From: The Main Idea <jenn@themainidea.net>
Subject: THE MAIN IDEA - 18 ways to reduce your stress during the pandemic
Date: September 15, 2020 at 3:05:18 AM EDT
To: btryon12@gmail.com
Reply-To: jenn@themainidea.net

 	

 	 	

Hello Bonnie,

We are barely into the school year and school leaders are already deeply stressed. One west coast AP told me she was working very late nights to finish the school schedule while at the same time several staff and her own family were on alert for evacuations from the wildfires. 

It’s just too much. And I know there’s a lot out there to help teachers and students with stress and trauma, but I haven’t seen as much for school leaders. 

I decided to pause the content this month, and instead write something to help with principal stress. As you know, it’s already lonely at the top and too many good leaders leave the job (even before the pandemic). 

So, what do I suggest for managing stress?

Step One: Acknowledge that as a school leader, right now you are experiencing your own unique stresses and trauma. 

Step Two: Try 1 to 2 new strategies to better handle stress using the 4 A’s framework below – Avert, Alter, Accept, Adapt. 

Read below for details on both.
***Or click on the Coping with Stress one-pager here*** 	

	

Step One: Acknowledge the unique stress and trauma 
of the school leader

Few people are writing about the particular stressors that school leaders face at this time. So, let’s name those stressors. Experts say it can help relieve stress to name it.

I suggest you take time to reflect, write, or discuss what’s most stressful right now – get it out! Here are some examples of what school leaders are currently experiencing to get you started:

9 Reasons School Leaders are Facing 
Acute Stress Right Now

1. They feel responsible for the emotional and academic well-being of the entire student body. 

2.Their learning curve is incredibly high as they work to learn everything about remote instruction while also trying to understand and implement new regulations for everything from attendance to cleaning procedures.

3. They are unsure how to balance support for the social-emotional needs of faculty vs. coach them to improve instruction.

4. They are caught balancing the seemingly opposing needs of stakeholders – parents needing to go back to work, families worried about the safety of their children, districts concerned about learning loss, students missing social interaction, teachers trying to juggle remote and in-person learning, school boards concerned about budget cuts, etc.

5. They are having their schools provide more services than ever before (devices, safety paraphernalia, in-person and remote teaching, meals, etc.) while experiencing a severe loss of funding.

6. They are taking on roles they’ve never taken on before – literally wiping down banisters with sanitizers, measuring out 6 feet between desks, overseeing safety precautions during lunch, hand delivering meals and devices to families, tracking down missing students, worrying about Internet connectivity, and more.

7. If they are parents, they are overseeing their school and the learning and well-being of their own children all at once. 

8. They are struggling to build relationships with new staff they have barely or never met in person.

9. They may be handling the death of school community members for the first time in their careers.	

Step Two: Try 1-2 strategies for handling stress from the 4 A’s framework – Avert, Alter, Accept, Adapt 

A few years ago, the Mayo Clinic created a “4 A’s” framework to help with stress management. I adapted this framework and included suggestions for school leaders.

Between the multiple crises the world is facing, you may feel that there’s nothing to do about your own increased levels of stress. 

But if you adopt even one of the skills in the chart below you could make a significant difference in your stress. 

The 4 A’s approach, adapted for school leaders, provides concrete suggestions for reducing stress. If you can… 

Avert – the effects of stress by being proactive
Alter – your reaction to stress
Accept – things as they are
Adapt – to your surroundings

…you will experience much needed pockets of relief from stress. 

18 ways you, as the school leader, 
can reduce your stress

The 4 A's Framework, adapted for school leaders
AVERT, ALTER, ACCEPT, ADAPT

AVERT – stress by being proactive
Nip stress in the bud rather than watering its roots.

1. Say no. Now is the time to reduce superfluous initiatives and programs – you’ll get less pushback. Having less on your plate prevents stress. 

2. Eat. Sleep. Exercise. Doing these will make you less vulnerable to stress. Too many school leaders say they don’t have time for self-care, until they collapse or leave the job. 

3. Communicate. Being transparent with staff, families, and students prevents miscommunication and anger over not being kept informed. 

4. Keep your fingers on the pulse. Catch problems early by knowing what’s going on with surveys, one-on-one check-ins, and asking questions. 

5. Proactively build community. When you have built community, trust, and buy-in, people give you less grief. 	

	

ALTER – your reaction to stress
Crises are a given; your reaction to them isn’t.

6. Understand that how you react to stress is your choice. 
Two principals will react differently to the same tough news. The power to respond, and not react is yours. “Between stimulus and response there is a space... In that space is our power to choose our response.” (Viktor Frankl) 

7. Pause. When stress rears its ugly head, count to 5, breathe deeply, or do 1 minute of jumping jacks. “Refrain from making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.” 
(Marc Brackett, Permission to Feel) 

8. Have one-liners ready for when you are attacked. 
Rather than bark back, be prepared to say: “That must be tough” or “Can I have a minute?” (to gather yourself).

9. Use a motto (or other positive self-talk). 
Try: “This, too, shall pass.” Or, “I’ve completed a marathon; I have the stamina to get through this, too.”	

	

ACCEPT – things as they are
You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to ride them.

10. Understand what you can and can’t control. 
To remind yourself that you’re not powerless, make a 3-column chart and list: things you can control, can influence, and can’t control. Focus your efforts on what you can do. See this 3-minute circle of influence video to help. 

11. Get comfortable with uncertainty. It’s here to stay. While you can’t solve the pandemic or racism, understand that you can manage these adaptive challenges in your school. 

12. Stop resisting reality. Fighting the inevitable adds more stress. “If the problem can be solved, why worry? If the problem cannot be solved, worrying will do you no good.” (The Buddha) 

13. Reframe. Rather than, “This crisis is killing us,” try “Getting through this crisis will make our school community stronger than ever.” 

14. Celebrate and appreciate others. 
Taking a strengths-based approach actually helps you accept things as they are. 
Do this privately (gratitude journal) & publicly (newsletters, Twitter, etc.)	

	

ADAPT – to your surroundings
Think back to Darwin – adapting is literally surviving.

15. Understand the current crises are adaptive challenges. There are no known solutions to the pandemic or racism in schools. Instead, focus on helping you & your staff adapt mindsets & learn new skills and behaviors.  

16. Adjust your expectations. Do you need to attend every meeting? Do you need to answer every email? Where can you give yourself some slack? 

17. Maximize disruptions. The pandemic has opened possibilities to trim the unnecessary, address inequity, and sharpen teachers’ technology skills. 

18. Build on improvements. Retain what’s working better now – staff engaging in online PD, parents meeting virtually with staff, shy students performing better online, etc. 	

	

 	 	

Want to help your teachers with remote instruction?

Take a look -- last month I summarized 
The Distance Learning Playbook, Grades K-12, 
by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, & John Hattie (click the link) 

I had an outpouring of interest for the PPT workshop to introduce the ideas in The Distance Learning Playbook to teachers. 
Email me to request a free copy (for members).	

	

 	 	

Want more 1-pagers for leading in disruptive times?
(Click links to get access to them.)

The 1st one-pager I created was about establishing Calm and Comfort. 

The 2nd was on Clarity and Communication. 

The 3rd was about building Connection at your school. 

 	

	

I'll be back on October 15 with a new book summary. Be well--

Jenn	

***New PASSWORD for previous book summaries: 
﻿chinup	
LOGIN NOW	

	

	

	

	
	
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