How to Tackle Burnout with Kindness

Written By Gina Tremaglio

Burnout. It’s become a buzzword these days… especially in the field of education.

What even is burnout? Our favorite online doctor, WebMD, explains that “burnout happens when you’re overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with life’s incessant demands.” Sounds a lot like teaching, right?

But burnout isn’t a joke. For many of us, it’s worsened our physical and mental health, made it difficult to concentrate or feel hopeful at work, and so much more.

Teacher burnout might look like: 

  • Barely making it through the school week from exhaustion

  • Procrastinating, forgetting, or ignoring tasks that just seem too overwhelming

  • Feeling more easily irritated or frustrated with your coworkers or students 

  • No longer coming into school early or staying late to plan, prep, or decorate

  • Running out of ideas and motivation to create engaging lessons

  • Losing your spark or love for teaching

The last one started to get to me this past December, when I felt the demands and pressure of teaching in 2021 diminishing my spark. I knew that taking care of myself was no longer an option, like I had made it in years past - but I needed to go beyond the cliche self-care.

Trendy or cute self-care strategies like bubble baths, hugs, or a $29 lightbox from Amazon are not going to cure the toxic stress that causes and perpetuates burnout. Instead, I’m turning to kindness. 

You’re probably thinking, “Wait, aren’t those the same thing? I can’t just smile my way out of burnout.” But hear me out…

You can begin to tackle burnout by being kind to yourself and honoring your self-worth. It looks like:

  • Saying NO without having to explain yourself

  • Taking time off to recharge (and not feeling guilty for it)

  • Being vocal about your needs, like more admin support or manageable workload

  • Setting boundaries with coworkers and parents

  • Grading and responding to emails on your own timeline

Being kind to others can also help to alleviate the effects of burnout. After experiencing the stress myself, I’ve been more patient with my students and teacher friends because I know they’re likely struggling, too. Everyone could use a little more kindness.

Teacher friends, this is hard. You are doing the best you can - and that is enough.

Xoxo,

Gina @ Classroom of Kindness

Gina Tremaglio
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