Mental Health Matters

TEACHERS SEEK MORE SUPPORT TO REDUCE STRESS, AVOID BURNOUT

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have placed more importance on student mental health, with new programs to promote social and emotional learning.

School shootings and safety concerns have also spurred calls for better mental health screenings of students and action plans for schools hoping to prevent future tragedies.

But stress and anxiety also greatly impact educators — concerns about their own mental health, including burnout and depression, are a top reason why many are choosing to leave the profession.

In its February report to the Texas Legislature, the Teacher Vacancy Task Force cited a need to “prioritize teacher wellbeing, through mental health supports, expanded access to child care, and other benefits.”

“I would really like to see a focus on providing mental health support for teachers moving forward,” a teacher told the task force. “Two years ago, I started therapy through [an app]. I was drawn to the app because I was unable to make inperson appointments because of my elementary teacher work schedule. With the app, I can make appointments much easier and at a wider variety of times. ...Providing mental health support for teachers is incredibly important. I have spent over $3,000 per year out of pocket to see a therapist.”

A high school teacher in the Houston area said, “The amount of stress and the amount of work has had a real, visible effect on both my physical and mental health. I am now on four medications that I did not need a year ago including something for stress, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”

The problem isn’t just in Texas. Dissatisfaction over low pay and long hours takes a toll on educators nationwide.

“Teachers’ job satisfaction is at the lowest level in five decades,” education policy researchers Matthew A. Kraft and Melissa Arnold Leon say in their recent paper, “The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession.”

Pandemic stress isn’t solely to blame, they say. “Most of these declines occurred steadily throughout the last decade suggesting they are a function of larger, long-standing structural issues with the profession.”

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults every year. It’s the most common mental health issue in the country, yet only 36.9% of those with anxiety get treatment. During the pandemic, over a quarter of teachers reported symptoms consistent with clinical depression and anxiety, and nearly 20% said they started or increased use of alcohol to deal with stress, according to a report by the CDC Foundation.

Everyone feels stress, says Dennette Gardner, a licensed counselor and retired educator who was the keynote speaker at TCTA’s annual conventions in 2019 and 2021. (You can log in at members.tcta.org to watch replays of her talks and earn CPE credit.) The key is learning to recognize it and train your brain to react in a healthy way.

“Constant high levels of stress lead to inflammation, and inflammation is the precursor to all modern diseases that are killing us today — heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia, even diabetes. Chronic stress actually eats away over time at the hippocampus in your brain, which can lead to memory loss and new disorders,” she said.

Gardner says people need to use their superpower — the mind — to control how they react to stress.

“You get to choose where your attention goes, how long it stays there and how deeply you dive into that topic,” she said. “Your thoughts create your emotion.”

Deep breathing and meditation can help, she said. So does dance therapy. “My wish for you is that you can experience life in a way that every moment is precious.”

The Texas Teacher Vacancy Task Force recommended that teachers have access to clinical mental health services, including virtual mental health services, through health insurance plans and district employee assistance programs for no cost.

It also suggests that school systems partner with community organizations and businesses to host a variety of physical and emotional wellness events for teachers and provide

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FOCUS ON SELF-CARE

The National Alliance on Mental Health offers these tips to help focus on self-care:

Pay attention to the signs of stress — You may feel stress bubbling up inside you, making you feel sad, angry, or anxious. But stress and other mental health conditions like anxiety can also affect you physically. Headaches, muscle tension, upset stomach, and trouble sleeping can all be signs of stress.

Take a break — If you feel stress or pressure starting to get to you, disengage. Walk away from the computer, go outside, drink a glass of water, count to 10, or practice some deep breathing. Sometimes all you need is a quick change of scenery or a moment to yourself.

Take time for yourself — Making time for yourself can help. Take a walk, take a nap, or take a bath. A little private, quiet time can be enough to give your brain and body a break.

Know when to say when — Do you overcommit yourself? We often say yes to everyone and everything and forget to say yes to ourselves. Sometimes, saying no is the best thing you can do for your mental health. Keep up your social life — When we’re busy, time with friends often suffers. But those social connections are so meaningful. Even short meetups, scheduled phone time, and Zoom or Facetime calls can help you feel connected.

Make time for the things you love — Taking care of a partner, kids and a full-time job can make it hard to find the time to do the things you enjoy. Setting aside even a small amount of time every week to paint, draw, sing, sew or sink into another favorite hobby can give you a mental lift.

