And the vicious loop repeats.
This unhealthy state of being, for both you and your students, can be mitigated with frequent, strategic, and even lengthy pausing.
If you’re feeling uncontrollable tension and the body buzz that accompanies surging blood pressure, then simply start pausing. A lot.
Pause before taking a breath. Pause before moving. Pause before changing topics. Pause in the middle of a sentence. Pause after one word and then the next. Pause until it becomes awkward and uncomfortable.
Pause and pause and pause. Then pause some more.
Keep pausing until the allegro slows to an adagio, the tension lifts, and you feel as if you’re no longer running ahead of yourself.
In other words, get yourself back into the proper rhythm. The slow smooth power of a muddy river. The comfortable groove of Motown. The sweet spot that feels dead solid perfect.
Do this through conscious pausing and you’ll start feeling a lot better. You’ll breathe easier, deeper, and slower. You’ll move with quiet efficiency. You’ll talk less. You’ll smile more.
And your students will respond in wonderful ways.
Eventually, you’ll begin wondering why you were feeling so much pressure to begin with, especially knowing what you know now:
That you’re so much more effective, and so much happier, when you’re free from the performance and perfectionism ties that bind you.
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This is perfectly written and such a simple thing to do. I felt calm just reading the description. Pausing also gives our students time to think and process. Thank you for sharing this insight with us!
I have learn a lot, but let me add that pausing also helps your students to discuss few about what you are teaching.
Thank you for this important and timely advice.
This is spot on–especially now as we are experiencing the stress of trying to get students caught up, back into the routines of face to face instruction and perhaps implementing new curriculum. Thank you!
Thanks for the advice. Actually I ‘ve started using this since I am going through cancer treatment. My class does seem much more cooperative.
Very informative and easy. Love it
It’s a good idea—I do this and it helps, but then my students try finish my sentences and interrupt me. Like they’re used to teachers going super fast. Idea please?
Rebecca, did you teach them your rules? Is one of your rules not to speaking without raising their hand for permission to speak? I ask bc if they are finishing your sentences and interrupting you then they are speaking without permission, thus breaking a rule and deserve a consequence.
I have noticed the same thing myself. I think it’s mostly because I’m showing such a high level of stress and anxiety that the students are feeling it too, and it makes them want to blurt out, finish my sentence, or talk before I actually call on them. When this has happened, I’ve just focused on calmly asking them to raise their hand. Also, taking a big breath and letting it out. The students have been testing me a lot with side talking and blurting out, but if I do this calmly and intentionally, I can feel the tension in myself and the class start to drop. I think that’s what Michael is getting at in this article. Maybe their other teachers are indeed going very fast and are just as stressed out as me…Thank you very much, Michael, for your timely help on this important topic.
Oh, my. I needed to read this. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this insights, simple but I think very essential.
I used to be a very ‘hurried’ teacher. Especially when I felt stressed. Now I try to do the opposite; whenever I feel stressed I walk much more slowly and intentionally. I slow down.
It helps.
I was ready to scoff at this! Thank you for not just spouting a platitude and moving on. I appreciate that you extended the take a pause to the point of awkwardness because that is what it takes very often. I struggle a lot. I sense the tension building. Last week was one of those weeks for me. I knew it was me that was causing the changes in our classroom environment. I wanted to blame it on the full moon, the rainy days, say the honeymoon was over, etc. but ultimately, I knew I was feeling on edge and they were reacting to me. Pausing is hard. We feel we need to go go go. Thank you for the reminder to pause to the point of awkwardness. If I’m high strung, so are they. It’s worth taking the time.
Perfect timing for me and this article. Last week I ping-ponged between the old chicken and egg – was my class putting me on edge by blurting and side talking, or was I causing side talking and blurting by being on edge. Your article gave me pause to stop worrying about what caused what and just calm down. The title of your article names what was putting me on edge. My performance anxiety about not being able to teach with all the chatter in the room caused me to go faster, come down harder, and fume inside. I’m looking forward to pausing to the point of awkwardness tomorrow!
Michael ~ Thank you for seeming to know exactly what teachers need to hear at just the right time! I’ve had the most stress during these past 6 weeks and found myself not enjoying the process of planning/creating/teaching like I usually do. I’ve been using breathing exercises to lower stress during the day as I found myself just feeling rushed to push students because of the pandemic learning loss.
Slowing down and realizing these beginning months back in class are laying a post-pandemic foundation for our students and giving both ourselves and our students the grace and time to adjust is so needed for all of us!
Do you have an article about how to handle performance pressure or anxiety in students?
Your articles here have always been a source of relief and of effective classroom strategies. Thank you!
WOW! I needed to hear this. Thank you.
I used this strategy several times this week – it works! It goes against the grain of the “teacher life” of racing through the day at top speed. I found I was able to get more done by just pausing, giving the kids a 3 minute break, slowing down my words, etc. Thanks again, Michael, this is another game-changer.