Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Gary, So nice to hear you've got a great support system who can help you through difficult learning curves and such. Sometimes all we need is reliable people to lean on when times are tough. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Causes of Stress

Kaitlin, Sounds like a fantastic life change and one with many benefits. Glad to hear you made the investment. Probably was a little extra work up front but well worth it in the end! Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Task Prioritization

Ron, Sounds like an important change in approach. Yes, assessing tasks by priority is key. Urgent tasks can often be unimportant when we look at the big picture and can distract us from our most important workplace contributions. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Coping with Stress

Gail, It sounds like you have identified a number of great coping mechanisms. What I like about your list is the way each is manageable and something you could leverage for a long time. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Streamlining the Grading Process

Betty, Excellent new approach! I hope it works well for you. Yes, at a guess, grading is going to be so much easier. You may even be able to grade several exams at once using this method. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Task Prioritization

Tim, Flexibility is key so I'm glad you mentioned this. Rigidity does not get us far when working down items on our lists. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Coping with Stress

Sue, It sounds like you have a great handle on both the techniques available for coping with stress as well as the ones that work particularly well for you. Excellent to hear! Yes, walking and breathing really work. It's nice to hear you found a way to do these in your workplace too! Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Task Prioritization

Joshua, Excellent to hear! Sometimes the first step in addressing a problem is simply identifying that you have one. Next step is of course doing something about it, and I'm glad you have learned some good methods for that. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Causes of Stress

Albert, That sounds like a healthy approach. If we know we are going to experience stress on our way to work, it's important to allow a small buffer of time to unwind and get back to a position of strength before engaging with our students. Dr. Melissa Read

Dr. Melissa Read

Discussion Comment

Causes of Stress

Gail, Thanks for sharing. These are common stressors for instructors indeed. When text changes are out of your control, this can be particularly stressful. You might connect with your administration to learn more about why changes are being made and to potentially influence their decisions on changing texts in the future. Dr. Melissa Read