Being an educator is an exhausting, often thankless profession. If you aren’t careful, the ever-changing demands of teaching can lead to burnout.
Burnout is a state of exhaustion caused by chronic stress. It can lead even the best educators to lose their will to teach. Nearly eight percent of educators are leaving teaching every year and many of them report that they no longer wished to deal with pressure and stress. Even if you love your career as a teacher and consider yourself good at handling the stress, it’s important to take measures to take care of yourself. If you don’t, you’re risking burnout.
Exercise
One of the best things you can do to avoid burnout is to take care of yourself physically. Exercise helps to reduce stress and improves your overall feeling of well-being. Try to fit in at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. You might run or lift weights in the morning before school or take a fitness class at a nearby gym a few nights a week. No matter what type of exercise you choose, make it a priority.
Eat well and get enough sleep
It’s also important to fuel your body with healthy foods and get enough sleep. If you are deprived of sleep or of essential vitamins and minerals, you’re more likely to get sick, to be irritable, and you’re more likely to feel drained at the end of the day. Living in that state is a surefire way to burn yourself out.
Keep boundaries
When you’re a teacher, it’s easy to take work home with you. You have tests to grade, papers to read, and lessons to plan. You must maintain some boundaries with your time, however, so that you can maintain a work-life balance. You might want to consider giving quicker assignments or taking time to grade while you’re still at work. The less you can bring home, the better.
Take time for yourself
Your job as an educator is all about serving others, but you need to be taken care of too. Take time for yourself. Do something that you love to do every day, even it’s just sitting in the quiet for five minutes with a cup of coffee. If you have a hobby that you’re passionate about, make time for it. If you neglect yourself for too long, soon you won’t have anything to offer others.