Teachers: Job Stress Reduction

Teachers, job stress reduction is important to your health. You know that. Your physical bodies, emotions, minds, and spirits are all involved in school work. Even on holiday, you may find yourself working, or at least thinking about your work. 

Such dedication need not be negative. A teacher should, above all, be a person who wants to make a big difference in students' lives. The challenge is to make that difference without permitting stress to drive you out of teaching. The challenge is to practice good stress reduction techniques.

Understanding Stress Reduction

An understanding of stress reduction must begin with an understanding of stress. Stress is not that stack of un-graded papers. Stress is not the child who insists on asking endless questions, no matter how well you explain. Stress is not a matter of two teenagers leaping into the aisle to fight, while the rest of the class chants, "Fight, fight, fight." Stress is not the parent who calls repeatedly to complain that you are not doing what is best for her child. Stress is not even the principal inviting you to the office for a job review conference.

All of the above are stressors, not stress.

Stressor Defined

A stressor is a stimulus that causes stress. The illustrations above are of stressors. When Job broke that expensive science equipment, his action was a stressor. When Betty brought her father's spearfish for show-n-tell – and stabbed it into your right arm – that was a stressor. They were stimuli that caused stress. They themselves were not stress, but they stimulated stress.

  

Stress Defined

Stress is your RESPONSE to the above examples. "Good stress" or "bad stress" is produced dependent on your response. Which calls for job stress reduction?

On the one hand, you respond negatively in fight-or-flight mode. Adrenalin floods your body and muscles tense. Blood is shunted from extremities to core organs. All systems are "go" for fleeing or fighting the enemy.  

On the other hand, you respond positively by becoming excited and challenged. Endorphins power happy determination to move ahead. You are flooded with a feeling of euphoria, ready to make the best of the stressor. 

Stress, negative or positive, is your response to stressors. 

We continue with a brief look at the two kinds of stress.

Eustress – Beneficial, Good Stress

Teachers, job stress reduction programs are unnecessary when the stress involved is eustress. Eustress is an appropriate, positive response to the stressors teachers meet. "Eu" means "good" in Greek. Picture joy and laughter. Eustress is pleasant, healing stress. 

Eustress may appear to be an emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical overload, but it does not drain away power. It energizes you; helps you handle the overload. Teachers' job stress reduction programs should begin with a presentation of eustress and the benefits it offers.

Distress – Detrimental, Bad Stress

Most teachers' job stress reduction programs focus only on distress. Distress is an inappropriate, negative response to the stressors of a teacher's job. "Di" means "two" in Greek. Picture double trouble coming your way. Distress is often a disabling, crippling stress.

Distress, like eustress may appear to be an emotional, mental, spiritual, or physical overload. Unlike eustress, distress drains power for anything other than fight or flight. Distress tires you; freezes the brain, and makes it difficult to handle the overload. Teachers' job stress reduction programs should include a presentation of distress and the detrimental effects it carries.

Employ Stress Augmentation!

Paradoxically, teachers, job stress reduction can be as simple as job stress augmentation. You need to augment, or increase, eustress on the job.

Remembering that stress is nothing more than your response to the demands placed upon you, recognize that you have control over job stress. You may choose to respond positively or negatively; with eustress or with distress. 

Look at the following two examples. 

1. You face a huge stack of un-graded papers at the end of the day. 

A distress response is to sigh, and take "flight" down the hall for another mug of stale coffee and some small talk. Eventually, you plod back to the classroom, "flight" still written clearly on every part of your body. You sit down forlornly, and gaze dejectedly at the clock. Your shoulders slump as you reach for the first paper. You wish for job stress reduction, unconsciously defining it as a magic wand that will make the papers go away. That does not happen, of course, and you begin to reap the detrimental effects of distress.

A eustress response is to smile, allot 2 hours to finish the work, and divide the stack into 8 stacks. Now you have bite-sized work piles. You set a goal of completing each stack in no more than 15 minutes – less if responsibly possible. Promising yourself a cup of coffee after the first hour, you tackle the first stack, eager to meet or beat you goal. Augmenting eustress, you enjoy job stress reduction and all of its healthy benefits.

2. Betty insists on asking endless questions, no matter how well you explain.

A distress response is to "fight" with Betty, stress reduction hopes shattered. You feel neck and shoulders muscles tighten. A frown yanks your mouth downward as you approach Betty's seat. Unconsciously, you clench your fist. You will not permit Betty to demand so much attention, and you make that very clear in sharp, "fighting" tones. Betty cowers into silence, and you begin to reap the detrimental effects of distress. 

A eustress response is to smile quietly, and see Betty as one reason you decided on a teaching career. You want to teach Betty stress reduction along with proper listening techniques. You wait for a time when the rest of the class is occupied, and then go quietly to Betty's desk. Smiling, you take Betty's hand and lead her gently into a quiet, private part of the room. Relaxed and happy, you set a goal with Betty. You and she will work together to help her listen in such a way that she needs fewer questions. As she learns to control her response to the stressor of listening, she can win small rewards along the way. By the time Betty returns to her desk, you both are happy. Augmenting eustress, you enjoy job stress reduction again.

