Latest / The Teacher's Lounge For Early Education / How to Unwind and Let Go of Daily Stress
Transcript
- April Well Being Directors === [00:00:00] Welcome to the Teacher's Lounge. I'm your host Jessica Day, and I'm thrilled to bring you another episode to support and encourage you as a leader in early childhood education. Today we'll be discussing an important topic, recognizing when the stress of your daily role is being held in your body, and how to release that tension. As leaders in the field, you know, firsthand how stress can build up from spending long hours in front of screens and dealing with daily challenges. That's why we'll be exploring different techniques , including meditation, yoga, exercise and a body scan exercise to help you relax and release that tension. We'll guide you through the process of a body scan exercise, a quick and simple way to focus on each area of your body by becoming more aware of how your body feels in implementing these techniques, you can improve your [00:01:00] overall wellbeing and better serve the children in your care. So join us in the teacher's lounge and let's get started. Each day at work, you probably spend a fair amount of time working on the computer. Whether you're sitting in front of a screen in your office or hunched over a laptop at home, tension in your body can build up. That problem is often compounded by stress, which can make your muscles feel even tighter. Most commonly, people feel this tension in their jaw, neck and shoulders. If you've noticed tension in your body, it might be helpful to incorporate some practices that can help you relax. You can achieve this in several ways, including meditation, yoga and exercise. Another easy option is a body scan. It's a relatively quick and simple exercise that you can do almost anywhere, and here's how it works. First, find a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. [00:02:00] Take a moment to calm your mind and tune into your body. Next, you're going to progressively focus on each area of your body. Start with the top of your head. Pay attention to how it feels. Really focus on it and try to give your full attention. What sensations do you notice? Is there any pain or discomfort? Is it relaxed or tense? Move on to the other areas of your body, including your face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, back, hips, legs, and feet. As you focus on each area, try to notice how muscles in that area feel. Where do you feel the most tension? Where do you feel the most relaxed? Is there any pain or discomfort? What happens when you notice [00:03:00] the discomfort? If you want to add another layer to this exercise, try tensing and relaxing each group of muscles as you focus on them. For some muscle groups like your arms, this will mean flexing or squeezing the muscles tight for a few seconds than releasing other areas like your face. You'll have to be more creative. For example, try scrunching your face up tightly or opening your mouth as wide as you can. The goal is to intentionally create tension in your muscles and then intentionally release that tension as much as possible. This can help relax muscles that are feeling tight. As you do this activity, you might realize that you aren't used to paying such close attention to how your body feels. Often we are so focused on other things that we don't notice when we're uncomfortable. Have you ever realized that you've been sitting in an [00:04:00] uncomfortable position for a while or that you've been ignoring the tension in your neck? This body scan exercise can help you get better at noticing what's going on in your body. With practice, you can learn to be more in tuned. Thank you for joining us today in the Teacher's Lounge. Your time is valuable and we appreciate you spending it with us. We hope that the information and techniques we've shared on recognizing and releasing tension in your body will be helpful in your daily life as a leader in early childhood education, remember to take care of yourself so that you can better serve the children in your care. We look forward to bringing you more informative and supportive episodes in the future. Be sure to check out the show notes for our social media links and connect with us. If you have a moment, please rate the show and give us your feedback. Thanks for listening.