Tips To Avoid Burn Out As A Teacher

In my first seven years of teaching, I would burn out by mid-year each year.

I was overwhelmed and overworked. I was stressed out, had poor time management skills and took way to much on. After school, I was tutoring, in charge of a guide unit and training kickboxing twice a week.

I was cooked. It was not a time I look back on fondly. I wasn’t taking lunch breaks, I wasn’t sleeping adequate hours. I was over planning everything. All the while making it look like I had my shit together.

I wouldn’t wish burn out on anyone but teachers are especially susceptible due to our intense workload and pressure we generally feel. Our to-do lists are never-ending and are usually unrealistic.

So to prevent anyone else going through what I experienced, I have compiled my top tips on how to avoid burn out;

• Avoid striving for perfection. Often your good is a lot of peoples best so stop striving so hard.

• Stop people-pleasing. Easier said than done. But if you really make an effort to put yourself first and stop doing things just to make others happy, you will be a lot healthier person.

• Say no to things you are asked to do or go to, so you have white space in your day. to fill it how you would like (not school work) and do what brings you joy.

• Don’t multitask. It doesn’t get things done any faster. It is better to work on one thing at a time.

• Do not compare yourself to other teachers - we are all different

• Set priorities – choose three things each day that are essential to get done and start with these

• Exercise regularly. Aim for at least three to four times a week

• Don’t forget who you are - mother/father, sister/brother, daughter/son

• Dedicate some time each week to block out as no go for school work - e.g. Friday nights or all day Saturday

• Keep a gratitude journal – don’t dismiss it. It does make a difference

• Get a good nights sleep - have a reasonable bed time and try to stick to it

• Try to avoid taking work home at least for a couple of days a week

• Get up and move throughout your day – don’t stay in your chair behind your laptop all day (for those working online)

• Take a sick day if you need it

• Have a nourishing breakfast each morning

• Stop for your lunch break - try to make it to the staffroom if you can

• Share the teaching around - delegate if you can. If you are co-teaching, make sure it is equal and you are not pulling all the weight of the team

• Don’t overcommit to committees, extracurricular activities. after school activities…

After being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue many years ago, my light bulb moment was when my doctor told me ‘they will not write ‘dedicated teacher’ on your gravestone’. Of course they won’t, so why was I killing myself for my job? It was definitely a wake up call and a time to change my lifestyle and the way I approached things in order to live a stronger, happier and healthier life.

Do you suffer burn out as a teacher? What strategies do you have in place to help you cope with the workload of a teacher? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.