How teachers can manage workplace anxiety
Teaching is a really rewarding job, but it’s not short of its challenging moments and poses some problems for teachers that are truly unique. The Education Support Partnership’s 2018 Teacher Wellbeing Index found that an overwhelming majority of UK teachers have suffered physical and mental health issues as a result of their job. 43% of education professionals reported exhibiting signs of anxiety, which is considerably higher than the UK adult average.
Anxiety is a widespread condition with a range of psychological and physical symptoms. Each person’s experience of anxiety will vary, but it usually flares up in response to stressful situations. Common symptoms include fear, tension, excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension and palpitations. Here at Twinkl, we’ve just started our Year of Wellbeing, sharing and exploring ways for teachers to take care of their physical and mental health both in and outside of the workplace. We’ve spoken to some experts in the field, and here we’ll share their tips for managing anxiety as a teacher.

Identify tasks that can be managed effectively
What day-to-day tasks could you streamline so they take up less of your valuable time? Most of the teachers we speak to identify marking as the responsibility that takes up most of their time, and thus contributes to their stress levels. Work for marking can stack up astonishingly quickly, and can easily start to eat in to evenings and weekends, which should be time reserved for rest and relaxation.
Pupils rely on detailed feedback to know which areas to focus on in their development, so it’s important to make sure this is delivered. But how can marketing be streamlined? In our article “Reducing Stress: Marking Tips for Teachers” we share some insider tips on setting marking expectations, marking in class, marking codes and more, allowing you to claim back some valuable time for yourself.
Set clear boundaries between work and home
Dr Reema Beri of Great Lakes Psychology Group is no stranger to seeing teachers and education professionals in her time as a counsellor, and she shares the story of a client of hers, a teacher dealing with anxiety due to overwhelming workload. Often teachers can fall into the trap of attempting to be present at all times for pupils, colleagues and parents — leaving little time for that essential work-life balance. How did Dr Beri’s client attempt to solve this problem?
“[The teacher] ended up sending a very polite but straightforward email stating that while she would continue to be available to parents for true emergencies, her primary obligation was to provide their children with the best teaching experience she could and that therefore, responses to questions and concerns may take some time,” says Beri. But realistically, how might this work?
“She began scheduling 30 minute chunks of time each day to specifically respond to questions, and made a conscious effort to not respond to anything outside of that time period. The amazing outcome to this? She began receiving fewer and fewer redundant email requests and freed up so much time from her schedule by not continually engaging in email discussions. In doing so, she significantly reduced the amount of anxiety she felt, and was able to engage with her students fully. She was also able to spend her out-of-work time doing things that were important to her, rather than being tied to her job.”
The lesson from this? Aim for quality over quantity. Realistically, people from your professional life do not need 24/7 access to you — and you shouldn’t feel obliged to deliver this. By switching off and maintaining some distance, your responses will be more thorough and considered, and this mental space will really help to reduce any anxiety you may feel about being constantly available.

Develop your support network of peers and colleagues
The power of community is enormous, and it’s even more powerful when teachers band together to uplift and support one another. It can be easy to feel like you’re the only person feeling the way you do when you’re stricken with overwhelm, stress or anxiety — but you’re not alone. Reaching out to colleagues or even other adults outside of your professional sphere can have a huge impact on mental wellbeing. A problem shared truly is a problem halved, and discussing your problems with others can really nurture a sense of being supported and give you a fresh new perspective.
“Engage with adults: Whether you’re an elementary or high school teacher, you’re frequently interacting with people who are younger than you and in some cases, generations apart,” advises therapist Lauren Cook. “Interact with your peers who have professions that are different from yours to diversify your community and open up dialogues outside of the academic space.”
Develop a ‘self care action plan’ for use at work
Wellness and parenting blogger Emmy Kissinger suggests developing a self-care action plan that includes finding ways to make sure your basic needs are met and you’re able to find some peace during even the most stressful school day. She suggests:
- Make sure your basic needs are met at work. Are you hydrated? Have you had a snack? Do you need to use the bathroom? These small discomforts will add to any feeling of unease, so putting off your personal needs is a false economy. Make sure you’re comfortable and ready to go. This may mean keeping a cereal bar in your desk, or tag-teaming with a colleague to make a cup of tea at break times.
- Identify ‘little things’ that make life feel chaotic and prioritize these tasks. There can be endless small tasks to complete as a teacher and it can easily feel like your to-do list is spiralling out of your control. Try to schedule a regular time slot where you can plough through some of these minor tasks, freeing up your time for the bigger picture.
- Identify stress signals and ramp-up self-care when these start creeping up on you. Try making yourself a hot drink, taking five minutes outside, doing a short calming meditation or focusing on your breath to bring yourself out of a stressful situation and focus on the way your body feels. We’ve pulled together some fabulous self-care apps in this article, that mean you can carry a moment of peace right in the palm of your hand!
Derik Lawlis of Mindbliss champions the benefits of breathing exercises in situations of stress. ‘Box breathing’ in particular is an effective method utilised by Navy Seals: “The great thing about this technique is that is straightforward and can be done anytime, anywhere — even in the classroom!” says Lawlis. Box breathing is as easy as this:
- Exhale slowly, while counting to four.
- Now count to four again, once your lungs have been depleted.
- Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose while counting to four.
- With your lungs full, count to four again.
- … And repeat!

