[ART CLASS CURATOR] How to Handle Your Anxiety at School: A Discussion with Highly-Sensitive Teachers

Art and Self with Cindy Ingram

This episode is part of the former Art Class Curator episode and is targeted specifically for art teachers.

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I’ve noticed that the excitement and energy that comes with teaching wasn’t really there at the beginning of this school year. And if you’re one who struggles with anxiety or high-sensitivity, teaching these days is harder than ever.

Today’s episode is a re-release for both new listeners and old ones who’ve forgotten or missed out on this one the first time around. It involves one of my favorite conversations and is highly relevant to the trauma and stress educators are facing in the world right now.

In it, I interview two highly-sensitive teachers, Monica Wright and Amber Jordan, and we talk about how we handle our anxiety and sensitivity in the classroom. By the end of the show, I hope you find some nuggets of wisdom for your use or, at the very least, feel less lonely in your struggle.

2:59​ - Monica and Amber introduce themselves briefly

7:37 - What it’s been like for me as an introverted, socially anxious person

9:01 - What it really means to be a highly-sensitive person

10:02 - Amber’s #1 management tool for dealing with noise in the classroom

13:21 - How Amber avoids light sensory overload in her class

19:54 - Monica’s approach for handling the noise level in her classroom

24:09 - Preventing students from getting uncomfortably close and invading personal space

30:09 - A way to help alleviate the biggest cause of anxiety for new teachers

32:46 - Do this in the first weeks of school for a long-lasting, positive impact

36:57 - Monica’s coping mechanisms for social events at school

39:06 - How we’ve struggled to not take home the emotions of our students

49:39 - Solutions for dealing with our “hot spots” (peak stress moments)

1:01:36 - How Monica and Amber deal with teaching and parenting at the same time

1:08:43 - A tendency among the super anxious to over-plan and be hard on ourselves

Transcript at https://artclasscurator.com/87-how-to-handle-your-anxiety-at-school/