Influencing or Inefffective? The Relationship Between Mindfulness Activities on K-12 Teacher Perceived Stress

School leaders are always looking for ways to create welcoming environments for students and staff. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that mindfulness activities had on teacher perceived stress. This study also examined the causes of the teachers’ stress and supports that can be put in place to help reduce teacher stress. This mixed-methods study used surveys to collect data prior to the study, during the study, and after the completion of the 24 mindfulness activities conducted over an eight-week period. Quantitative and qualitative data was gathered using Likert scale, multiple choice, and an open-ended response. The data was gathered and then analyzed to determine the impact of mindfulness activities on perceived stress. The pre, post, and mindfulness activity data was triangulated to determine the relationship between mindfulness activities and teacher stress. The research questions focused on the causes of teacher perceived stress and the perceived effect that mindfulness activities had on their stress. The last two questions examined if demographics made a difference on teacher perceived stress and the teachers’ perceptions of what impact the mindfulness activities would have if implemented into their classroom. The overall finding was that the mindfulness activities did decrease teacher perceived stress and that the largest stressor for teachers was not having enough time. All teachers in the study believed that the mindfulness activities would have an impact on students in their classroom and demographics did not show a significant difference in the decrease of stress of the participants.