In an article I was reading recently, I read, “teachers have the highest levels of exhaustion.” I can definitely relate to that statement! I think fellow teachers will agree that a teacher’s work is never done! Over the summer, I was promoted to a lead faculty position within my university. While on the surface this is a positive, it was a very stressful time as my position was changing, a new division was being formed with in the college, and my boss/supervisor was also changing. As one who admittedly does not deal well with change and likes to be aware of what is going on and in control (as much as one can be) of situation, I found the promotion to be quite stressful.
I think that part of the stress I experienced is known as role stress, which is defined as a collective term for stressors resulting from the multiple task requirements or roles of employees. Because I was between two positions and so much was unknown about my new position, I felt a great deal of stress regarding my role and I was unclear as to what was expected of me. Perhaps this was also a bit of role overload.
The impact of the stress was apparent in numerous ways. I started to have more frequent headaches, would grow impatient with my children more quickly outside of work hours, and I just felt a general sense of discontent. To manage my stress, I tried to schedule exercise for at least an hour five days a week. For me, this means I need to be out of bed by 5:30 am to run or go to yoga as once the day begins I struggle to find time to exercise. I have found that exercise is a great stress reducer for me and that I feel better all day on the days I am able to make it happen. I was also very careful to try to separate my work and family life and kept hours where I was not allowed to check my email or my work phone. This helps me to separate work from family, especially since I work from home as an online instructor.
Overall, as my role has been defined more and I have understood my position more, the stress has started to decrease and I have seen improvements in these areas. Most people experience a wide-array of emotions when it comes to my career. Many of us struggle with various aspects of our jobs at different points in our lives and learning to move through the changes and adjustments that organizations make without taking it personally or letting myself experience role overload. To continue to battle stress I need to be clear about my priorities — both as an online instructor and at home. I also need to be clear about what I can and can not do and strive to be kind to myself when I am struggling.
Have you experience changing roles within the online sector? What do you do to deal with stress as an online instructor?
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.
