Burnout: identifying the causes and protecting yourself
Headteacher, Darren Morgan, looks at some of the causes of burnout in education settings and suggests ways to protect yourself and your colleagues
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Many educators will feel stressed during their careers. And while it’s normal to feel stressed in response to the challenges of school life from time to time, serious stress on a regular basis can affect your mental and physical health, leading to burnout.
Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It occurs when you experience long-term stress, such as working in a stressful job. Burnout is recognised by the World Health Organization as an ‘occupational phenomenon’. It is not a medical condition, but it has been classified as a syndrome (a collection of symptoms or signs associated with a specific health-related cause).
The causes of burnout in the teaching profession are multifaceted and will look different for everyone. Below are some common causes of burnout in education settings, although you may have more of your own to add to this list:
- high/unmanageable workloads
- lack of appreciation or kindness
- lack of acceptance
- feeling like you don’t fit in/detached from colleagues
- feeling like you are being changed, rather than being part of the change (lack of autonomy)
- uncertainty about the future
- lack of compassion for yourself
- always putting yourself last
- feeling unable to say no or have workplace boundaries
It may not necessarily be obvious what is causing you stress at work or you may find that being overwhelmed by stress sneaks up on you. You may want to try making a list of events that leave you feeling stressed throughout a day, to help you identify your own personal stress triggers.
You can follow this up with one or two ways to reduce the stress for each. When they occur, use them as an opportunity to practise your stress-reduction strategy and note what works best for you, over the course of a several days or a week.
Remember you are not alone
There are days when I can take on the world, when any challenge is a tiny hurdle that can be conquered effectively and efficiently. There are other days when the slightest concern turns into a daunting and seemingly insurmountable mountain. I ask myself what is the difference? I wonder if the difference is sometimes ourselves. Particularly, if the challenge is similar but the timing is the one variable that has been altered. I would surmise that perseverance (the ability to keep going) and resilience (bouncebackability) are significant in terms of our ability to tackle major and minor professional (and personal) issues.
Whilst the grind of the ‘big-ticket’ issues such as Ofsted, finance and safeguarding take their toll on most of us, it is also other issues that are less likely to be discussed or properly addressed that take a toll. Issues such as angry parents, disruptive pupils, uncooperative colleagues, and unreasonable neighbours are some of the areas that can be life-changingly stressful. This stress is exasperated by a perception that we are the only one that struggle to manage these situations. The first point to help us is to understand that it isn’t just you! Many of our profession are experiencing debilitating anxiety due to these and other serious challenges.
The power of appreciation
I have become increasingly aware of the importance of appreciation. Both in terms of appreciating individuals’ character and personality, but also in terms of gratitude for effort.
Teachers and education staff feel frustrated when they or their actions haven’t been authentically acknowledged. This is a good starting point to improve our profession and reduce feelings of professional exhaustion.
You can watch this video exploring why appreciation is so important for teachers’ mental health. How can we do better at appreciating each other every day? How can we appreciate ourselves? And what does appreciation mean in schools and why does it matter?
Acceptance and ‘BuBu’
Accepting each other is crucial. At my school we focus on an idea called ‘BuBu,’ which means be you, be us. In other words, whilst trying to be the best version of oneself, still be you, don’t change, and then bring that wonderful character to the wider team. There is no-one else like you and your team needs your uniqueness. Please accept your own and others’ character. Stop judging! It may be that you’re an energetic and charismatic extrovert or a quiet introvert. The team that you are part of needs you just the way you are. Trying to be something that you are not can be tiring and is likely to be a contributing factor towards professional exhaustion.
Genuine cultures of kindness
We all need to be wanted (or is it want to be needed!).
Try to establish and contribute towards an affectionate school. Education can be guilty of shying away from the word ‘love’ due to its emotiveness and different experiences of it. But developing an environment where all (not just the chosen few) feel loved is a game changer! I think loving schools are a joy to behold – they can be sensed when you walk up the school path. This is a surefire way to help those who are feeling burnt out. However, a word of caution! This approach must be genuine, artificial approaches are painful for both the observer and the victim!
Take a look at this blog with helpful tips for cultivating kindness in your education setting.
Tips for when you’re feeling low on resilience and perseverance
Here are some tips for when you are feeling low on resilience and perseverance:
- Consider your inner voice
Positive internal monolog is a key-component of a positive mind-set and therefore, improved mental-health. Whilst I don’t necessarily mean that after running an early morning marathon, we should all beat our chests and perform our own daily ‘Braveheart’ speech, I do mean that how you talk to yourself is the starting point for how you feel. - Be kind to yourself
In addition to a positive mindset, and whilst still having reasonable expectations of yourself, if you make a mistake, it’s ok! Take off your invincibility superhero cloak and accept your failings. Work at liking who you are. Additionally, always, but particularly when feeling emotionally weary incentivise your days. Devise a reward at the end of the day, week, and term. Something to look forward to provides us with hope. - Focus on your health
Health is more than physical exercise, although being active and spending time outdoors each day is incredibly beneficial to your wellbeing. You may also want to consider:- Social health
Spend time with friends and family – this is an area that many who are tired and stressed sacrifice first. Spending time with others has a disproportionately positive impact on well-being. - Emotional health
In addition to positive self-talk and social health it can also help to share with others, sometimes professionals. (There is a series of episodes of Ted Lasso where his reluctance to counselling is addressed, subtly emphasising the benefit to us all).
- Social health
- Be self-aware
Have you stopped singing, listening to music, reading or socialising? All of these can be early signs of professional exhaustion or anxiety and may indicate that you need to reach out for support or take extra care of yourself. - Consider coping mechanisms
If you are struggling with finding healthy coping mechanisms or coping strategies, you may want to take a look at these guides by Education Support covering alcohol, eating and addiction. They will help you spot signs of harm in yourself and colleagues, with sign posting to get support. - Remember you have a choice
Life can be so very difficult and full of influences on wellbeing that are beyond one’s control, however, it can help to remember there are factors in your control - being kind to yourself, working towards healthier habits, practicing kinder self-talk, and asking for support when you need it. - Get support
And don’t forget, all teachers and education staff can call Education Support’s free and confidential helpline 24/7. When you call you’ll talk to a qualified counsellor for immediate, confidential emotional support: 08000 562 561. School leaders can access funded professional supervision in England and Wales, at no cost to them.
About Darren
Darren started teaching in 1998 and became a Deputy in his 4th year. He held two Deputy posts and became a headteacher in 2010. He is now in his second headship which began in 2015. He has been chosen as the chair of primary heads for his local authority and came 2nd in Pearson's Headteacher of the Year awards.
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