Support Your Body from the Inside Out
Teaching — and the resulting anxiety — can really take its toll physically, so it makes sense to fortify and fuel your body by making sure to eat plenty of good, nutritious food. Nutritionist Lisa Richards says, “Teaching is a stressful and often thankless profession. In the midst of full schedules, it can be difficult to work in a balanced diet and nutrient-dense snacks. The convenient, sugar-laden, refined carbohydrate snack foods that many teachers rely on can wreak havoc on their overall health, even increasing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Teachers should attempt to integrate healthier alternatives to processed snack foods.”
Try to make the time for some meal prep for the week ahead — cook in bulk and freeze for later, or stock up on lunch box essentials to prevent you making a beeline for the tempting meal deals or takeaways. Sandwiches, home-made soup, stuffed pitta breads, hummus and chopped vegetables are all great options to pack up the night before, and grab and go in the morning. We’ve put together some of our favourite easy lunch box recipes here.
What you pack in your lunch box can help to beat anxiety too. Pack sources of inflammation-reducing selenium such as nuts, mushrooms and soybeans, as well as omega-3 rich foods to boost mood and cognitive function. Omega-3 sources include fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, chia seeds and walnuts. Vitamin D deficiency has recently been identified as a factor in mood disorders, so add cheese and eggs to give your brain a boost.

Keep Things in Perspective
A key way to beat work-based anxiety is to reassess your perspective. During times of high stress, it’s easy to amplify a situation, often making it out to be worse than it actually is. Psychologist Dr Marsha Brown says: “When you’re feeling overwhelmed with nerves or worry, pause for a minute and ask yourself: What is causing me to feel this way and why? Is my assessment of this situation accurate or am I amplifying the possible negative outcomes? Is there any evidence that contradicts my assessment of the situation? What are some possible ways to resolve this situation? By stopping to ask the aforementioned questions, we can often gain a clearer perspective of our experiences and decrease our anxiety.”
Despite our best efforts, there may be instances where we do just feel overwhelmed by it all. Realistically, these moments do tend to be temporary and will pass — but in these instances, remind yourself why you chose the teaching profession, says counsellor Sharise Nance: “This may require examining your core values in relation to your job. Examine your expectations of yourself as an educator. How much of a role do you play in the success of your students? Who is responsible for the professional development of your students?”

A great way to organise thoughts and reframe your perspective on a situation is journaling. “Many people find that journaling provides a safe space to express their deepest concerns, hopes, fears, and goals, without fear of being judged. For someone with anxiety, it can be a useful method of self-expression while helping them to identify, process, and understand their feelings,” says Dr Brown. Treat yourself to a nice new diary or journal, and keep it somewhere safe for times when you need to vent, mind map or untangle some mental knots. To help, check out this blog about why you should start journaling to aid your wellbeing.
How Twinkl Can Help
Twinkl is an advocate for the wellbeing of teachers and school communities. We aim to be here for educators as part of a wider support network and as a source of help and support for all teachers. Twinkl Life contains a wealth of lovely wellbeing resources for staff, children and whole schools — so take a look if you’re struggling with anxiety in your day-to-day work.
Head to the Twinkl website to browse our library of over 625,000 teaching resources to help you save time in the classroom.