Tip: Teachers, job stress reduction is a choice. No elaborate stress reduction program is necessary if you have the backbone to commit to augmenting eustress and refusing to engage in distress.

The Benefits of Airbags

Airbags have been all made available for many vehicles for a long time running. In fact, the United States government has made sure that these would be made standard for vehicles. This has become reality for in July 11, 1984, the US government has already required all cars to airbags for the driver’s side at least. Come 1998, it was later on mandated that all vehicles should contain airbags in the front end of the vehicle. 

Insurance agencies and companies have come up with results that drivers and passengers who would like to have greater protection during crashes would benefit greatly from side airbags. In fact, this is just a recent study and was reported only last April 15, 2006. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has also found that, indeed, these side airbags have been beneficial and really helpful during side impact crashes. 

Some of the tests conducted by the IIHS with regards to side impact crashes showed that majority of vehicles that do not hold such a safety feature suffered from dislodged seats, or had seats that separated from the floor. Just imagine riding in a vehicle that would have dislodged seats because of a side impact crash. However, thanks to the side airbags, safety of the passengers were greatly increased. 

Of course, airbags should not be considered as a replacement to seatbelts. Seatbelts also serve their own unique purpose in providing safety. And this goes true for airbags as well. There are actually various types of airbags so as to provide proper and enough protection to a vehicle’s passengers during crashes. There are front side airbags, front airbags, passenger side airbags, and even airbags located somewhere on the steering wheel to assist in keeping the driver in place and not being thrown off the windshield. 

In fact, it could be deduced that airbags are actually supplements to the safety belt system. What it does is it reduces the chance that the passenger’s or the driver’s head and upper body will strike a part of the vehicle’s interior. Serious injury is also reduced because these airbags actually distribute crash forces evenly across the body of the passenger. To support this claim, there is a recent study that concluded that there are already some 6000 lives already saved and kept safe because of the use of airbags. 

Volkswagen vehicles also contain and come with these airbags. In fact, Volkswagen also assures its customers and patrons worldwide that their vehicle would provide enough protection during crashes.

The Beauty that Sports Cars Possess

There is more to physical features like, sleekness of the car, that determine its beauty. 

Here are some of the characteristics that endear sports cars to car enthusiasts. 

- Sports cars have attitude at first glance.

Sports cars speak the attitude that they possess. They are not like mere cars whose presence can be ignored. They captivate the eyes of those who see them. They imply that thrill and enjoyment van be expected when their hands are those that control the wheel. 

Sports cars stand above other cars, that are seen very day, primarily because   the designs imply what they are capable of doing. A sleek look really matches a car with sleek activities. 

- Sports cars possess greater power.

Their power comes from their more powerful engines and has other specifications than other the cars have. A sports car can do more than ordinary tasks because of the features that only they possess.

- Sports cars are made for driving pleasure. 

Ordinary cars make driving monotonous and boring, while on the other hand, sports cars primarily aim to give the drivers a "high" feeling of speed and control. Only sports cars can provide that need for drivers who seek adventure.

Sports cars bring the thrill back to driving. They express what other cars can not.  Sports cars are not designed just for practicality, but for pleasure too. 

- Sports cars are made for drivers who enjoy their ‘wild side’. 

Drivers do have the need to express this ‘wild side’. Sports cars make any road a venue to satisfy those needs.  Only sports cars can match the “wildness" that drivers innately have. For that reason, sports cars perfectly compliment the child in every driver.

- Sports cars have evolved and improved through the years.

Drivers appreciate the improvements that have been made to sports cars. You could say that sports car technology has infinite possibilities. The stereotypes of sports cars have long been debunked. Those limits have been crossed. The only thing that car enthusiasts can do is to watch as these improvements unfold before their very eyes. 

- Sports cars make their owners feel good about themselves.

Sports cars are lifeless. They cannot feel proud because they are beautiful, but their owners take pride in having them. 

With all these things said about the intrinsic and extrinsic beauty that sports cars possess, only a person who does not appreciate their beauty and/or speed will not opt to get one.

Genuine Happiness Comes from Within

Life isn’t the sweetest candy. Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find people who continued to live fascinating and wonderful lives. And then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so adorably sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play around despite a busy stressful life?”  Then I pause and observed for awhile… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.

So, how does one become genuinely happy? Step 1 is to love yourself. 

My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.”  To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfections must lie a great ounce of courage to be able to discover ways on how to improve your repertoire to recover from our mistakes. 

Genuine happiness also pertains to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life lit it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.

I believe that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, wining and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure, in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder us from becoming happy.

How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that. 

Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFLs. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.”, instead of looking at it all blank and murmur “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!” and then walk away.

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best. So, how do you become genuinely happy?  Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success. So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. Its about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling your self “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of strong will power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person. 

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults. You pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”.For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love ten folds back.

Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?”. I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted- “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Coz then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”

"The Way to Wellness" It's time to start a Healthy life: your 7 days program

How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing you'll go to the gym in the morning, and then changing your mind just eight hours later because when you get up, you don't feel like exercising? 

