The teachers union, the NASUWT heard at their conference the impact of increased stress on teachers is such that teachers have been driven to the brink of suicide by the pressures of work, institutional bullying, chasing targets and disruptive pupils.
A study “Teachers’ Mental Health : A study exploring the experiences of teachers with work-related stress and mental health problems” has highlighted the impact of stress on the mental health and welling being of teachers.
Teaching staff are suffering from a range of stress-related symptoms including insomnia, anxiety, heart palpitations and depression .
The Conference asserted “that workplace stress is endemic in the school and college environment and believes that the pressures under which teachers work have resulted in high levels of stress and anxiety in the profession”.
Prolonged stress has been demonstrated to lead to numerous psychological and physiological illnesses ranging from anxiety right through to heart disease and even cancer.
Stress normally begins as a reaction to a perceived demand, in order words, stress begins as a mental process, yet despite countless studies proving meditation reduces stress, anxiety and even more effective than anti depressants for depression, the schools and education authorises are yet to make use of this obvious solution.
EXERCISES:
Mindfulness (by Dav Panesar)
Symran (by Dav Panesar)
