Me and My Stress

Main causes of stress

Main causes of stress

Is this a stressful time at the moment with the dispute going on? Yes. As you can imagine, trying to get the Government to part with some of their money can be a fairly stressful experience. I wouldn't say being in the public eye is stressful but it can be a strange experience when people start to recognise you from the television. Some people like to say hello to you in the supermarket or talk to you about an issue that came up on the news.

Traffic is my main cause of stress. I live in Bray and travel to Dublin city centre every morning and evening - basically an hour each way. However, I can use the time to catch up with the radio news - although this can add to my stress occasionally!

Coping with stress

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I try to get to the gym regularly, which helps to work off tension. Time permitting, I particularly enjoy hill walking. Bad weather does not deter me from getting out for some real fresh air and it certainly beats sitting in a car somewhere. Unfortunately, foot-and-mouth disease means I can't partake of this stress-relieving activity for the time being. I enjoy sport, particularly rugby - more as a spectator nowadays. One of the best ways to relieve stress is to do something you really enjoy.

Teachers and pressure

Yes, I think teachers are vulnerable to stress. Occupational stress comes with every profession these days. However, studies indicate that teachers do suffer from high levels of occupational stress.

I think this is because teaching demands a tremendous amount of energy and there is a lot of personal interaction between teachers and individual students. Teaching is like acting in some respects. It requires the teacher to perform and this can be extremely challenging and exhausting.

In conversation with Alison Healy