10 In the end you must decide what kinds of activity have a high payoff or
a low payoff for you in terms of your time investment. You may find
that, for you, doing your paperwork by e-mail and phoning rather than
writing will have high payoffs. You might find that attending meetings has a
low payoff, as may writing jobs-to-do lists!48 Dealing with stress
Working in educational institutions can be extremely stressful as staff are put
under increasing pressure to teach longer hours, possibly in unfamiliar ways, and
to spend longer hours on assessment and record keeping. At the same time, your
learners may have ever higher expectations. If you don’t feel stressed, ignore this
set of tips! If you are feeling stressed, the following suggestions cannot eliminate
your stress, but may be able to prompt you to some strategies to help you to deal
with it.
1 Don’t ignore stress. There are no prizes for struggling to the point of
collapse: indeed, this is the last thing you should be doing. As the symptoms
of stress become apparent to you, such as sleep disturbances, eating problems,
weight gain or loss, headaches or just finding you are on an increasingly
short fuse, try to identify the causes of your stress and do something about
it.
2 Allow yourself to feel anger. It isn’t surprising that people under stress
often feel full of rage, which may not be specifically directed. People can
become very frustrated when they feel powerless, so it may be worth taking
stock of what is and what is not within your control. Anger, once generated,
can be directed in many directions, and the most harmful of these is
inwards. All the same, it is unwise as well as unprofessional to vent your
rage on others, especially innocent bystanders who are caught in the
crossfire. Find ways to let off steam that are not destructive to yourself and
others. These may include some vigorous gardening or other exercise
(within your own capabilities), a long walk or even smashing a few plates!
3 Write it out of your system. Some people find it very helpful to write
about the issues that stress them and make them angry. This can take the
form of a diary in which you record your feelings and analyse the situation,
or letters you would like to send to the people who are causing you stress, or
other forms of escapist or academic writing to take your mind off the current
situation. Be very careful, however, about the ways in which you use your
writing. Try to avoid firing off missives in anger that you might regret at a
later stage.
4 Have some fun. Look for ways in which you can destress yourself by doing
things that make you happy. A little hedonism goes a long way. Think about
the things that give you pleasure like cooking, reading for pleasure, going to90 500 TIPS FOR TESOL