6 Burnout Risk Factors You Didn't Know About...

^{I only began to see my burnout when I began my journey of healing. It was with a step back I could see all the symptoms and signs.  I began to rely on some old faithful coping mechanisms I had learned early on as a way to self-protect. By understanding my own conditioning and accepting it, I began to heal.}

I’ve been thinking a lot about my teacher burnout recently. I am seeing teachers head back to work already anxious, already tired and really afraid. There are risk factors all over the place for burnout and I am hoping to help you catch it before it’s too late.

I had a thriving teaching career for 11 years before the burnout kicked in. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t have hard days, or waves of stress, but they were manageable and I could always recover. 

As an international teacher for over a decade, I pursued excellence in my craft and adventure in my personal life. I taught with global educators who inspired me and challenged me. I was taught to question what was best for student learning and supported to do just that - with time, resources and the education to make it happen. The students I taught were truly remarkable - they took inspired action, they were curious and questioned the world around them, they sought deep and meaningful inquiry and resources to help them find out. It sounds magical, and it really was. 

It’s when I look back at my last few years of teaching that I see the burnout clearly, like a slow, steady car crash, yet I had no idea at the time that’s what was happening to me. I can now say that I do not blame returning to teach in Canada nor the schools that I was fortunate enough to teach at. I want to make sure that is really clear here. My burnout did not happen because of external factors around me but because of how I was relating to those factors. 

Let’s dig into that here...

When I was ‘in it’ - deep in the throws of burnout - I would never have said that I didn’t blame the schools, the system, even the parents and the kids - because I really really did. I was in emotional turmoil, angry, frustrated and it was everyone else’s fault. It was their lack of organization, their system, their schedule, their leadership style. bI blamed everyone else and isolated myself. Time away on weekends was never enough time to fully recover mentally. I gained weight. I was tired all the time. And I was highly critical of myself. To ‘survive’ I relied on quick fixes like the glass of wine and zoning out on Netflix to avoid the pain of accepting where I was and my part in it. 

I’d like to pause here to define teacher burnout, because burnout goes beyond the regular ups and downs and stressors of a school day or week. When I define burnout I am speaking about a syndrome resulting from prolonged stress due to increasing demands over time. It happens when a teacher's capacity to protect themselves against threats to their self-esteem and wellbeing is disrupted or strained. The coping mechanisms they have activated to deal with the demands fail which increases stress and threatens mental and physical wellbeing.

I believe that burnout is the next epidemic for educators. 

Am I at risk for burnout?

Use the checklist to identify signs of burnout and note how many you identify with: 

Emotional Symptoms

Anxiety and depression 

• Cynicism or pessimism 
• Apathy or hopelessness
• Dread
• Lack of motivation
• Anger
• Emotional turbulence 

Physical Symptoms

• Headaches or migraines 
• Body aches
• Tension 
• Fatigue
• Changes in appetite
• Weight gain or loss
• Difficulty sleeping 

Behavioural Symptoms 

• Decline in productivity
• Difficulty focussing 
• Poor performance
• Social withdrawal 
• Calling in sick more frequently
• Emotional outbursts

In my darkest days I see myself in most of these. But I also saw that not every teacher burned out. Actually, I was probably a minority! So I asked myself the question:

Why is it that some teachers at a school burnout and some don’t? 

I polled teachers all over the world for signs and symptoms of burnout and what I discovered were several risk factors...most of which I had been relying on myself for a very very long time. 

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the unconscious belief that one’s worth is based in achievement, that acceptance is conditional, we are lovable if… (if we do the thing, if we get the thing, if we are the best at the thing...) The perfectionist part is very judgemental, rigid, rooted in shame. There is a very clear distinction between perfectionism and healthy striving. Perfectionism is rooted in fear while healthy striving is rooted in love and our greatest good. See my full blog post here. 

People Pleasing

People who identify as people pleasers have frequent worry about what others think. Stemming from self-worth issues, there is an unconscious hope that saying yes will help us feel accepted and liked. The pursuit is never ending and ultimately exhausting. 

The Harsh Internal Critic

We all have the constant mental chatter of the roommate that operates in the background influencing our choices and causing emotional reactions. When that internal dialogue is telling us that we are not good enough, not doing enough, not being enough….essentially not enough it’s what I call the internal critic. It attaches negative meaning to events and circumstances responding to a chaotic external environment by creating the same chaos inside as well. 

Lack of Self-Care Routine

Self care is a daily ritual of self-healing that keeps us safe from potential illness in advance; healing of the mind, the body and the spirit. People who identify as people pleasers and perfectionists or are generally overachievers have a very hard time prioritizing, implementing and valuing their own self-care, leaving their worth in the hands of others.

See my full post on Self-Care here.

Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue often goes hand in hand with burnout because the heart is exhausted. The heart is exhausted because one’s character is constantly in question or one is losing sleep over other people's children. (hello….basically every teacher I have ever met). This is the "am I doing enough?" guilt that you know in your bones if you have taught for a day in your life. 

Lack of Boundaries 

Boundaries are the imaginary lines of protection that protect your time, energy, physical space and belongings. If we are unconsciously seeking approval, overachieving or perfecting there is a part of us in the driver seat that makes setting sustainable boundaries very difficult. And sadly, No boundaries = No balance. 

More on boundaries here.

I only began to see my burnout when I began my journey of healing. It was only then that I could take a step back and see all the symptoms and signs.  When I was in an unfamiliar situation, I felt greater pressure, increased demands and reduced support system. I began to rely on some old faithful coping mechanisms I had learned early on as a way to self-protect. By understanding my own conditioning and accepting it, I began to heal. 

My wish for teachers this year is to know and be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of teacher burnout. This gives you a greater chance than I had in my denial and blame. I have a sneaky suspicion they might sneak up sooner than we are expecting and at a more alarming rate. If they do, I recommend having a plan in place.

My 3 Step Burnout Prevention Plan:

 

1. Recharge - Take a break, time away, get some distance, self-care, get centred. This can be as elaborate as a weekend away or as simple as a day without technology. 

2. Re-evaluate - have a look at your priorities, your values, your goals and mindset. What have you been focussing on and where do you need to restore integrity or make a change? 

3. Reach out - you can reverse the damaging effects of burnout by turning to others, asking for help with responsibilities, talking about your experience to a trusted pal. No one said you needed to do this alone. Burnout thrives in disconnection, by getting connected to yourself, others and something greater, you stop burnout in its tracks!  And consider coaching or therapy - there is so much out there for you to help yourself but working with a professional can be more efficient and transformational. 

As always, I'm here if you need with lots of options to support you where you are at.