A guide to stress management for UFT Members

Dear Colleagues,

The schools of New York City have never placed more demands upon their employees. And the pressures can be overwhelming.

Teaching is difficult, the bureaucracy is frustrating, and you’re trying to do a good job while living under the strain everyone faces in New York City. The UFT understands how stressful your environment can be — and we want to help you cope with it.

This booklet is full of useful tips, exercises and information for dealing with stress effectively. For more extensive assistance, the UFT offers stress management courses. There, our experts provide a more comprehensive exploration of stress and ways of handling it. Look for announcements of the courses in the New York Teacher.

Remember, you can be your best when you’re taking care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Randi Weingarten
UFT President

• letter from randi
• stress defined
• stress and schools
• stress and students
• recognizing stress
• ways to resolve stress
• deep muscle relaxation
• muscle tensing method
• diet
• substance abuse
• take a deep breath
• you're not alone
• closing thoughts
• credits