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Many people’s lives consist of various trials and tribulations, and teachers are no stranger to that.
There are problems that teachers encounter that not only take a toll on the physical aspect of their health but also their mental health.
The one thing that we instinctively do whenever we are working or just after a hard and long day at work is stretching. We stretch out our extremities and other parts of our body in hopes to release some of the accumulated tension our bodies experience during stressful times.
So how does stretching relax you?
Why stretch?
The best way to keep our body at full capacity is to practice exercising daily, however, due to some restrictions such as work or school which is both for a teacher’s case. It becomes impossible for us to find the time to fully commit ourselves to working out and keeping our bodies in tip-top shape.
Stretching is the simplest and the most effective form of exercise that will guarantee us to keep our bodies in check, while still providing us enough time to dedicate to work.
Most people underestimate the action of stretching, but even those who regularly exercise need to prepare their body first with a stretching regimen before conducting a full-blown workout.
The same goes even for those who are not physically active, something I am guilty of, and with that, I just resort to stretching and a few rounds of light exercise routines.
So how does stretching help in one’s relaxation? Let’s find out how, and change the way we think about stretching because it’s actually more beneficial than we think it is.
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<<What are other self-care activities do you know? We checked out 10 inspiring activities that can boost self-care among teachers. Try them out!
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4 Ways Stretching Can Help Teachers Relax!
1.) It helps take away your stress.
Have you ever found yourself stretching in your work cubicle whenever you find yourself not productive enough to continue working?
All of us have different habits when it comes to suppressing our stress, it may be by means of cracking our joints or rubbing on our temples.
But one thing is for sure, you do not need constant stress in your daily life. Through stretching, it can help ease your mind and provide you with a sense of tranquility by tending and stretching out your muscles.
Many studies have shown that there is a big and progressive correlation between stretching and relieving stress—which is why many fitness gyms have already incorporated yoga lessons and tai-chi classes for people who need some time and help to relax.
Not only does it help you find some calmness in your mind, but the proper conducting of stretching will release some of the tension from your muscles and allow you to freely move without the constant pain and restriction from long hours of just working and standing in front of different classes and or meetings.
Try incorporating stretching your muscles before going to work. This will allow you an opportunity to start the day with a fully charged body and a positive mind that can help keep stress at bay.
2.) It helps aid your body from pain.
Tensed muscles and inflexible joints are most likely the reason why people often feel pain even without doing anything all day long.
Imagine just sitting for constant long hours in one position and then all of a sudden you feel a searing, hot pain in your lower back. sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
People who experience this type of pain are mostly office workers who work more than 8 hours a day, their job might be easier than most but it still has its disadvantages.
And for teachers the same situation applies, especially during long hours of grading student papers, creating lesson plans, preparing slideshows for the class and meeting, and much more.
The fatigue of working in a school is indescribable; it is not something that can be resolved in a good night’s rest because the complications of sitting in the same position for hours, and every day at that, is not something that can be solved overnight.
One way to ease the burden is to actively participate in the proper form of stretching; it will help in making the joints more flexible and release some of the pent up tension in the muscles so that the body can endure long hours of working in the office.
Without stretching, your muscles will be too tense and are not going to be flexible enough for a rigorous workout—instead of creating a healthy body for yourself, you are only going to find yourself with an aching body.
With this said, it will allow people to relax more and they will find themselves functioning properly without ever worrying about the constant pain that they feel.
3.) Increases blood circulation.
If you ever find yourself experiencing any stress then you must be aware that it does not help in the proper circulation of your blood flow.
This can cause many problems; you will find yourself getting annoyed at little things and worse, you might even take your unnecessary anger towards others.
Indulging yourself in stress will only make matters worse, especially for your health and mind.
It can cause a high blood pressure spike, making your heart rate go faster as your blood vessels narrow in size causing blood flow to not circulate properly. It may result in you getting severe headaches, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and even fainting.
One way to avoid that is to add regular stretching to your daily routine. Stretching helps in the circulation of your blood throughout your whole body, it heightens your senses and helps pump blood to your brain that can result in you having a better mood.
When your heart actively pumps the right amount of blood to your brain, the brain may release some positive neurochemicals that help improve your mood and allow your mind to function well.
Nothing good comes out of succumbing to stress, so get to work with those muscles!
4.) It helps keep good posture.
Proper posture is one of the most important keys in maintaining a healthy body, and a healthy body is a must for teachers for them to be effective in their role.
When doing strenuous work such as being behind the computer all day long. Since only classes are conducted, teachers are in front of their computers all day long.
It helps especially if you are prone to back pain and tense muscle joints, stretching will enable you to have control of your posture and keep you from slouching.
Having a flexible body can harden it and make it easier to maintain and control, by regularly doing stretches it will allow you to make more use of your body without having to tear on the supportive structures that keep your body in good condition.
Conclusion
Stretching provides a lot of opportunities for relaxation. If you take good care of your body, then your mind will also be in its best condition.
Do not let yourself get stuck in a stressful situation, treat and take care of yourself more because what matters the most is your well-being. I hope the stretching techniques I shared above can make a difference in your daily relaxation routines.
