Are you experiencing teacher burnout?

Teaching can be can be stressful in an of itself.

Compound that with long hours, an especially difficult year, the constant pressure to make more than adequate progress, possibly a toxic work environment, and hinge it all on test results – and it’s a recipe for burnout.

Let’s talk about what it is, how it can affect not only your work inside the classroom but also your life outside, and the 7 major signs of teacher burnout.

I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. My mom was a teacher, and education has always been a passion of mine. Early on in 2014, I knew that the first couple of years into teaching are always more difficult. I expected to be stressed, but I thought things would eventually get easier. Two years later, in 2016, I took a position at a new district and experienced a very toxic work environment.

The stress, long hours, and overwhelming amount work was affecting my health including clinched jaw, frequent headaches, and stomach issues. I was experiencing burnout. I tried techniques to reduce my stress in the classroom, and eventually I realized that teaching wasn’t for me.

Background on Teacher Burnout

The rate of employees experiencing burnout from their jobs is an increasing global problem. Recently, the World Health Organization declared burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” that can have adverse effects on our mental and physical health.

According to the Mayo Clinic, teacher burnout is “a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.”

Chronic workplace stress can leave us feeling exhausted, filled with cynicism and negativity, and unfulfilled. Unfortunately, we live in a society that wears our “overworked” status as a badge of honor. Teachers are no exception to the rule. For an already demanding job of teaching, it’s important to know the warning signs of teacher burnout.

What Causes Teacher Burnout?

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A new study has found that shunning work over the festive period is critical to avoid exhaustion. Our community offers their advice on how to unwind

Teachers will be looking forward to a well-earned rest this Christmas. But it can be tough to switch off from – and avoid catching up on – work. It might be good for you to shun your marking and instead plan for a proper break this year, though. Why? Well, for a start, research says you should.

A study of 90 teachers from across the UK by academics at City University, London, has found it’s critical for teachers stop working in the holidays to avoid burnout and exhaustion. Time off allows teachers to “restore their emotional energy,” the report states.

The research asked teachers to complete a survey at the end of eight weeks – capturing their feelings before, during and after the Christmas break in 2013. It found that teachers who continued to worry about work during their holidays were less likely to recover from the demands of the term, while those who satisfied their basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy and feeling connected to others) improved their mental health.

A senior lecturer in organisational psychology at City University, Dr Paul Flaxman, said: “Our work shows that breaks for teachers, especially at times like half-term and Christmas, are incredibly important … Making sure that teachers have regular opportunities to recover from the considerable demands of the job will help to prevent burnout.”

The report also made recommendations for reducing stress levels, including practising mindfulness.

But there’s a huge gap between knowing you should take a break, and implementing that practically. Here our community of teachers and health experts share their tips for switching off:

Even a few days can help
Stress piles up, just like the papers you need to grade seem to. Work breaks are crucial to re-setting the physiological response to stress, and may even have lasting effects on health and wellness. Dutch researchers investigating the effects of vacationing have seen that short vacations (4-5 days) can have just as positive effects on health and wellbeing as longer vacations (9 days). However, the afterglow of a tropical vacation will not last very long so frequent breaks throughout the year are recommended. And it’s crucial to keep work off your holiday schedule, otherwise you won’t be as likely to benefit from the health benefits.

Dr Claudia Aguirre is a neuroscientist.

Disable your email and play games instead
For me, it is all about family time, making sure that I disable the email function on my phone, play board games, watch rubbish TV and eat far too much chocolate. I also make sure I read books on my to-read list.

Rebecca Goulds is a subject leader in English at an academy.
Distract yourself by getting active
It’s an obvious one but physical exercise is important. As well as being good for your waistline it helps you relax. Lots of teachers over the holidays also go for a massage and another good form of relaxation is laughter.

Some teachers find it really hard to relax, so the key is distraction. Find a way to distract your mind, by reading a book for example. Do anything to turn your thoughts away from school.

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