Educator Burnout: How school staff can stop running on empty
Recognize this?
It’s late, and you're still at school, staring at a pile of ungraded papers. You’ve skipped lunch, and you have no plan for dinner. Walking to your car in the dark, you wonder, “Is this what teaching is supposed to be like?”
At home, your family’s waiting, but you're running on empty. Your to-do list feels endless, and the idea of relaxing seems like a distant dream. Responsibilities keep piling up, both at work and at home. Sound familiar?
Signs You Might Be Burnt Out:
Emotional Exhaustion: You wake up tired, stay tired, and go to bed tired. No amount of sleep seems to be enough.
Cynicism and Detachment: Your once boundless enthusiasm for teaching has turned into a daily grind. The joy you felt is replaced by a sense of detachment. This goes beyond school. Things you used to enjoy you have no motivation for now.
Reduced Performance: Despite the long hours, you feel like you're spinning your wheels. More work doesn’t equate to more progress.
Physical Symptoms: Headaches, stomachaches, and other stress-related symptoms have become your norm. Every school break you seem to get sick.
Neglecting Self-Care: Hobbies, exercise, and socializing have fallen by the wayside. Who has time or energy for self-care?
Why Are You Feeling This Way?
Emotional Regulation: Juggling multiple roles and responding to constant demands drains your emotional reserves.
Empathy Overload: Constantly caring for others, especially when they’re struggling, takes a toll on your own emotional health.
Digital Distractions: Competing with screens for your students' attention requires relentless energy and creativity. And your own screen use is depleting you.
Overwhelming Responsibilities: Family and personal life responsibilities feel just as demanding as your professional ones, leaving you constantly overwhelmed.
Polyvagal Theory and Your Nervous System
Burnout isn’t just mental—it’s physical. Polyvagal theory explains how your nervous system responds to stress. When you're constantly in fight-or-flight mode (ie. sympathetic activation), your body can’t relax, leading to chronic stress and eventually burnout (and all the mental and physical health problems that come with). Learning to regulate your nervous system can help you shift from survival mode to a state of calm and connection.
Some Components of a Path to Recovery
Acknowledge Your Burnout: Admitting you’re burnt out is the first step. It’s okay to feel this way though you might be feeling significant shame. If you’re curious where you fall on the burnout spectrum, try my free quiz.
Rediscover Joy: Reconnect with your purpose and what you love about teaching. Small moments of joy can reignite your passion.
Purposeful Connection: Intentionally schedule time for connection with people inside and outside your workplace who uplift or simply “get” you.
Set Boundaries: Learn to say “no” to protect your time and energy. Boundaries are essential for recovery.
Seek Support: Therapy/coaching can provide strategies to manage stress and prevent burnout from taking over.
Practice Self-Compassion: Treat yourself with the kindness and understanding you’d offer a friend in your situation.
Regulate Your Nervous System: Learn to tune into your nervous system state and give yourself what you need. Incorporate deep breathing, mindfulness, and somatic exercises into your daily routine to calm your nervous system and reduce stress.
Locus of Control: Address what you can control and incorporate strategies to accept what you can’t. Some of contributing factors of burnout are systematic - how can you deal with those?
You’re Not Alone
Feeling burnt out doesn’t mean you’re failing—it means you’re human. I understand the unique challenges of teaching and working within the education system. Burnout factors are unique and require a personalized approach. If you’re ready to get started contact me for specific details as to how we can work together.
