Self-help techniques for teachers to combat stress

How to maintain emotional well-being until the end of the school year, and not feel like just lying around, staring at the ceiling? This was the topic of the VI All-Russian online conference "Augustovka Uchi.ru - 2025", where Dina Denisova, an educational psychologist at the Economics Lyceum of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and an expert in the field of parent-child relationships, spoke. We summarize the key points of her speech.

Causes of constant emotional stress in teachers

The emotional state of a teacher is subject to change, and this process can be considered dynamic. It can be conditionally divided into four stages, which correspond to academic quarters or seasons within the school year. Dina Denisova identifies these states, calling them "Optimist," "Innovator," "Prosecutor," and "Zombie."

At the beginning of the school year, during the first stage, which can be called "Optimist," teachers are typically full of inspiration and enthusiasm. They are confident in their abilities, ready to overcome obstacles and experiment with new ideas.

As the number of tasks and work processes increases, time and energy begin to deplete. At this point, as Dina emphasizes, the transition to the next stage, "Innovator," occurs. This period is marked by a desire for novelty: a desire to change everything fundamentally arises, and some people begin impulsively acquiring new skills or knowledge.

In the third stage, called "Prosecutor," emotional tension begins to manifest. You begin to conserve your energy, losing the desire to actively participate in tasks, which leads to irritability.

The fourth stage, called "Zombie", speaks for itself: it is a state of complete exhaustion, when there is no desire to do anything.

Dynamics of the state teacher during the year (from Dina Denisova's presentation) Screenshot: Skillbox Media

Dina is convinced that the main factor contributing to the deterioration of the condition and pushing teachers to the limit is the accumulation of emotional stress. This tension is expressed in anxiety or apathy, as well as in the desire to distance oneself from others, to be in peace and quiet, so that “no one bothers you for a week.”

Methods of expressing emotions through drawing and freedom of manipulation with paper

At first glance, it may seem that this method is too banal and primitive, but its effectiveness is truly high: as soon as you feel that emotions are overwhelming you, simply depict them on paper.

You don’t need artistic abilities to complete this task: simple curls or strokes are enough - just let your thoughts freely express themselves on paper. The point is that when your hand comes into contact with the sheet, emotions and tension find an outlet. A similar process occurs when you tear or crumple paper.

Photo: Ana-O / iStock

To reach a deeper level in drawing, it is worth setting aside a certain time and trying to use coloring books, for example, with Mandalas, which will allow you to fully immerse yourself in the creative process. Working with color can have a positive impact on your emotional state. Although coloring is not possible during school breaks, you can always draw a few swirls or tear up unnecessary sheets of paper. This will help you relax a little and relieve accumulated tension.

Observer Technique

This technique will be useful in cases where a spontaneous reaction occurs to some action, for example, the desire to scream, throw something, or do something similar. The main idea is to establish a time interval between the stimulus and the response. This will allow you to assess the situation more soberly and control your emotions.

Imagine yourself as an observer - try to look at what is happening from the outside, as if you were watching a film about yourself and the class with whom you are currently communicating. This approach allows you to emotionally distance yourself from the situation, as well as evaluate and describe it from a third-person perspective. In this state, you may realize that habitual responses, such as yelling at a student or sending them out of class, don't actually produce the desired results. This opens the opportunity to suggest alternative behaviors.

If you find it difficult to immediately switch to this technique "in the moment," it may make sense to try it at the end of the workday. To do this, mentally analyze one or two situations, looking at them from the perspective of an outside observer. This will help you develop the ability to distance yourself from emotionally charged moments and better control your level of involvement in what is happening.

Methods for Formulating a Formal Complaint

Sometimes there is a feeling that complaints are pointless, and, most importantly, there is no one to take them out on. This leads to the idea that this way you can demonstrate your own incompetence. Such internal barriers prevent people from openly discussing their emotions and experiences.

Nevertheless, sharing your feelings can be truly helpful. For example, this can be done through a conversation with a psychologist or a colleague who understands your concerns and can say, "I'm not having a very good day today; I didn't cope with my tasks, and I feel like the kids didn't understand me." It's important for this person to listen to you without judgment or advice, simply listening to your concerns.

In a family setting, support from loved ones isn't always sufficient. However, if you can find a colleague to open up to and spend just ten minutes discussing your feelings (this time is quite sufficient), you can reduce your emotional stress and realize that you are not alone in your experiences.

For those who are unable to communicate with colleagues, Dina recommends turning to the language neural network as a conversational partner. Yes, indeed, you can explain your situation to an AI bot, for example, ChatGPT, and request support—neural networks are quite capable of providing such assistance.

Example of a dialogue with a neural network (from Dina Denisova's presentation) Screenshot: Skillbox Media

Grounding Techniques

When emotions spiral out of control, we seem to lose touch with ourselves, become unstable, and our minds begin to wander, making it difficult to manage our own state. There are techniques that allow us to re-ground ourselves, feel present in the present moment, and restore inner calm by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, as opposed to the sympathetic nervous system, which is activated under stress.

One way to cope with excessive emotional stress in difficult situations is physical grounding. This method helps us focus on the sensations of our bodies, which in turn helps reduce the intensity of negative emotions. Here are some simple steps you can take to do this:

Clench your fists to feel the tension in your knuckles.
Focus on your feet and feel how they touch the surface of the floor.
When the heating season begins, go to the radiator, touch it and feel how warm it is.
If possible, drink some cool water, but avoid too cold, so as not to harm your health.

The mental grounding technique helps return to the real world and develops mindfulness. To practice it, it is important to pay attention to your feelings. For example, try listing:

List five things that surround you.
Describe four tactile perceptions that you are currently experiencing. For example, it could be the smoothness and coolness of the table surface you are leaning against, the softness of the back of the chair that supports your back, or the roughness of the material of the jacket on your body, and similar sensations.
Pay attention to three sounds that surround you at the moment.
two aromas that you smell;
one taste.

The olfactory-gustatory grounding technique is aimed at focusing on a specific smell or taste that you like. For example, it might be helpful to have a bottle of your favorite essential oil or some mints with you.

Authentication Methods Based on Personal Experience

The school year is a long period, and evaluating your effectiveness solely based on test results or other specific events can be quite difficult. This is especially true given that every teacher has numerous daily responsibilities that also deserve recognition as accomplishments. For example, successfully conducting a lesson in a difficult class or avoiding conflict throughout the day are also important. Periodically recording even minor successes promotes the production of dopamine in the brain—a chemical responsible for pleasure and motivation.

You can record your small accomplishments on paper, but this isn't necessary unless you want to add another chore to your life. Even simply reciting at the end of the workday what you've accomplished well can help increase your sense of self-satisfaction as a professional and, in general, as a successful person who understands their goals and expectations.

By recognizing your accomplishments, you gain inner peace and confirm that you are capable of seeing things through to completion and enjoying it.

Dina Denisova suggested focusing on several techniques from her list and writing them down in a safe place, such as the last page of a notebook. In times of stress, it's worth using them—this will help you return to reality and prevent the accumulation of negative emotions before your internal state becomes unbearable.

“In the course of my practice, I came to an important conclusion,” she said, “that the primary task is to manage not so much efficiency in the context of time management or process optimization, but rather your energy. When we have enough energy, we are able to cope with many more tasks than if we simply used planning techniques. We can make plans for any activity, but whether we actually have enough energy to implement them is a completely different question.”

Some of these simple techniques can be passed on to your students. After all, they also face emotional stress throughout the school year.

Self-help techniques for teachers to cope with stress

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