There is no doubt that working with children is stressful; you would have to be a machine not to get stressed with all the crying, the noise, nagging and their downright dangerous antics. But while working with this stress, day in and day out is normal, there is a difference between this and stress that is becoming a medical problem for you.
We all suffer from stress from time to time. When we feel threatened or anxious about something, our body releases adrenaline which sends our heart racing, our stomach churning and even our head thumping, as a warning to let us know that there is a danger or threat that we need to deal with.
If this happens every now again, when a particular situation arises that is normal. It’s our protective mechanism kicking in to say, ‘Warning, Warning, this is an unsafe situation, do something about it!’
However, if you are living in a high pressure, alarming situation with your internal sirens going off on a regular basis for no apparent reason, then it’s not going to be long before your health starts to be affected both mentally and physically.
When stress is experienced ‘normally’, for example, you see a child climbing up to an open window, your body fills with panic and your stress levels go through the roof. This catapults you into action to avert the danger. Then, within 20 minutes of your heroic act, your heartrate decreases, you start to breath more slowly, the panic subsides and you start to return to your calm state, as relief sets in.
Alternatively, you get the dreaded Ofsted call, again panic sets in, the adrenaline pumps round your body as you start to think of all the things you need to do to get ready for the visit. This level of stress lasts a lot longer, but again mobilises you to prepare and organise yourself. Once the visit is over, calm is restored, you start to relax and all goes back to normal, as again relief sets in (hopefully).
In the same way, after spending an exhausting day with the children, you see the last one walk away with their parents and close the door behind them, as you collapse into a comfy chair and relief sets in.
However, when the stress symptoms (as listed below), present themselves for no apparent reason and the period of calm and relief does not seem to materialise or is short lived, then this is not normal.
Physical symptoms of stress include:
- Frequent headaches
- Muscle tension, aches and pains
- Upset or churning stomach
- Sweating or clammy palms
- Blurred vision or tired eyes
- Feeling sick, dizzy or faint
- Bowel and bladder problems (often increase in frequency)
- Change to breathing pattern – fast, breathless, shallow
- Tingling hands and feet
- Dry mouth
- Unexpected racing heart
- Unexplained tiredness and exhaustion
Emotional symptoms of stress include:
- Unhappy, upset or tearful
- Angry, irritable and easily wound up
- Losing interest in things you enjoy or like
- Feeling overwhelmed or frustrated for no apparent reason
- Feeling guilty or not good at anything
Behavioural effects as a result of stress symptoms
- Being snappy and irritable with those around you
- Drinking more than usual
- Smoking more than usual
- Eating too much or too little
- Withdrawing from activities you enjoy
- Making excuses to avoid people, places and situations
- Putting things off
- Being unreasonable
- Making silly mistakes regularly
- Over doing things, rushing around
- Not sleeping
- Biting nails
- Grinding teeth
How you start to think as a result of prolonged stress symptoms:
- Worry all the time, often about everything
- Can’t relax, because mind is always racing
- Expect the worst to happen
- Become very negative about everything
- Criticise yourself and others
- Have poor concentration and memory
The effects of prolonged stress
While you may only have some of these symptoms which may seem insignificant to start with, if they go on for months or even years without proper attention, they can lead to the following long term medical problems:
- Low resistance to infections
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Migraine
- Stroke
- Severe depression
- Severe anxiety
- Stomach problems, especially ulcers
- Bowel problems
- Asthma
Therefore prolonged stress should not be ignored and action needs to be taken where possible to reduce it.
Be the first to comment