trying to balance personal obligations, family obligations and work obligations consistently. I have a fear of having low expectations in any of these and am constantly juggling my priorities.
I agree. It's part of the job
The causes of stress in my life include:
1.The commute.
2. working on a advanced degree while still carrying an admin and teaching load
3. Raising a special needs child
4. HAving enough "me Time"
I am now changing my exercise schedule to early mornings to start my day off for me. this should help me de-stress before these other things get out of hand.
I am a Director for a Pharmacy Program and I am put under stress everyday but meeting deadlines, especially when i have not prioritized my task in order of importance. Also, when an instructor calls out at the last minute this tends to add stress to my job.
A stressor can be a member of management who does not realize what they are asking to be done is very difficult to do when there is a class or two classes that have priority. Sometimes they think one can pull time out of the air.
Being overwhelm with school and work while leaving the house in a mess is a major stressor in my life right now. I would like to see the office room clutter free; however, it is not likely because my son (4 years old) decided to adversely possess the office space as his Lego station. This is a losing battle for me.
One cause of stress is the amount of material needed to be presented per class. ALthough we cover the whole book, there are certain areas in which I feel "crunched" for time and that can be a potential stressor.
I used to be a "people pleaser" and would spend all my free time socializing with friends and family, even if I had other things to tend to at home.
Things had to change when I became a wife and a mother. Aside from holding down two part-time jobs, my (very outgoing) friends continued to expect me to be available to socialize at a moments notice.
This was a very stressful time in my life as I had to learn to balance the roles of being a wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, nurse, and nursing instructor. Unfortunately, I've lost touch with some friends who didn't understand how my priorities have changed, but in the end, it was necessary.
Now, my family is my priority. My career comes next, and my friends come last. My true friends who have stuck around understand this, and continue to remain a part of my busy life.
As a nursing instructor, my stressors will include when I misplace or forget some of my student's papers. Students who brings disrespectful attitudes are my triggers for stress.
Thanks for sharing Marivic. I think it's important to reevaluate your priorities, and to re prioritize, every now and then. What was once in focus and important may fall to the wayside as other priorities emerge.
Last minute stressors are tough Jamel. I recommend some contingency planning, especially if it's happening a lot.
Wow, sounds really tough Walter. I'd be curious to learn more about the coping techniques that are working for you and those that aren't.
Some of the main stressors are-
1. Work - life - school balance.
Managing a 9-5 with 3 classes and a family can get get a bit stressfull.
2. Deadline timing - When I have projects at home at work and at school all being due at once.
Most of these are logistical and can be solved for the most part using time management.
Stressors in ly life are not different that form those workig moms: juggling between work and what to prepare for dinner, whihc to me is a very minor stressor.
Major stressors are at work; doing back to back lectures and having all quizes, exaninations, and homeworks graded on tme. These are school requirements and at the same time due to shortage in faculty. Although I consider these as major stressors, after a couple of months, there is a break in the schedule and I am able to re energize.
Major stressors in my life are running my own business, teaching part-time, being a mother of a Senior in HS and to an underemployed college grad, and also having to travel once a month out of town for 4 years to get my Masters at a school that is 5 hours away. The relief is that somehow I have made it through most of the 4 years and only have 7 months of school left. Then I get to add starting a new business on top of that! Fun! Stressful, yes, but exciting too.
Two of the main causes of stress for me are organizational factors (dealing with siloed teams) and personal environment (family and friends). From an organizational perspective, I feel stress when I need to acquire important information to complete a project. I face this type of stress on a daily basis. I am trying to ease some of this stress by building a stronger working relationship with different team members. It takes time to build trust, gain understanding, and a willingness to share information when the organizational climate promotes you to horde it. From a personal perspective, I find friends and family reactions to my work prompts guilt feelings within me. I am reaching out to family and friends by sharing my thoughts and assuring them that they matter to me. In addition, I am trying harder to balance my time so that I may spend quality time with the family and friends hence "walking the talk" of how they matter.
That's nice to hear Elsie. For many instructors, there's an ebb and flow of work that we can count on. We take the time to regroup during the ebb.
That's what it sounds like to me too Lawrence. Lots of these things can be dealt with best through a little up front preparation.
Relationship building is a great strategy Cynthia. I'm glad you mentioned this. True that it takes time to gain trust but this is a great first step!
Managing time between work and personal life. I feel a need to do an excellent job at work, but my family can suffer in the process. I guess this ties in with the previous module on time management.
