The Symptoms of Teacher Burnout and How to Deal

Teacher burnout and daily stress is the new normal

If you’ve been teaching for a while you’ll probably know at least a dozen teachers who have given up classrooms to ease their stress levels. Teacher burnout and stress is common all over the world but is finally being talked about more by society in Australia as it is a real problem. A study in Australia showed that over half of teachers reported being very or extremely stressed and were considering leaving the profession, with early career teachers, primary teachers, and teachers working in rural and remote areas reporting the highest stress and burnout levels.Want to leave teaching? Everything you need to know is in this guide.

What are the symptoms of teacher burnout?

Emotional instability 

Maintaining a positive attitude and controlling your emotions is crucial when you’re dealing with the high and lows of teaching.I have personally experienced working at a school where I would find myself breaking down into tears daily so I know exactly how it feels. If you’re finding you’re going from irritable to angry to sad all before lunch recess, you might be experiencing teacher burnout. Your emotional wellbeing is important and it matters that you are emotionally stable in order to provide a safe space for you and your students.

Apathy and hopelessness

This is kind of the acceptance stage after the anger stage. Unfortunately, you’ll come to realise that no matter how hard you work or how much you give, the issues in education can’t be solved at the classroom level. If you’re feeling like you have no motivation to plan your lessons or even get out of bed in the morning because nothing seems to make much of a difference, then you could be experiencing teacher burnout.

Not taking care of yourself

It is easy during the whirlwind cycle of the teaching year that you completely forget about yourself until the school holidays. If you’re spending your whole school holidays in bed because you haven’t been sleeping and eating well, it is a sign that you’re burnt out from teaching.

How do teachers deal with burnout?

Identify the issue

Admitting you have a problem is the first step, they say. It is hard sometimes to admit that you’re not coping because teaching requires you to be a sort of martyr. The culture around teaching means that if you aren’t giving every piece of you to your job, you’re seen as someone who doesn’t care enough. Unfortunately, other teachers are often the ones that promote this attitude and if you don’t give into the peer pressure you might be seen as not a team player.

I highly recommend you use your friends or family outside of teaching about the symptoms of teacher burnout you’re experiencing and use them as your canary in the coal mine if you need a second opinion.

Get support

A trip to the GP should be a good starting point. Your family doctor will be able to provide you with a certificate so you can take sick leave or stress leave. I’ve personally witnessed many teachers going through this route when they’ve needed to take time to focus on improving their mental and physical health and you don’t need to feel ashamed at all. Some work places might have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that offers support services like access to a therapist.

Set clear work boundaries

As I mentioned before, teachers can be some of the worst offenders when it comes to promoting an unhealthy work-life balance so this can be hard when everyone else seems to be giving themselves selflessly to the cause. When I was teaching, I would use my spare periods to plan my lessons and mark work. If it did not get done during that time then it would not get done. I would leave after my last class and I would not volunteer to stay for any extra curricular activities that I was not contracted to do.

As a perfectionist, this was very hard for me to do at first but it was the only sustainable way I could teach. It does not mean that you don’t care about the kids or your peers. Remember, you have to put your life jacket on first before you can help others or you’ll drown.

Prioritise your self-care

It is important to note that taking time away from teaching to take care of yourself is not selfish. Everyone needs to recharge their batteries (and that looks different to everyone). 

Separate your identity from teaching

If you had to describe yourself to someone, what is the first word that would come to mind? Is it “teacher”? It is hard not to put all your self worth into the success of your students when your whole identity can be summed up as a teacher. It is important that you have your own life, passions, and purpose outside of teaching. It will help you prioritise other areas of your life as well as give you other benchmarks for success.

Evaluate your options

Make sure you’re always evaluating your options and asking yourself if your lifestyle aligns with your goals in life. Sometimes, walking away from teaching temporarily or permanently is the best thing for you. If you are thinking about a career change, I have put together a guide: Want to leave teaching? Everything you need to know.