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Coping with exam season stress as a Teacher
Posted by Khanyi Khuzwayo on 29 September 2025, 14:20 SAST
There are plenty of hints and tips for students to manage their stress during the exam time. But what about teachers? The pressure is, of course, immense on teachers so here are a few tips:
The first thing that you need to do is recognise it.
Stress affects us all differently and you are your own expert, keep an eye out for the signs that you are becoming more stressed.
This might be a change in your sleeping or eating patterns, feeling more irritable or having less time to do the things you would normally do for relaxation.
Beginning your day calmly
Sit down for 2 minutes before the pupils arrive and spend this time focusing on being in the moment, taking full deep breaths and slowing your thoughts.
There are some really great apps out there that can help you with this.
Seek peer support
Seek out support from other teachers, the chances are most of you are feeling the same and finding out what others are doing to cope can give you some great ideas and helps you to feel less isolated.
Don’t work too much over time
Yes, easier said than done!
But remember when you are feeling overwhelmed you stop being productive.
Recognise when this is happening, take some time out and go back to it when you are feeling refreshed.
Leisure time
Find something outside of work that you enjoy doing and make sure you incorporate it into your weekly timetable.
Don’t let it slip to the bottom of your priority list.
A “will do” list
Make a daily “will do” list not a to do list. A to do list gets longer and longer and can add to the sense of feeling overwhelmed.
Make sure that your “will do” list is made up only of things that you can definitely do that day and once it is set – do not add to it.
Learn to say no
You are not superhuman, do not take on more than you know you can manage.
Teachers are very good at advising pupils on managing their workloads and stress – be as kind to yourself as you are to them!
Source: Select Psychology
