Managing anxiety
Mike Armiger, education and mental health advisor, provides some simple and practical ways to help teachers and education staff manage anxiety.
Articles / 2 mins read
You’re not alone. Teaching and working in schools can be challenging.
It's understandable that you might sometimes feel overwhelmed or anxious. It can be helpful to reframe our thoughts, but a lot of anxiety shows up in the body, our strategies need take this into consideration.
If you are feeling overwhelmed physically and maybe on the verge of a panic attack these strategies could help:
What to do when anxiety feels overwhelming
1.
Ground yourself physically
This could be in a chair, on the floor or up against a wall.
2.
Breathe
Breathe in as slowly, deeply and gently as you can, through your nose. Close your eyes and breathe out slowly, deeply and gently through your mouth and count steadily from one to five on each in-breath and each out-breath.
3.
Notice your senses
Take notice of the things that you can see, hear, smell and feel. Name them in your mind. This can be very useful to try and re-orientate ourselves and bring us into the present moment.
4.
Be with someone
Where possible, don’t go through panic alone. Fine a friend or family member who can talk to you and help you to feel grounded and safe.
5.
Reach out for support
We provide a free and confidential helpline. You can call 24/7 for emotional support: 08000 562 561. Please don't wait until things are really difficult for you or you're in crisis to ring that number. Of course you can ring then but it's very important that maybe we support you at an earlier stage if you're struggling.
Don’t wait for a crisis to call.
We’ll offer you immediate, emotional support.
08000 562 561
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