Sleep! — Are you delaying your bedtime because you have too much to do? Lack of sleep can make mental health conditions worse.

Get some exercise — Exercise doesn’t just benefit the body. There are also documented mental health benefits. Run with the dog, dance in your living room, or play tennis with a friend. The endorphin release can improve your mood.

Relax — Yoga is another way to get exercise that is beneficial to your mental health.

Eat right — More and more research shows a connection between the food you eat and how your brain functions. Focusing on eating lean proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruit and vegetables may help keep your body healthy while keeping your mood more stable.

Ask for help when you need it — Raising a hand isn’t always easy, especially when you feel like you’re the glue keeping everything together. But ignoring mental health issues won’t make them go away. In many cases, they’ll only get worse and more dangerous.

TRY WELL-BEING APPS

Apps promoting meditation and mindfulness exercises can help improve well-being and mental health by reducing stress and anxiety and improving sleep.

The Calm app offers guided meditation sessions ranging from 2 to 25 minutes, a variety of Sleep Stories led by celebrities including Matthew McConaughey and music tracks to help you focus and relax. TCTA members can save up to 78% on a 12-month subscription to Calm through our partnership with TicketsatWork. (Login at ticketsatwork. com/tickets or become a member using Company Code SWTCTA to get the deal.)

Other popular apps include Headspace, Moodfit and MindShift. Even fitness apps, like Fitbit and Apple Fitness+, also include meditation tools with some subscription levels.

Continued from page 15 job-embedded opportunities to consult with counselors and mental health colleagues for nonclinical emotional support, to practice stress reduction activities, and to process stressful experiences.

While the Texas Legislature has yet to pass any bills focusing on educator mental health during the current session, some districts are making changes.

An elementary campus in Corpus Christi ISD recently added a special employee break room with massage chairs and soft music to create a restorative retreat. Being able to step into the room for 15 or 20 minutes is already making a difference for teachers’ emotional health, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Seeing the toll that the pandemic had on teachers and staff inspired Mesquite ISD to act.

“This overburdened, under-resourced system was starting to collapse on itself because the backbone of that are teachers and they are really struggling,” Kemberly Edwards told KERA in March 2021. “They are stressed to the max.”

Edwards and the counseling team created a mental health clinic for the Dallas area district’s 5,500 teachers and staff. It gave teachers a chance to talk with licensed counselors and helped many get connected with additional resources to help them reduce stress and anxiety.

While Edwards is no longer with the district, the program has expanded into a CARE Clinic that serves Mesquite ISD staff, students and their families.

During the 2021-22 school year, Aldine ISD, near Houston, started giving teachers some Fridays off. The breaks are one way the district is trying to alleviate staffing shortages while also giving educators time to prioritize their own well-being.

Austin ISD also offers mental health days for teachers and is building more early release and teacher workdays into its schedule for the coming school year.

In several districts that have implemented four-day school weeks, teachers say having extra time off is helping reduce their stress.

“I feel more relaxed and energized for the next week,” an Athens ISD teacher told TCTA in a recent survey.

A TCTA member in Mineral Wells ISD says having more family time has improved her work-life balance.

“I don’t feel like the weekend has gone by in a blur and I enjoy the extra time with my family,” Kathleen Bessent says. “My grandchildren go to a different district so I’m able to go have lunch with them when I can.”

Another Mineral Wells teacher agreed, telling TCTA, “The extra time to mentally reset and physically recharge on the weekends has been such a lifesaver. I actually get a day to rest each week.”

Finding time to rest and recharge can be a challenge, but resources are available to help.

All TRS-ActiveCare participants now have coverage to see therapists or psychiatrists at the same rates as medical health visits. TRS-ActiveCare also offers virtual mental health appointments through Teladoc to make it easier to find access to providers.

Through a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, ActiveCare participants also have access to Well OnTarget, which offers personalized tools and resources for a variety of topics, including wellness and mental health. Well OnTarget begins with a personal health assessment that leads to information and action steps to help work toward goals. Those with other health insurance providers may have access to similar programs through their plan benefits.

Taking advantage of resources like these and making time for self-care is essential to teachers’ well-being, says Jacobē Bell, a network director at Teaching Matters, a national professional learning organization dedicated to increasing teacher effectiveness.

“To create spaces for educators to flourish, we must consider the mind, body and spirit of a person as equally important,” Bell says. She encourages administrators to create a culture of well-being in schools. “If we disinvest in any of these areas, we are contributing to teacher burnout. We must also work in partnership with teachers because well-being is a collective endeavor.”