This activity is designed to aid world language educators in the recognition of their stress responses and to support educators in cultivating a plan to mitigate stress.

Learning outcome(s):
Teachers will be able to:

• Identify at least one stress response they exhibit
• Articulate a plan for dealing with stress

Mode(s): Not applicable

Material(s): Recognizing and Responding to Stress video

Procedure:

1. Ask to meet with a trusted colleague for roughly 30 minutes. Before, or during, the meeting watch the Recognizing and Responding to Stress video.
2. Have an open conversation about one stress response you have noticed in one another. The response you discuss might be emotional (e.g., being easily agitated, feeling overwhelmed, and having negative feelings about yourself), physical (e.g., fatigue, GI issues, and pain), cognitive (e.g., worry, pessimism, and a lack of focus), or behavioral (e.g., procrastination, changes in routine, and changes in nutrition).
3. Take two minutes to write a brief reflection on the stress response your colleague mentioned. Consider whether you notice the same response in yourself and the stressors that most contribute to the identified stress response.
4.  Share your reflections with one another. If you disagree with your colleague’s evaluation or are curious as to why they offered a particular stress response, ask clarifying questions. Collect more information about what motivated the colleague to mention it.
5. Settle on the stress response you want to spend time addressing and unpacking. Feel free to offer a distinct stress response from what your colleague mentioned.
6. Together, make a plan to deal with each of your stress responses. Consider (1) a daily promise to yourself designed to mitigate stress; (2) a way to remind yourself of the promise; and (3) a way to hold one another accountable.

•    Some daily promises:
  • Setting home/work boundaries (e.g., a point in the day at which you will stop looking at work email)
  • Setting time to disconnect from your phone or other digital devices
  • Scheduling a time to walk, run, or do something else to improve your physical health
  • Scheduling a time for journaling or meditation
  • Creating a plan to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet
•    Some ways to remind yourself of your daily promises:
  • Scheduling reminders on your phone
  • Scheduling reminders on your digital calendar
  • Writing your plan on sticky notes and putting them near to where you get ready in the morning, where you look while working through the day, and where you get ready for bed
  • Putting an image that reminds you of your plan next to your workspace
  • Creating a vision board about your plan
•     Some ways to hold one another accountable:
  • Sending a quick text or email when you complete your daily promise
  • Scheduling a weekly coffee to discuss your progress toward your promise
  • Using five minutes of an existing structure in your school day (e.g., shared planning time or lunch) to share how you are progressing toward your daily promise
  • Meeting to do something you enjoy (e.g., explore new restaurants or wander farmer’s markets) to discuss your promise

Notes:

• Make sure to follow up with one another after completing Step 6. Be honest about what is working and what is not working for you, and adjust your plan and daily promises accordingly.