Get Stress Bucket Explained 2020-2023

The Stress Bucket can help you explain what stress is; The bucket = your child. The water that goes in the bucket = any stress and pressure in their life. Some things cause a small amount of stress (water) like being late or forgetting something, so only fill up the bucket a little bit.

The bigger the bucket, the less vulnerable you are to stress. The smaller the bucket, the more vulnerable you are to stress. In this sense, the bucket can be thought of as a 'stress vulnerability bucket'. As the bucket fills up with stress, it shows our capacity to cope.

The stress bucket model was developed in 2002 by Professor Alison Brabban and Dr Douglas Turkington. The model can be used to help identify what is causing stress and what can be done to reduce it. It begins with the idea that everyone has a metaphorical bucket which contains their stress.

Imagine you have a bucket inside your body which collects all of your stress. Events and day-to-day things, such as work, home life, illness or finances, add stress into the bucket. Sometimes the bucket might feel relatively empty, and other times it might feel quite full.

The bucket represents your capacity for handling stressors. The greater your vulnerability, whether that's because of mental illness or anything else, the smaller your bucket is.

The size of your stress bucket relates to your level of vulnerability, so everyone's bucket is different. The bigger the bucket, the less vulnerable you are to stress. The smaller the bucket, the more vulnerable you are to stress. In this sense, the bucket can be thought of as a 'stress vulnerability bucket'.

Your bucket of resilience represents your ability to handle stress. There are two kinds of stress: 1) daily stress that gradually fills your bucket like rain in response to ongoing challenges, and 2) traumatic stress which comes unexpectedly like a shock.

When your pupils feel worried, the stress bucket is a visual way for them to communicate this, and this can help you develop strategies that best support the needs of each pupil in your class. Above the bucket are taps and the things that cause you stress.