Continued from Controlling Stress for Online Instructors {Part 1}
3. Eat Well
Along with exercise and to-do lists, eating well is vital for me when it comes to managing my stress as an online instructor. Since I work from home it is quite easy to wander into the kitchen and grab a snack from the pantry as a “break” from work. I have also determined that I am a stress eater so when tensions are running particularly high at work – for example a student is complaining about their grade or my manager is throwing too many projects at me at once – I have a tendency to turn to food (especially cookies and baked goods) for comfort. That burst of cortisol gets me through the day.
In acknowledging these tendencies within myself I’ve found that I am much happier and better able to deal with work-related stress when I eat well and plan to eat at regular times. I need a combination of carbs, proteins, and fats to feel satisfied – but when I am satisfied and eating regularly, I’m much less likely to run to the pantry to grab a cookie in times of stress.
Also related to this, staying well-hydrated is also important. My mind seems to function better and my thoughts are typically more clear and I am less easily distracted, which leads to less stress throughout my work day. I try to keep a tall glass of water on my desk at all times.
4. Try Not to Take it Personally
This stress reducing technique is one of the most difficult for me as an online instructor. I care a great deal about my students and truly want them to learn the material and achieve the grade they are striving for within my online courses. Therefore, it is easy for me to allow a negative email from a student to send me into a stress spiral and set the tone for the entire day.
Typically, when I receive an irate email from a student I have to close it and step away from the computer for a bit. I need some time to process the email and to remind myself that we are all facing our own struggles and battles and often it is easier to blame the instructor then to acknowledge the true issue they may be facing that is preventing them from being successful within the course.
As a teacher, I think it is often difficult to separate student issues from our own psyche, but I do try to not take it personally and not let one student’s issues cause undo stress.
To Be Continued… Controlling Stress as an Online Instructor {Part 3}
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
