Less stress, more joy

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How to reduce stress at work in the Early Years

Prerna says that she has observed stress in early childhood settings coming out in the way educators talk to children, speaking at children rather than with them. Leaders can identify feelings of stress by observing the dynamic of the room throughout the working day, noticing whether it feels calm or if there's a general atmosphere of rush and overwhelm. She highlights the importance of listening to the sounds in the environment, noting that raised voices and excessive adult talk can indicate stress and reactive behaviour.

But, whatever you do, don't ignore it.

Early Years leaders should stay alert to their team's mental health, keeping an eye out for physical and emotional signs of stress. A lack of support, or even acknowledgement, could exacerbate work-related stress, so recognising the signs is key.

Once leaders have recognised that their team are experiencing stress, they can begin to create action plans to turn the tide. Working with your team to find ways of managing stress can restore a sense of calm and hope.

"Don't pretend it's not happening," advises Prerna, "So acknowledge and validate. Because stress is real and it's never going to go away. It's part of who we are as humans. The goal is not to eliminate it. The goal is to learn coping skills so that we don't get overwhelmed by it, and manage it. To self-regulate and to help children regulate."

Co-regulation in Early Years

It's not just about stress management for educators. Prerna notes that effective co-regulation involves acknowledging children's emotions, identifying causes, and helping them develop coping strategies. Educators can model this by consistently naming emotions and offering support throughout the day.

Often, young children can experience a lack of control when experiencing "big feelings". Helping children to deal with stress in this way helps to build resilience and restore feelings of stability.

"Every child has potential and our job is to nurture it. To be the gardeners. To give the right soil and to nurture it and not to make a rose into a sunflower and sunflower into a rose. Accept the child that's been given to you and nurture the child that's been given to you. Whether you're teaching or parenting, it doesn't matter your role, our job is to nurture you so that you blossom."

Prerna Richards, Together We Grow

Change your mind by changing your vocabulary

Prerna advises changing vocabulary from "have to" to "want to" or "get to" to reduce stress and increase a sense of choice. Replacing complaints and comparisons with gratitude can shift perception from stress to joy.

Name your negative self-critic

Prerna introduces the concept of naming your inner critic (hers is "Edith") as a way to manage self-criticism and negative self-talk. If you're feeling low or doubting yourself, telling "Edith" to be quiet can help.

"Edith has come alive for about a year and a half now," explains Prerna, "And when you name her, it takes her power away. And then if you draw her, make her visual, she really doesn't have much power because you can call her out. So my husband got in the game with me now, so he has negative Norman, and I have Edith."

Coping strategies for Early Years educators

Early years educators can better manage work-related stress by developing self-awareness about personal triggers and implementing coping strategies like "flow writing".

Prerna introduces the concept of becoming a "breathing program" and her SBA (Stop, Breathe, Anchor) approach, which involves pausing for 90 seconds to prevent reactive responses to emotional triggers. Prerna encourages trying this technique in real-life situations to experience its powerful effect on managing emotions and reactions, physically and mentally.