Having strategies ready to help you unwind in order to calm stress and anxiety is important so that you can use them at the moment versus trying to continue in a dysregulated state. These strategies however can’t alter external factors like the pandemic but they may help teachers better respond to those stresses.

The following five strategies aim to help teachers reset when it’s starting to feel like too much, and time is tight.

5 Stress-relieving techniques 

1. Valsalva manoeuvre: You may be familiar with the Valsalva manoeuvre strategy if you have ever been on a plane and needed to help your ears equalise. This strategy has also been shown to be effective in calming a racing heart and resetting the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve. To employ the Valsalva manoeuvre, follow these steps:

• Pinch your nose.

• Close your mouth to hold your breath.

• Try to blow out air, it may feel like you’re bearing down.

• Hold this position for about 10 seconds.

Be careful not to try to blow out with too much pressure or you may damage your eardrums. Note that, if you have high blood pressure or heart arrhythmia, you need to check with your doctor before trying this strategy.

2. Hand-over-heart: This is a self-compassion technique that is simple in its design you place your hands over your heart and breathe deeply into that space while conjuring positive, calming feelings. Somatic therapist Dr Peter Levine has developed an extended version of hand-over-heart where one hand is placed on the heart and the other on the forehead. 

Your focus moves to those areas of your body and the sensations between your hands until there is a shift in the way you feel. Then, the hand from the forehead is moved to the abdomen and the process is repeated; the focus is placed in the space between the hands, and special attention is given to the sensations there until there is a shift. This technique has been shown to reduce anxiety and release oxytocin, the neurotransmitter that tells your body to be in a state of calm.

3. Calming music: Music has been used for centuries to calm nerves and improve health. Play calming music in the background at a low volume level while your students work. Listening to certain songs can have more of an effect than others.

The British Academy of Sound Therapy created what has been hailed as the most relaxing song ever, called “Weightless.” It was found to reduce anxiety in a staggering 65% of people who listened to it. You can find “Weightless” on youtube. 

4. Breathing: Focused breathing not only activates your parasympathetic nervous system but also is a mindfulness technique to bring you back to the moment and distract you from the thoughts that may be causing the anxiety. A common technique is called box breathing, a type of intentional breathing, where you inhale for four seconds, hold for four seconds, exhale through your mouth for four seconds, and repeat the process until you feel calm.

There are many variations on intentional breathing, so if box breathing doesn’t work for you, there are others that are worth a try.

5. Self-hugging: This is another self-compassion technique that has been shown to release oxytocin. While hugs, in general, have been proven to have this same result, sometimes you’re not in the space at work where asking for hugs is appropriate. Therefore, as awkward as it may seem, wrapping your arms around yourself and giving yourself a squeeze can have a similar result. Your nervous system doesn’t recognize that you’re the one providing yourself with the affection; it only recognizes the chemical messenger’s “calm” direction. If you’re feeling self-conscious, you can try to be discreet by wrapping yourself up as tightly as feeling comfortable for your situation, excusing yourself to the hall for a breath, or inviting your students to practice any of these strategies along with you.

Source: Edutopia