Tag Archive for: stress

Stress Awareness Month 2018: 3 Stress-Busting Tips

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It’s Stress Awareness Month so what better time to share 3 of our favourite stress-busting tips with you?

We’ve tried to include tips that may not immediately come to mind when trying to reduce stress in the classroom – these will work for teachers and students alike…

1) …Don’t be afraid to say no

This one’s pretty self-explanatory.

Sometimes it’s all to easy to agree to taking on additional work or bringing deadlines forward but this is not good for your stress levels.

If you won’t be able to give the best version of yourself and fully commit to a heavier workload, you’re much better off saying no – without guilt!

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2) …Try switching off your phone

Most of us are probably addicted to tech these days and smart phones certainly make life easier. However if you’re feeling over-tired and struggle to unwind at the end of the day, a ‘digital detox’ won’t hurt.

It doesn’t need to be anything drastic but cutting back on screen time could make a significant difference to your stress levels.

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3) …Read up on growth mindset

Sometimes all it takes is a new way of looking at potentially stressful situations – have you heard of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset philosophy?

Adopting this approach should help you to tackle new challenges and you won’t place so much pressure on yourself to get things right first time. We’ll be including growth mindset tips for the second time in our school planners to show our support for this philosophy.

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What do you think of our stress-busting tips? Have you got any to add to our list in honour of Stress Awareness Month 2018?

Let us know by leaving a comment below, or dropping us a quick tweet 🙂

The Boomerang Team.

National Stress Awareness Day 2018 – 5 Ways To Manage Stress

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It’s National Stress Awareness Day 2018 and we’ve put together a few stress-busting tips for you to pass onto students.

Stress comes in all shapes and sizes and pupils will handle it in their own way, which is why the following are five suggestions and may work differently from person to person.

1) Encourage mistakes

Mistakes are a vital part of the learning and development process but lots of students are afraid to get things wrong.

The best way to counter this is to show them that mistakes are important and not the be-all and end-all.

Encourage students to reflect on mistakes with questions such as, ‘What could I have done differently?’ ‘What worked well?’

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2) Time management

It’s no surprise that pupils get stressed if they think they’re running out of time to complete homework tasks. Promoting time management techniques should help them to focus.

Try promoting the use of homework planners to break tasks down into manageable chunks and plan ahead.

Be sure to remind them to allow plenty of time for study breaks, sleep and extra-curricular activities!

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3) Improve understanding

It’s important that students are aware that stress is part of daily life and to be able to recognise the signs in themselves.

This could help them to seek advice if needed and to stay on top of things.

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4) Exercise

You probably already know that exercise can be hugely beneficial for mental health, due to the endorphin release.

Encourage your students to set aside some time each week for moderate exercise and they should feel the benefits in no time.

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5) Look after yourself

This last point is surprisingly easy to forget.

As teachers, you will be used to putting your students first but don’t forget about your own well-being.

One of the best ways to help pupils manage stress and anxiety is to lead by example. So make sure you take breaks from work, reflect on your own mistakes and spend time doing the things you love!

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Have you got any other tips for encouraging a positive mindset in students? Have you been doing anything in school in honour of National Stress Awareness Day 2018?

Let us know by leaving a comment below, or dropping us a quick tweet 🙂

The Boomerang Team.

GCSE Revision Tips: Beating the Exam Stress

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Whether you’re already in the midst of the GCSE exam frenzy, or you’re worrying about exams coming up over the next few weeks, we’ve got loads of GCSE revision tips to get you through a potentially stressful period.

For more tips, take a look at at the Revision & Exam pages of our school planners.

Put down the coffee cup

  • One of the most important GCSE revision tips we can give you, is to keep hydrated. Your brain needs plenty of water and during revision, this will help with memory and concentration.
  • Did you know that on average, a fully grown man needs as much as 2 litres of water a day and a woman, 1.6 litres?
  • Avoid too much caffeine, as this will actually dehydrate you. Remember, this includes, coffee, coke and energy drinks to name a few.

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Get some sleep

  • Okay, this is easier said than done, especially when you probably have all sorts of exam-related worries going through your head.
  • If it helps, just think that sleep is when the brain turns what you’ve learnt into long-term memories – so a good night’s sleep is vital.
  • Even an extra hour in bed can make all the difference. You should be aiming for roughly 8 hour’s sleep every night, so try going to bed an hour or two earlier than usual.

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You’re still allowed to have fun

  • Another important GCSE revision tip to remember is that you don’t have to lock yourself away for 12 hours, staring at your revision notes.
  • Instead, try making a revision timetable and allowing time for things like exercise, seeing friends, watching tv etc.
  • Planning ahead will help you avoid last minute cramming and you’ll still be able to do the things you enjoy.

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Keep things in perspective

  • Try to remember that exams aren’t the be-all and end-all so don’t put so much pressure on yourself.
  • Think about how far you’ve already come and once you’ve done an exam, put it out of your head and focus on the next one.

If you’d like more advice, drop us an email and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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We have faith in you!

The Boomerang Team x