Being a teacher, we are naturally good at taking care of others, and avoiding teacher burnout is never really on our minds. We are constantly considering the needs of our students, their families, and our school; but how much thought and consideration do we give self-care?

If you are feeling like you need to invest some time in looking after yourself, check out my FREE 7-Day Challenge to inspire you to Reflect, Refocus and Refuel For a Better You.

Self-care is one of those things we put last on our to-do list. Day to day as educators, we often think we do not have enough time to fit in looking after ourselves. Our never-ending ‘to-do list’ keeps us busy serving others and it can often look a little like this:

To-do list:

• Classes to teach
• Experiences to facilitate
• Lessons to prepare
• Emails to write/reply
• Amazing resources to prepare
• Reflections to write
• Reports to generate
• Children to inspire and nurture
• Meetings to attend
• Display boards to create
• … the list goes on

You will put it off for a day, then a week, and by the time you realize it, you have not ‘unplugged’ and ‘recharged’ in a long time! I know the feeling. I speak from experience. Between work, motherhood, and family responsibilities, who has time for me?! Depleted, we often do not have anything left to give ourselves.

That’s fine for a while. I even went years like this. But, this is a dangerous road that leads to exhaustion, unhappiness, stress, anger, and resentment. At worst, it leads to burnout.

According to Dr. Peta Stapleton from Bond University:

‘Over half of Australian teachers suffer from anxiety and nearly one-fifth are depressed’.

Taken from: SBS Insight

This is a serious matter. Our work is too important! Our gifts as educators are needed in this world. Knowing what we know about anxiety and depression when it comes to educators, we need to put things in place to help recharge us and build a protective barrier around us. So what can we do right now?

One major thing we can do is to start making self-care a priority!

The Dalai Lama says:

“… If you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself.”

So, what can you do to ‘restore yourself’ as the Dalai Lama says? Here is a list of ideas to get you thinking along those lines. The most important thing is to build these self-care ideas into your life. Plan for them daily, weekly and monthly.

A plan means, it’s on your schedule, in your diary.

No, ‘and, ifs or buts’! How to avoid teacher burnout:

1. Get Physical.

Get your body moving. Take a walk in nature, blast the music in your living room, and dance! Join an exercise class. Not only will you improve your mood, but your physical health will improve also.

I take my dog Enzo on a long walk every morning. He makes sure I do not forget or neglect my time outdoors. During those walks, I either listen to an inspirational podcast or an audiobook to get me thinking. Some days, I leave the headphones behind and just walk with my own thoughts. Those times are needed; especially if I have something on my mind. The combination of physical exercise and silence allows ideas and inspiration to pop into my head and I am always better for it.

2. Surround yourself with positivity.

This drives my husband crazy, but most days I do not listen to the news nor read the newspapers. I find it brings my energy down and the sensationalized approach to news is not good for my soul. If there’s a major event, someone always tells me so honestly, I get by just fine. Instead, I choose to surround myself with positive words. I mostly read or listen to inspirational books or podcasts in my free time. I play music that fills my soul.

I have made it a point to nurture positive relationships. People who fill my soul get my time and love. I have had to let go of people who aren’t good for me and I choose to connect with people who fill my soul.

I try to avoid gossip and complaining and mostly try to connect on a ‘real’ level these days. No more bulls**t conversations, pleasing others, or filtering what I really think, to make others feel comfortable.

3. Connect with yourself and the people closest to you.

Connecting to yourself could mean, sitting still, meditation, writing in a journal. It’s pretty easy to spend our days focusing our energy outwards, but we need to make it a point to connect with ourselves, our inner being.

Connecting to others could mean calling your parent, organizing a coffee date, dinner with your girlfriends. It takes a bit of effort and organization but it is so worth it. Just think of those belly laughs that can only be had with those who know you the best! Those moments feed the soul.

One of the best ways to build connection every day is to ask the question, “How’s your day going?” and REALLY mean it! Have you thought about how many times you have answered the question, “How are you?” with an automatic response of “Good thanks”? Why are we wasting those opportunities to connect with the people around us? We all need to connect more!

4. Nourish your body – eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.

This will have many benefits. It will lower your blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease, provide good gut health, and most importantly it will make you feel so much better!

Try including a fresh vegetable or fruit juice in your day. It’s a great way to sneak in cucumbers, spinach, kale, and carrots into your diet!

Try to limit the amount of processed food as much as you can. All those nasty additives will leave you feeling sluggish and bloated!

5. Give thanks.

We hear this all the time. There are 7 main benefits of practicing gratitude according to research are:

Being grateful benefits relationships, your physical & psychological health improves sleep, self-esteem and mental strength and reduces aggression.

Practicing gratitude could mean writing in a journal, writing thank you notes, or just saying thank you. It’s all about remembering and seeing that the glass is half full and appreciating the little things in life. That even when things seem dire, we do have a foundation of gratitude to pull us through.

6. Speak Kindly to Yourself.

You know that inner voice, that can be the meanest of the mean. That replays events, conversations, or actions. That voice that knows how to hurt you, push your buttons, and tear you down. It’s time to tell her to stop!

Instead, try speaking kindly to yourself. Encourage yourself. Be your own biggest fan.

“Talk to yourself like you would someone you love”

Breńe Brown

7. Set Boundaries.

Setting personal and professional boundaries will help you set the limits of what you are willing to accept from others, situations, and yourself. This involves some soul searching to know yourself better. When are you saying ‘yes’ to things you don’t really want to do? When are you letting others dictate how you are spending your time?

Be prepared to say ‘no’ more often. Be prepared you will disappoint others. Be prepared to feel uncomfortable with it. We all need to put up our own boundaries because if we don’t others will decide to do it for us.

8. Just say ‘No’.

This relates to setting boundaries.

Do what aligns with your values and what you want to do. If it does not feel like the right thing to do, say ‘No’ and feel good about that decision. It will have a positive effect on your life. Try it!

Now, I want you to sit down and put self-care into your routine. Keep it in your diary until it becomes a habit and routine you cannot do without.

It may feel strange at first to put yourself first. Persevere until it becomes a habit. You will reap the benefits. The people around you will feel the difference. You will become a more connected educator for it.

Remember:

“It is so important to take time for yourself and find clarity. The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself.”

Diane Von Furstenberg

Final thought… if you really want to delve deeper into avoiding teacher burnout and set yourself up for success, check out my self paced course Avoiding Teacher Burnout.