Managing Mental Exhaustion in the Virtual Classroom

"Destroy the idea that you have to be constantly working or grinding in order to be successful. Embrace the concept that rest, recovery and reflection are essential parts of the progress towards a successful and ultimately happy life."

- Mark Groves

It only takes a moment to look around and see the multitude of changes that have taken place in our worlds in a very short time. I have adapted who I allow into my physical space, I have new behaviours when I walk down the street and and I’m constantly learning new ‘dos and don’ts’ imposed by governments to keep us safe. I even noticed my body physically recoil from a neighbour accidentally reaching out his hand for a  friendly handshake. I've learned new behaviours at the grocery store from how I line up, to which aisles I go down. Even our dress has changed: I never leave the house without gloves, a mask and hand santizer. I can’t be the only one thinking ‘oh, her face mask is cute, I wonder where to get one of those!’ One of the most beautiful things about our human existence is in how adaptable we are - but too much too fast comes with a cost. 

Not to mention the very real struggles of those who have lost jobs or been sick or have been caring for loved ones. It's been really really hard! 

Too much all at once can lead to trauma. Too little over a long period of time is traumatic too (think too little support, attention or nourishment). Too much over a long period of time leads to what we feel as stress.

Mental exhaustion can happen to anyone who experiences long-term stress. This includes anyone who was thrown into distance learning without time to adapt properly, learning on the fly and not having the strategies and support in place to cope. (hello, every single teacher, in the world, right now) 

Mental exhaustion makes you feel overwhelmed and emotionally drained. Your responsibilities and problems seem much more difficult to overcome. Feelings of detachment and apathy that come along with it wreak havoc on all aspects of your personal and work life. (Um hello! The lines are so blurred right now, anyways!) 

Educators haven’t had much time to process all of this at a cellular level. By immediately pivoting and jumping into a supporting and leading role with our students and school communities, we haven't had a chance to process this. Of course we are exhausted! 

Why am I so tired after a zoom call? 

Several factors are at play here. First, eyestrain is a really common when your eyes become tired from intense use. Staring at a computer screen for long periods makes our brain tired. Second, on a zoom call we work harder to process non-verbal cues like facial expressions, voice, and body language; the effort it takes to understand these consumes a lot of energy. Third,  there is the anxiety of technological glitches. Just consider for a moment all the 'fixing' that happens when a screen is frozen, you can’t hear someone or it just plain doesn’t work how we want it to. Never mind the social pressure of who may or may not be listening in and judging what we are doing. 

Find more info here: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200421-why-zoom-video-chats-are-so-exhausting

Mental Exhaustion and Teacher Burnout

I think of mental exhaustion and ‘burnout’ on the same continuum. Mental exhaustion is a precursor to what I call ‘burnout’ and there is a lot you can do! 

Awareness is key! It’s important to recognize signs that could indicate you are on the path to mental exhaustion or burnout. They show up emotionally, physically and in our behaviour. 

Use this checklist to see if any of these symptoms apply to you: 

These symptoms are the body’s natural ways of regulating the nervous system. When we are in a high stress situation (even if you like this time of social distancing, it’s still a first time and first times are always hard on us) you’re continually dealing with things that activate your body’s stress response and your cortisol levels remain high. 

The Way Out 

Here is the honest truth. In order to address the needs of your nervous system you need to care for it in a way that you may not have tried before. And it’s not through pushing, grinding and hustling. The answer is in less, not more.  By working with the parasympathetic nervous system - the one responsible for rest, healing and digestion - we can begin to manage the symptoms of mental exhaustion and prevent burnout. Slowing down. This is how you heal. 

Healing mental exhaustion is all about balancing energy output with energy input. As teachers we are constantly putting energy out physically, mentally and emotionally. This is unsustainable if we aren’t putting anything back in. Having regular, consistent good self-care can make a huge difference to a person's psychological resilience and therefore the likelihood of burnout or other health issues.  Bottom line - when your body is cared for you are more able to cope with difficult emotions. 

1. Work WITH your body, not against it.

   Any healing journey begins with the body. It is the most obvious, tangible and easiest to access. The focus is on giving time to allow a parasympathetic response and healing to begin. From here you establish your anchor and begin to create small, sustainable changes that make you feel good! You move from neglecting yourself towards Self-Love! The body contains so much wisdom and it does so much for us.  When I started to work WITH my body instead of against it, serious shifts began to happen! Think energy, wakefulness, and joy beyond belief! 

Create your anchor: Your anchor is what grounds you in times of stress and unease. Anchors are all about security, stability and ease amongst turbulence. Decide on three areas you can commit to making a positive change. Create a list of 3 to 5 things you can do each day (generally things you are already doing) that feel good, that break momentum, that decrease anxiety and that bring you joy.  

I’ll share mine so you can see just how simple they are: 

• move my body (yoga or resistance training at the gym)
• meditation 
• follow a nutritious diet 
• get outside
• Read
• Gratitude practice

2. Build a relationship with your internal world.

   Emotions want to be seen, felt and respected. They are a very powerful guidance system and too often undervalued and judged. AND they are temporary. You have the right to feel. You were born to feel. And you have the right to feel ALL of the emotions whether we label them as ‘good’ or ‘bad'.

3. Practice Self-compassion.

   Going through tough stuff is hard work and must be met with compassion. By self-compassion I mean learning to be a good friend to yourself when you need it most. Become your own ally rather than your inner enemy. Typically we aren’t as good to ourselves as we are to our friends so we need to train ourselves to be! 

I invite you to meet emotions with curiosity and compassion as opposed to judgment or harsh criticism. Radically accept everything that comes up (thoughts, feelings, patterns) without judgement because how we think about emotions affects how we experience them.  

4. Consider a meditation practice.

   There are so many great apps and teachers out there now offering the practice for free (I personally love Insight Timer).  Much of the time, benefits of meditation are not seen during the meditation itself but are witnessed in your day to day life. The practice of bringing awareness to the functioning of the mind, of slowing down, will support you as you encounter stressful situations at work or in personal relationships. The resilience you build within is one that you will keep with you anytime you need it. 

5. Take a break!

Luckily summer holidays are on the way! This is the much needed separation that we need. Distance allows healing, new perspective and time to fill our own bucket. It can be a cure if you consider doing some personal work with a coach or other professional to learn some new habits to make sure you are mentally, emotionally fit for the next school year.

Want some help? Because I am so passionate about teacher wellbeing - I offer FREE 30 min clarity calls. If you want to get really clear on the one thing you can be doing right now to make the most of your summer and get into a better frame of mind and be ready to take on whatever is thrown at you next year click here. 

Get the first look on my next blog post to find out the number one mistake teachers are making this summer - No More PD