RECOGNISING THE SIGNS OF STRESS

RECOGNISING THE SIGNS OF STRESSPuthut J. Buntolo

QuestionHow do you react if your attempts to reduce work pressure are ineffective?

Staff in a secondary schoolI find sustained thought or concentration difficult.I suppose I get worries and moan more to other people.I feel angry and frustrated.Psoriasis.Stomach knots up.Sometimes irritable bowel syndrome.Moodiness and irritability.

The deputy heads of primary schoolsI get short tempered, intolerant, tense and aggressive.I find it difficult to listen to others problems or appreciate their needs.I become less effective in my job.I am unable to break out of the downward spiral; even if I know what I should do I cannot bring myself to do it.I become withdrawn from what is going on around me.I avoid people.

The teachers in School A added some sign of stress:Long-term illness, Increased probability of error, Loss of memory Irritable bowel syndrome.

The teacher-researcher in School A also commented:Many of my colleagues seem to find it comforting that they were not the only ones suffering from a particular stress-related ailment. Many of the respondents were willing to relate that their reactions to stress were increasing. Many told me that they had actually felt under great stress over the last few years, especially since the advent of the National Curriculum and its associated demands. Many felt that their reactions to stress were becoming more extreme.

The teachers in School C added the sign of stress: Frustration, Headaches Hypersensitivity to criticism.The teacher-researcher in School B commented:I see in the staff room and in meetings irritability, poor humor, moodiness, reluctance to make decisions, hectic but seemingly purposeless activity, and inability to concentrate. These I believe are all signs of stress. Colleagues I know well admit to insomnia, taking time off, domestic conflict, heavy drinking and/or smoking and frequent use of tranquilizers. I would now suggest that many of these are symptomatic of occupational stress.

The teacher-researcher in School C commented on interaction between stress reactions and coping resources and strategies

My perception of the school is of one with a high level of mutual support between all grades of staff and this greatly reduces the potential stress from poorly motivated, less able and disruptive pupils. The school culture also gives a relatively high degree of control to staff, which gives them a feeling of control of the situation and hence reduces stress. Also the school does not tend to jump on bandwagons but weighs up the benefits to pupils before embarking upon change. It would seem from the results of the survey on the stress reaction of staff that middle managers are sufferingless stress than teaching or nonteaching staff. This could suggest that middle managers have developed successful coping strategies for themselves but they are not always helping their staff to do the same. Alternatively it could mean that middle managers are less stressed because they have a relatively high degree of control in a small institution and are not involved in the stronger hierarchical system of a bigger school.

From these report stress symptoms from primary and secondary teachers have indicated that there is a significant discrepancy between the pressures experienced by staff and their coping resources and strategies. It is necessary to reduce these pressures and strengthen resources.

IDENTIFYING AND SHARING THE COPING STRATEGIES AND RESOURCES TO REDUCE STRESS

The secondary teachers gave a number of detailed and wide-ranging reports of the actions they took at school and at home. They are:

I set aside family time with my boys from 58pm before starting working etc. I try to encourage my husband to join in functions to which I am required to go. He is in the school choir and comes to some social occasions. I work late most nights, until midnight or later. I make lists and cross things off to make myself feel good. I do crossword puzzles before I go to sleep to "switch off" and then sleep like a log!Often I take the initiative and try to change the system. Its a slow process, but it gives me a feeling of being in control! Sometimes I take a walk at lunchtime with a friend, and have a good moan!I play sport or swim or walk up hills and try to avoid my husband winding me up. We go abroad on holiday if we can manage it, as that is the only time I am not in contact with schoolI delegate where possible but all the members of my department are as busy as I am! I have been to the head and told him that I could not cope with the job, which was extremely effective. Communication and telling the truth are great reducers of tensionI take boxes of Ginseng.The Primary school deputy heads identified some strategies consist of 2 categories:In school strategies as:Completing a limited number of tasks.Doing anything that can be done straight away, straight away!.Talking to colleagues who share my views of what is important in the job.Talking about the pressures with head and senior management team.Getting on with the job in hand.Talking to headwe have a very good relationship.Outside school strategies as:Relaxing baths, running, aromatherapy oils, reading Agatha Christie, keeping fit, sport, doing something completely different and unrelated to work, physical activity, reading, making time for myself, having a calming down time when I first get home, always taking Sunday off and usually going for a walk or a pub lunch, switching off at home, cutting grass in the garden, making time for my family such as bathing my daughter, cutting off from school with my young family in the evening, talking to husband: all activities put problems into perspective, off-load the problems of the day on to the family.To reduce the harmful effects of stress, a wide range of skills, knowledge, techniques, relationships, thoughts and activities have been identified by primary and secondary teachers in the reports. The resources is classified as:Personal resourcesPrioritising.Often I take the initiative and try to change the system.Developing different styles of teaching to enable me to cope with a continuous stretch of it.Doing something completely different and unrelated to work.Interpersonal resourcesCutting off from school with my young family in the evening.Sometimes taking a walk at lunchtime with a friend and having a good moan!Organizational resources Talking to colleagues who share my views of what is important in the job. Talking about the pressures with the head and senior management team.Community resourcesAlways taking Sunday off and usually going for a walk or a pub lunch.Having more sporting activities.Walking up hills!Primary and secondary teachers found that personal or interpersonal resources and strategies appear more often than organizational. The teacherresearcher in school C wrote about the value of staff support:My perception of the school is of one with a high level of mutual supportbetween all grades of staff and this greatly reduces the potential stress frompoorly motivated, less able and disruptive pupils.DEVELOPING PERSONAL AND WHOLE SCHOOL STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES AND POLICIESPersonal/Interpersonal StrategiesRelaxation,ExerciseCognitive RestructuringVisualizationAssertiveness Training Time Management.Identification: 1.Review the coping strategies checklist from Schools A, B and C (table 10.2) Used to identify the major work pressures on teaching and non-teaching staff and the recognition of the signs of stress.2.Strengthen the organizational resources.

What are your recommendations for reducing stress in school for you and your colleagues?

More awareness from the executive of what is happening on the ground would save a tremendous amount of frustration and therefore stress.The management team should plan ahead and attempt to avoid late decisions which mess up our teaching programme.Meetings should be more effective and there should be a fortnightly staff newsletter to replace the present method of communication at staff meetings.Have a selection process which ensures a better fit between person and job.More money should be invested in training so as to develop more confidence in the job.Team-work, which provides group support, should be encouraged.Teachers roles should be reviewed to minimise confusion, conflict and overload.Training for middle management:Organisations should actively encourage the setting up of support groups.All staff should receive training on stress management techniques and on identifying stress causes and reactions.The training advocated should be part of a staff development INSET programme and should follow a stress audit of teams and the whole school.Recommendation for support staff:

Access to the staffroom and its facilities;Representation on the governing body;Consultation about matters in which they have an interestfor example, a whole-school no-smoking policy;Regular meetings.