While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn't mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness -- and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy.

In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism, which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort. 

The true purpose of exercise is to send a repetitive message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night, Exercise doesn't have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent. 

I recommend engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session, and resistance training four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach provides a one-two punch, incorporating aerobic exercise to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories around the block.

Here's a sample exercise program that may work for you: 

* Warm Up -- seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints. 

* Resistance Training -- Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets. 

* Aerobic Exercise -- Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes. 

* Stretching -- Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating. 

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on. 

* From one to eight weeks -- Feel better and have more energy.

* From two to six months -- Lose size and inches while becoming leaner. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. You are gaining muscle and losing fat. 

* After six months -- Start losing weight quite rapidly. 

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don't stop there. You should also change your diet and/or eating habits,' says Zwiefel. Counting calories or calculating grams and percentages for certain nutrients is impractical. Instead, I suggest these easy-to-follow guidelines: 

* Eat several small meals (optimally four) and a couple of small snacks throughout the day 

* Make sure every meal is balanced -- incorporate palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products, fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and fruits 

* Limit your fat intake to only what's necessary for adequate flavor 

* Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day 

* I also recommend that you take a multi-vitamin each day to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

I suppose that's all I can think of for now. I should extend my thanks to a doctor friend of mine. Without him, I wouldn't be able to write this article, or keep my sanity.

Enjoy life, we all deserve it.

Orlando real estate - The land of Disney

Yes, getting a piece of Orlando real estate is indeed a very attractive proposition. For a lot of people, buying Orlando real estate is like becoming a part of Disney or Universal Studios or just any theme park. Some others are attracted to Orlando real estate due to the moderate climatic conditions. So owning Orlando real estate speaks both of comfort and fun. 

Some treat Orlando real estate as an investment for their retirement. In fact a lot of people buy Orlando real estate just so that they can settle in Orlando later in their lives. When it comes to investing in Orlando real estate, vacation homes also seem a popular thing. A number of people go for properties that are in Disney’s proximity. Renting out vacation homes is a popular thing and some people invest in Orlando real estate so that they can earn rental income till the time there decide to actually live in that property. With some tour operators offering rental guarantee, the vacation homes are gaining a lot of popularity in Orlando. Sometimes people are even able to pay their monthly mortgage payments using the monthly rental income from the vacation homes. However, if you go looking for Orlando real estate (for getting rental income), you must make sure that you buy it as close to the theme parks as possible. That is where you will get the most in terms of rental income from your Orlando real estate investment. So, even though you might have to pay a bit more for that piece of Orlando real estate, you should also consider the fact that the rental income will also increase in the same proportion. Moreover, going for a vacation home that is cheaper but much farther from Disney and other attractions, might not get rented out at all. So that cheaper piece of Orlando real estate might actually turn out more expensive for you. 

However, if you are looking to live in by yourself, then the proximity to theme parks might not be your priority. Instead you should be looking for convenience, in terms of comfort and in terms of availability of necessary amenities (and if you have kids then you would also be looking for schools etc). Of course, other/general criteria for selection of real estate would be applicable to Orlando real estate too. 

So, Orlando real estate investment does seem to make a lot of sense. The only important thing is to evaluate the reason for going for Orlando real estate and then make a good decision.

Colorado real estate: does it rock?

We know that Colorado is known for Rocky Mountains. But does the Colorado real estate rock as well? Though Colorado real estate doesn’t rock that much, as per the statistics (and when we compare Colorado real estate to others like Florida real estate or California real estate). However, there are people with contrarian views as well. And believe me, contrarian views do sometimes get huge profits for you, because in such circumstances you will generally face lesser competition from other real estate investors and you can probably get a Colorado real estate piece for much lesser than it actually is worth. However, we are not saying that Colorado real estate has performed badly. Though I don’t remember the exact statistics but Colorado real estate appreciation was about 5-7% only which is much lower to 25% or so for Florida real estate. Again, when we say 5-7% appreciation in Colorado real estate, we are talking about the state in general. So, it’s quite possible that there be regions in the state where the real estate appreciation is say 25% and there could be places where there has been no appreciation in real estate. The opportunity is always there, the only thing you need is the art of finding the Golden deal in this Colorado real estate market.  

When assessing Colorado real estate you must take into consideration various factors e.g. you must assess the overall economic indicators and check what effect it can have on Colorado real estate (both in the near term and in the longer term). You don’t need to be a financial analyst or a real estate guru for doing this assessment, you just need to keep track of various news items and analysis reports on Colorado real estate. Also keep track of the mortgage rates and laws on tax breaks (as applicable to Colorado real estate). All these factors influence the trend of real estate anywhere (not in just Colorado). Moreover, you will need to hunt for Colorado real estate opportunities by going to public auctions, foreclosures, teaming up with attorneys for information etc. Again, remember that a not-so-good news about any real estate (be it Colorado real estate or Florida real estate), doesn’t mean that real estate investment won’t make sense at that place; in fact, it might cut down the number of competitors you have.

So, if you feel that Colorado real estate doesn’t rock; you can probably make it rock for you. There always are plenty of opportunities.