Last Updated on May 20, 2025 by Niki
Anxiety is prevalent and can affect us all at any time. Left unmanaged, it can feed into much more symptomatic mental health conditions. So understanding what makes teachers anxious can help us manage the situations that we put ourselves in.
What is anxiety?
There are numerous mental health disorders that fall under the mental health diagnosis of anxiety disorders, including, but not excluded to:
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Social Anxiety Disorder
- Specific phobias
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Health Anxiety Disorder
Understanding anxiety can help us plan coping mechanisms for ourselves as teachers. Anxiety in itself is a common emotional state characterised by feelings of apprehension and unease, such as worry or fear. These feelings can range from mild to severe, they’re natural, and can provide us with motivation, or keep us safe from harm as part of the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. But when anxiety becomes chronic and excessive, it can start to interfere with how we perceive our life situations, and this can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed or distressed. (Mental Health Foundation 2025).
Sometimes the overwhelming feeling of worry and fear can become chronic, resulting in a constant anxious feeling, even when there is no apparent reason, stressor, or threat. The condition can then become problematic and may be diagnosed as an anxiety disorder which can, in time and unchecked, become further disabling.
In March 2023, the Mental Health Foundation conducted research that showed that 73% of the UK population had felt anxious at least some of the time in the previous two weeks, with 20% anxious most or all of the time.
The research identified that in 18 to 24-year-olds this number elevated to 86% and for 58% it had stopped them enjoying their day-to-day activities.
The most anxious demographics
The research reported that other demographic groups more likely to report feeling anxious were:
- Single parents (89%)
- LGBTQ+ people (89%)
- Carers (84%)
- 18–34-year-olds (86%)
- People from a minority ethnic community (84%)
- People with a long-term physical health condition (LTC) (82%)
This research goes someway to show the scale of the disorder in the UK.
The research showed that one of the most common causes of anxiety was financial, which included worrying about being able to afford to pay the bills, with the cost of living crisis at the top of the list. Other circumstances included negative life events, social isolation, work or study stress, social or societal pressures including online, and physical health. In this particular research 29% of respondents gave work as the cause. The 2022 Teacher Wellbeing survey showed as many as 78% of teachers experienced stress and anxiety.
The Mental Health Foundation research evidenced that in order to cope with anxiety, nearly half the people in the research kept it secret through the worry of stigma and shame. People shared their negative experience which included being judged, criticised, excluded, ignored and rejected. People feared they would be seen as weak and may be ridiculed or dismissed leading to more shame – all of which may lead to increased anxiety. The impact of anxiety can affect not only mental health, but work life, social life, relationships, physical health, overall wellness and education. We can get caught in what is known as a cycle of anxiety. See the cycle here applied to work. (Mental Health Foundation 2025)
Does the cycle feel familiar? Many other causes can be replaced and used as examples in this cycle.
Whilst everyone’s experience of anxiety is different, and the causes of anxiety may be complex, there is clear evidence from the research that we all need to feel more enabled to talk about anxiety, understand feelings and share coping strategies, particularly teachers.
As group exercise teachers, it is important for our own mental health to have positive action mechanisms planned and easily accessible. If we can become more aware of the condition within ourselves, we can choose healthy coping mechanisms that enable our overall wellness rather than unhealthy ones (such as drinking alcohol or ‘stress eating’) that may lead to further health challenges.
Positive actions for combatting anxiety
One of the strategies we can adopt is to create a positive environment, particularly at work. Many group exercise teachers teach in numerous facilities with a back-to-back timetable of classes, preparing for a full week of classes outside of the teaching hours themselves, as well as travelling to and from varied facilities. Most teachers resource all of their planning and preparation themselves and at their own cost. Creating a positive environment for ourselves can be difficult if travelling from class to class to facilities in which you have no control of the environment, equipment or resource, and if working in an environment that undervalues group exercise teachers.
Here are some positive action strategies to consider:
- Allow time in your day to plan your classes
This will ensure that when you arrive at class you are more relaxed and well-planned. Where you have common classes, pick a theme for the week to make your planning easier and use the base of the same plan where you can for multiple classes. i.e core strength this week, power and strength, and so on.
- Arrive early for class and take a moment
Spending just 5 minutes before class to sit in a quiet space, close your eyes, breathe and be mindful will give you a moment of peace to calm your nervous system and ready you for the class. Do the same after class, like a mental health warm up and cool down.
- Speak to colleagues or other teachers
Taking time to share experiences, challenges and stories helps you to feel more supported and connected. You might even want to create (or join) a ‘Peer Support Community’ of like-minded colleagues who teach classes and understand what the stresses are. Be open and create a circle conversation that understands mental health and is mental health literate. Quite often we rush in and teach back-to-back without even seeing see colleagues. We can feel isolated and alone. Ask yourself, who is in my community? who are my cheerleaders, who will celebrate my success? Who are my buddies? We often don’t like to bother people, but you will be surprised at how other teachers will be grateful of some sharing time. Consider buddying up and mentoring each other.
- Challenge inequalities that exist at work
Many inequalities exist for group exercise teachers, including pay schemes, representation at work, class resource support and training support, just to name a few. Hold regular meetings with your managers to discuss feeling valued and how your successes will be celebrated at work. Discuss a benefit support programme, whether this is financial, resources, training, funding or a support scheme. Consider discussing with your manager benefit schemes that go beyond pay, but may help support you in the costs of teaching. (See EMD UK pay paper and Social Value of Group Exercise report).
- Set work boundaries
Learn to say no to extra classes if you are feeling overwhelmed. Prioritise your self care first and only take on extra work within your boundaries. If you don’t set them, how will anyone know them, and how will you stick to them?
- Practice self care
Prioritise getting enough sleep, eating healthy food with a balanced diet and enjoying some social activities. Here’s a reminder of how you can look after your own wellbeing: We often teach until late in the evening and eat late. If teaching late, switch your main meal out to earlier in the day with an easy, digestible snack for after a late class so this will aid sleep. Spend some time before bed doing some unwinding mindfulness techniques so that when you go to bed, you have reduced your hormones appropriately. Find some time in the week for your own physical activity. Try to choose activity which is outside in green spaces and fresh air as a contrast from your working environment. Spend time with family and friends. Remember your own mental health comes first.
- Be aware of your triggers
Understanding what triggers your anxiety is important in helping you understand how to manage it effectively. Write them down, either journaling them or listing them and take note when you observe them. This will help you to notice and respond calmly every time.
Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs, as we give so much of ourselves to others. But it’s important to ensure you have enough left for yourself. Consider taking some time to understand your mental health and ensure you have strategies in place to reduce your stress and anxiety, so that you can continue to be the best version of yourself. Group exercise teachers play a huge role in communities and societies preventing them from ill health. We owe it to ourselves to do the same for us.
