AMHIE have done some leg work for you, it’s just passed half term and it’s a long way through to Easter. How are things going at the moment? We thought it might help if we gathered some evidence-based advice and resources on things you could try to reduce your stress levels before the break!
Top Tips to reduce your stress levels:
Find ways to get more exercise: Things are probably really busy so you might be thinking, but when? So here’s a few ideas about ways you can fit some additional exercise into the school day and your routine.
- Walking; Walk to work, walk home from work, when you visit the staff room/toilet/classroom take the longest route you can! Even walking for another 5 minutes a day will help reduce your stress and help you feel a bit calmer.
- Find a friend/Colleague to exercise with; Everything’s better with friends, especially exercise and you’ll be far more likely to have a routine and stick to it if someone else is there to give you a nudge when you need it.
- Create an afterschool club; You can get anyone to join in, jog, cycle, walk, anything you like but get a group together and pick a day that suits you all.
- Have a routine; This sounds so simple but really, you’ve got a schedule – schedule time in for you even if it’s just 5 minutes to skip or 10 minutes to walk that’s better than nothing.
Take back control: It’s easy to let the little things stack up and quickly feels overwhelming, and then it’s stressful because you know you don’t have the time or space to deal with it.
- Prioritise your workload; what’s time dependent, what can wait a bit longer? Let go of things that you don’t have time to do, it’s out of your control
- Have a schedule; Getting everything into a neater pile can really help you keep on top of your workload and free time
- Don’t focus on things out of your control; You can’t do anything about it, and letting go will help you reduce the burden
Connect with other people: Create circumstances which put you into social situations, don’t shut yourself away it won’t help to be isolated. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, just allow some time in your schedule to have a bit of fun!
- Chat to colleagues; about something that isn’t work related!
- Start a club; book club, sewing club, knitting club – whatever you want, but it gets you interacting with other people
- Socialise; Visit your friends or family
Take some time for yourself: When was the last time you sat down and did your hobbies, took a walk or watched a tv programme you like? Make the time for some ‘me time’ – you have earned it!
Take on a challenge: This may seem far fetched, but it doesn’t have to be something massive just something that you can get stuck into.
- Start a new hobby; Sewing, Knitting, Gardening – anything you can think of that you might want to try
- Set yourself a work goal; Create a goal using a SMART goals proforma, it will give you something to focus on
- Try something new; Do something you have never tried before, it doesn’t have to be wild or difficult!
Links, ideas and resources:
Useful links to find social groups: Here are some clubs/communities that you can join to to help you to take some time for yourself and connect with other people.
- The Conservation Volunteers; Join in with a network of community groups supported by TCV developing green spaces at the heart of communities. https://www.tcv.org.uk/
- Meetup; Find people, discover new interests and join inspiring events for free! https://www.meetup.com/
- Re-Engage; Run group and one-to-one social activities which help you to connect with others https://reengage.org.uk/join-a-group/
Here is a template for creating SMART Goals:
Mental Health UK Downloadable Resources:
Stress-Bucket_2024_FINAL_EDITABLE
References:
Allen, David. Getting things done: The art of stress-free productivity. Penguin, 2015.
Andricks, Jessi. “3 steps to reduce stress over the things you can’t change.” Leader Live (2018).
Heylighen, Francis, and Clément Vidal. “Getting things done: the science behind stress-free productivity.” Long Range Planning 41.6 (2008): 585-605.
Davis, Martha, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, and Matthew McKay. The relaxation and stress reduction workbook. New Harbinger Publications, 2008.
Austin, Vicky, Surya Shah, and Steven Muncer. “Teacher stress and coping strategies used to reduce stress.” Occupational therapy international 12.2 (2005): 63-80.
Bertoch, Michael R., et al. “Reducing teacher stress.” The Journal of Experimental Education 57.2 (1989): 117-128.
Agyapong, Belinda, et al. “Interventions to reduce stress and burnout among teachers: A scoping review.” International journal of environmental research and public health 20.9 (2023): 5625.
We hope that this helps give you a few ideas to reduce your stress levels at work; as always we are here to help if you need us just contact support@amhie.com or over the phone 02381 120010
Lily Blakeledge
The AMHIE Team 12/3/2025