End of year teacher stress is truly something special to behold. There’s really nothing quite like it, and unless you’ve experienced it, it’s incomprehensible. If you know, you know.
Vulnerability corner… it was probably about five years ago now that the end-of-year stress finally put me into therapy and pushed me over the edge enough to begin taking medication to help deal with my mental health. Turns out this was the best decision that I ever could have made, but I took a traumatic journey to that discovery.
So, when I say that I feel that EOY stress and pressure, I mean that I feel it deeply.
There’s something special about the culmination of testing, grading, behavior issues, award ceremonies, varying schedules, wrap-up activities, and next-year preparation all brewing simultaneously that tops out my anxiety max capacity.
So how do we combat this unique torture? We prioritize and maximize our self-care, do our best to remain as organized as possible while maintaining ultimate flexibility, and look for joy anywhere and everywhere we can find it.
I brought a couple of my 4-year-old son’s artwork pieces from his daycare to hang on the wall behind my desk at work. Every time I see them, I think of his sweet face and smile. Something else that I like to do is doodle calligraphy whenever I have a free minute. Most recently, I have made some postcards to send out to some friends with encouraging sayings on the front. I figure, spread the joy! It gives me a little stress-relief and pays it forward a bit.
In all seriousness, when you feel yourself being crushed under the stress of this (or any) time of year, allow yourself permission to do what you need to do to alleviate that pressure. If you feel like you cannot handle it alone, then seek help! Either from a wise, supportive friend, or from a professional. There is nothing but strength in handling your business in the most healthy way possible.
Comment and share the ways that you deal with stress!
5 responses to “End of Year Teacher Stress: If You Know, You Know”
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with the same comment.
Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Thanks!
Thank you for engaging with my post! I’m so sorry for the onslaught of messages. Honestly, I’m not sure how to regulate that notification list. But I will certainly try and figure it out! It’s an automatic service through WordPress (the company that hosts my website), so I’ll have to dig to find the settings for it.
Hi, this weekend is good in favor of me, since this
moment i am reading this great educational post here at my residence.
Hey there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to look
it over. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers!
Superb blog and superb design and style.
Thank you! I’m so glad to receive such positive feedback!