Summary

Stress is an inevitable and necessary component of life-to a degree. Excessive stress can become a disease promoting agent and constitutes a major health concern today. While some stressors can be avoided and others need to be confronted, in the end, a good balance of stress in one's life can be healthy, and growth promoting in terms of one's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development.

Stress coping strategies acquired through experience, vary individually, with some appropriate and successful, and others inappropriate and unsuccessful. Many of these coping strategies, however, are learned during the formative years of development. In essence, how appropriate an individual deals with stressful life events at various stages of development is determined, to a large extent, by what was learned and reinforced during previous developmental stages. It is necessary, then, that timely and effective stress management education be pro-vided and continued during the early stages of development (childhood through adolescence) to insure positive coping responses as adults. Life skills can be taught to assist individuals successfully deal with stressful life events, even before they occur. Successfully coping with stressful events at an early age can minimize the acquisition of unhealthy stress coping responses which could promote illness and disease.

Objectives 

The goal of stress management education is not to shelter educators from stressful situations, but to help them develop the ability to respond to stressful events in a positive, constructive way. Confrontation with stressful situations need to be encouraged rather than avoided. Through the implementation of a comprehensive stress management education program (life skills approach) it is hoped that individuals will be more adept at coping and handling stressful life events, throughout the life span, due to practice and positive reinforcement of earlier, analogous stress related responses.

Our Stress Management Training gives professionals the best tools to control reflex triggers and emotions. They learn how to deactivate stressors occurring in classrooms and built coping resources to solve tough challenges, useful both in professional and personal daily life. The focus will be given to mindfulness technique.

Agenda 

Day 1

• Introductory meeting, explanation of practical arrangements, presentation of timetable, information about course venue
• Contact the group members, Build the team spirit
• Information about the Stress Management Course

Day 2

• Introductory to the course
• Understanding of how stress works
• Introduction to the cognitive- behavioral approach – how feelings, thoughts, body and behavior response to the stress
• Observation of the inner , personal patterns in stressful conditions

Day 3

• Stress Management approach
• Control situational stress as it occurs
• Develop responses to frequent stress scenarios
• Cut off the escalating spiral of stress, and implement recovery and preventive solutions
• Introduction to mindfulness
• Practicing breathing
• Self- awareness techniques

Day 4

• Relieve tension
• Relaxation techniques in classrooms
• Build resilience, including the use of optimism to buffer the false beliefs and thoughts that drive stress and pessimistic thinking
• Half- Day excursion in Heraklion City

Day 5

• Specific stressful events and coping skills (exams, public speaking)
• Support in traumatic experiences (death, looses, accidents, abuse etc)
• Learn how to change the thoughts that drive stress and manage time to reduce pressure
• Practicing in maintaining emotional control
• Self-management skills
• Coping resources

Day 6

• Smarter work strategies
• Develop the ability to respond to stressful events in a positive, constructive way
• Adapt at coping and handling stressful life events
• Personal action plan
• Feedback to the trainer about the effectiveness of the course
• Self- reflection
• Summary of the tools the team gained to turn stress off
• Increase optimism and positive emotions

Day 7

• Erasmus+ programme : objectives, priorities, actions, forms, budget, tips for applicants
• Planning follow up activities, dissemination and exploitation of learning outcomes
• Course Evaluation
• Certifications

Methods

Lectures, exercises, discussions, teamwork, role-playing, study visits

Target groups

Teachers (pre- school, primary, secondary, vocational, adult, special needs), teacher trainers, careers officers, educational counselors, school psychologists, headteachers, principals, managers of schools

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