It’s essential to recognize the signs of burnout early and take action to protect your well-being. This guide outlines the main steps teachers can take to manage and prevent burnout.
Self care
What we can do to prevent and deal with teacher burnout.
What this online resource will cover What is teacher burnout? What causes teachers to burnout? Recognising the signs Prevention Management Understanding self love and how mindfullness can help
Understanding teacher burnout and what we can do to help...
Let’s be real: teaching is a rewarding career. It’s inspiring to be able to shape the lives of young people and set them up for success. But it can definitely take its toll emotionally, mentally and physically. Burnout is the result of chronic work stress over an extended period of time. It can manifest as long term physical, emotional and mental exhaustion and can lead to a decline in mental health, increased career dissatisfaction and even to the decision to leave teaching altogether. Defining teacher burnout
When it comes to teaching, there are many factors at play ranging from the personal to the professional. These can include: Staffing shortages Curriculm and lesson plans to design Student behaviour and additional learning needs Excesive workload Lack of resources and support Deadlines Workplace culture What causes burnout?
Recognising the signs
No motivation
Reduced self care
Irritability
Trouble sleeping
Emotionally drained
Physically drained
Less social
Preventing Burnout
Prioritise self care This could be as simple as creating a good sleeping routine, eating nutritious food, exercising or engaging in activities you enjoy.
Set and keep clear work boundaries Make it clear that you’ll only respond during work hours. Remember it’s okay to say NO.
Seek out connections Talk to your colleagues, family and friends.
Self care quiz
Managing Burnout Be kind to yourself It’s important to remind yourself that teaching is a difficult job! And you’re not Talk it out If you feel comfortable talk to a colleague, friends/ Evaluate your options If you have specific
concerns or needs, reach out to your school to put some strategies in place to help you such as decreasing work load, setting up a co-teaching arrangement or offering sick leave where needed.
family or seek professional counselling advice. Turning to someone you trust can be an effective action to help you understand what you’re going through and work together on next steps.
failing your students or failing as a teacher by looking after yourself.
Understanding self love and how practising mindfulness can help...
Self compassion is being kind to yourself. It means being understanding and supportive even when things don’t go well or the way you planned. Self compassion is related to mindfulness because we can be more kind to ourselves when we are aware of our thoughts and feelings. What is self compassion?
Helps us deal with challenges and disappointments Improves self-esteem and self- worth Encourages confidence and resiliency Allows us to accept our mistakes Inspires gratitude towards ourselves Why is self compassion important?
We are often unkind to ourselves when we make a mistake or feel ashamed and embarassed about something. We may say things such as: “I am terrible at this” or “I’ll never get this right” Can you think of a time where you’ve said negative things to yourself? Negative Self-Talk
Positive Self-Talk
We can turn that negative self talk into positive thoughts by considering how we would speak to a student, friend or even family member who was experiencing the same problem. If these people were having a hard time and came up to you, what encouraging words would you say to them?
It’s okay to have strong feelings. We all experience discouragement, anger, and sadness when things don’t work out the way we want. However, we don’t want to say unkind things to ourselves. Instead, we should remember sayings such as: “Everyone makes mistakes. I can try again.” “I did my best.” “Learning something new can be hard, but I can keep practicing.” Positive Self-Talk
Mindfulness technique
When we are struggling, we can focus on the moment by finding patience and compassion for ourselves. Calm your feelings and discourage negative self-talk by asking these questions: 1.What am I feeling? 2.Why am I feeling this way? 3.What can I do next to help myself?
Mindfulness activities
Focus on your breathing, spend 2 minutes breathing in and out an focusing on your breaths Listen to a podcast
Read a book Practise yoga Mindfulness colouring
Self love activities
Practise affirmations (eg, I can do this, I’m worthy, I’m capable) Do 1 thing for yourself each day (eg, gym, walking a pet, reading a book, watching your favourite show Reward yourself for achievements (e.g. treating yourself to dinner, going somewhere for the weekend, buying something new)
Keep in mind
Being imperfect is something we all share. We have emotions that feel good and ones that are uncomfortable. It will take time to learn how to be patient with ourselves.
We all deserve kindness.
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