“The teaching world is one huge arena of a stressful life”, which most teachers out rightly claim….Yes, very true!

Nobody lives a perfect, peaceful existence at all times.

Daily living results in certain amount of stress – emotional and physical tension on distress.

You feel stress when you over sleep and have to rush to get to school on time.

You feel stress when you argue with your husband or children before you come to school for work.

Nor starting a new job and perhaps driving in heavy traffic are all likely to cause stress.

          But not all stress is bad. Only too much stress however has a negative effect on your health and well-being.

Here are some signs of chronic stress – continual stress that burdens your body to the point of exhaustion a) Rapid breathings, b) weakness, dizziness, c) loss of appetite d) nightmares e) insomnia f) headache g) exhaustion etc.

Seemingly, all of the above mentioned signs are being experienced by a great number of our fellow teachers.

On may ask, what are we supposed to do to overcome our stresses?

Here are some healthy suggestions from me:

• Try your best not to be upset over things beyond your control.
• Manage your time wisely.
• View problems constructively – meaning do not put more pressure on yourself.
• View/accept your problems realistically. Don’t over react…view it objectively and think of ways to remedy your problem.

In closing, we must all remember that “life is always a choice!” Stress is here to stay only if you will let it rule your life. A stress – free lifestyle lengthens one’s life. Deal with it wisely!

By: Mrs. Joan C. Isidro | Teacher II | Bataan National High School | Balanga, Bataan