How to survive teacher burnout: 10 top tips

This blog post is part 3 of my series on teacher burnout. If you missed the first two read them here:

1. 10 useful tips for avoiding teacher burnout
2. 7 clear signs of teacher burnout

best ways to survive teacher burnout

Teacher burnout series part 3

How to survive teacher burnout: 10 top tips

I’ve had teacher burnout multiple times and actually, each time has felt different. The factors that contributed to my burning out were different, the people around me were different, and my home life was different. 

But each time I have come out the other side and returned to enjoy the classroom. 

And each time I have learned new tips and tools in order to help me survive teacher burnout. 

I am excited to share these with you in the hope that they might help you too. 

1. Find a teacher buddy 

Finding someone at work you can confide in and let your guard down with is so important. It provides you with a safe space and a meaningful connection that can help you ride out the storm. 

If you don’t feel that you can connect with someone at your school then try and find a teacher at another school who will understand what you’re going through. 

Feeling that you have someone to talk to who actually gets it is key to avoiding burnout, but also getting through it. 

2. Find perspective 

Sometimes as teachers we can get so caught up in our own workload and stresses that we can lose perspective. 

There are three things I find really helpful when this happens:

     i) Writing a list of things you cannot change and things you can change

I often feel frustrated by the things other people do or don’t do which affect me and my job. Particularly as a person who holds very high expectations of myself and who likes to be efficient, this can really get me down. 

Writing a list of the things I cannot change alongside a list of things I can, helps me to let go (a bit) of those things that are out of my control.

     ii) Writing a list of the things I am grateful for 

It can be easy to forget all the amazing blessings we have in our lives when we are feeling teacher burnout. Seeing it on paper can help us to refocus our energy and remember that our work is not the be-all and end-all (even though it does often feel that way). 

     iii) Spending time praying for those who are in worse positions

You may not be the praying type, but even just spending time in thought for those who are going through more intense struggles in life can help provide some perspective. 

how to survive teacher burnout

3. Make sleep a priority 

If you have teacher burnout then you are probably also noticing your sleep is taking a hit.

Maybe it is that you are not getting enough of it, or that the quality of your sleep is subpar. 

Try to make this a priority. I know from experience that this can be hard when the marking is piling up and your work stresses are occupying a lot of your mind. 

For now, forget marking classwork or homework and only mark formal tasks that you have to. Take a break from the rest. You’ve earned it. 

Also I think it’s important at this point to tell you not to feel guilty. You are trying to survive teacher burnout. This is not the time to be setting extra work for yourself or feeling guilty for not marking every thing you do. 

how to survive teacher burnout

how to survive teacher burnout

4. Purchase ready to go lessons 

Is it worth spending $5 on a resource that is ready to go to save you hours of prep time? YES! Just do it. 

Give yourself permission to take a break. $5 is probably less than you might spend at Starbucks and if it allows you to go to sleep at a reasonable time, or just give you some headspace back from lesson prepping then it is way more valuable! 

My favourite sites to go to for decent no-prep resources are:

• Teachers Pay Teachers
• Amped Up Learning
• TimeSavers for Teachers

5. Ask for help / see a counsellor 

Teacher burnout can lead to serious health issues such as depression. The weight of feeling that we have let our students down is soul-crushing and people in other professions don’t always understand. 

It is important for you to seek professional help if you think it may be a little more than burnout. 

Even if you think it is burnout it is still worth seeing someone if you are able to. They may be able to provide you with really practical ways to get out the other side and avoid teacher burnout in the future.

6. Practice escapism

I realise this seems counterintuitive when you are feeling under the pump with a never-ending to-do list. But honestly taking a much-needed break can help you be more productive when you do go back to it. 

Watch a good movie, read an engaging novel, get out of the house and go somewhere new. 

Planning a holiday for when you have a break can also be a great way to do this. It allows you to think about somewhere new and exciting while also having the holiday to look forward to.

10 tips for avoiding teacher burnout 

7. Reset your routine 

Shocking your body by shaking up your routine can help you to get through the burnout stage. 

Instead of staying at work till 6 pm, leave at 3 pm and go for a walk or coffee. Then come back to finish your work at 6 pm. A little change like this could give you a little more fuel in the tank. 

8. Take some time off

If this option is available to you (both financially and with your school) then take it! 

Taking a term off may allow you to recharge enough that you can stay in the profession and survive teacher burnout.

If you cannot negotiate this time off, or you don’t want to take this time off, the next best thing is to make sure you utilise sick days.  Don’t be afraid to take them. These can give you a little reprieve during your week and might be enough to help you get to the end of term. 

If you are burnt out, then it is likely your immune system is low too. Make sure you take your sick days to rest before you end up sick. 

9. Change your loading

If you are working full time right now, then maybe it is worth considering dropping back to a 0.8 load to give you some more breathing space.  

This obviously requires some financial considerations too, however, it is worth considering in order to save your mental health. This doesn’t have to be forever. But maybe just a season of part-time work. 

10. Look for other opportunities

They say that change is as good as a holiday! Perhaps a change of scenery will help you to start fresh. 

There may be some contributing factors at your current workplace that you aren’t even aware of. A change in school may help to give you a fresh start and a leg up out of burnout. 

Srviving teacher burnout – 10 top tips

Conclusion

It is important that you know you are not alone. This profession is hard and often relentless. These 10 tips for how to survive teacher burnout are designed to give you some ideas on how you can look after yourself as a teacher and find longevity in the profession. 

Have you managed to survive teacher burnout? Please drop them in the comments below!

Survive teacher burnout