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NDE presenter offers stress‑management tips to subrecipients facing funding uncertainty
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Summary
During the meeting, the NDE director set aside time to review biological stress responses and recommended practices—breathing, physical activity, social contact, therapy and gratitude journaling—to help personnel cope with the uncertainty created by the recent OMB memorandum and wildfire evacuations that many participants mentioned.
As part of the quarterly subrecipient meeting, the Nevada Department of Education's director of the Office of District Support Services gave a short presentation on physiological stress responses and practical steps people can use to reregulate when they experience trauma or chronic stress.
Key points - Biological response: The presenter explained that stress triggers elevated heart rate, blood pressure and release of cortisol and adrenaline and can temporarily impair rational thought by "hijacking" the hippocampus, which can limit organized thinking during an acute stress response. - Short-term coping: The director recommended breathing exercises to lower heart rate and blood pressure, physical activity to release endorphins, social connection for oxytocin release, and activities that trigger dopamine (enjoyable tasks and nature exposure). - Long-term practices: Regular exercise, good sleep, healthy diet, journaling, gratitude practices and access to therapy were recommended as evidence-based approaches to improving baseline resilience.
Why the agency raised it The presenter said many attendees and staff have experienced wildfire evacuations and other stressors recently and that acknowledging the physiologic effects of stress can help individuals and teams respond and recover. The presenter framed these suggestions as practical, evidence-based tools rather than formal clinical guidance.
Attribution Quotes and guidance in this article are taken from the NDE's director of the Office of District Support Services during the meeting. The director emphasized the brain's plasticity and that the techniques discussed can help reregulate stress responses.
