For teachers, burnout is becoming a serious problem, as it was indicated in the Education Support Partnership Wellbeing Index, that teachers report higher levels of stress than those working in any other sector.

Burnout may sound like a workplace symptom for being overly tired, but burnout is a real psychological disorder brought on by chronic stress. It not only affects our mental capability but can also lead to physical symptoms as well.

As the reality of burnout is ever present for teachers in a demanding career, it’s essential that you’re able to spot the early signs of burnout both in yourself and in colleagues to ensure that burnout doesn’t lead to more serious health issues.

To help you become more aware, we’ve listed the potential signs of burnout, so that you can take a proactive approach in your mental wellbeing.

Chronic Fatigue

Feeling tired is common among many people that work in a demanding job role, but chronic fatigue is far more severe.

To begin with you may feel a lack of energy and constantly tired, however, this can then develop into the later stages where you feel emotionally exhausted or drained.

You may even feel a sense of dread, without really understanding why you feel that way.

Insomnia

If you do not already have an existing sleep condition, the occurrence of insomnia is an early sign that you are stressed or perhaps anxious.

To begin with, you may have trouble falling asleep at night. With it feeling like it’s taking you hours to get to sleep.

In some instances, you may fall asleep easily but then find you suddenly wake in the early hours for no reason and then can’t get back to sleep.

In many cases insomnia can eventually get to a stage where no matter how tired and exhausted you are, you cannot sleep. This can be a real ordeal to go through, as a lack of sleep not only affects our moods, but the anxiety of going to sleep can also begin to affect our mental wellbeing.

Addiction

Addiction takes many forms. From overeating, over drinking to smoking too much.

While we often think of addiction as drug based, the fact is there are a variety of addictions that are unhealthy for us.

Anything we turn to in order to cope or having a feeling that we can’t survive the day without it, are all signs we’ve become addicted.

If you’ve started drinking in the evening because you’re stressed, or even put on weight because your eating is out of control, these could be early indications that stress is taking over.

 

Emotional

Whether you find yourself getting upset over small things, or getting extremely angry; a significant change in your emotions is a sign that your hormones are being affected by stress.

At first, you may blame this on outside incidences and not think much of it, but you then may start to see yourself being irrational or tense during conversations with colleagues or loved ones.

 

Cynicism

Negative thoughts may begin as being overly critical of yourself. Perhaps thinking you’ll fail at something so why bother? Or giving yourself a hard time over an incident which is ultimately out of your control.

However, this negative attitude can worsen and move to others around you. Perhaps extending to trust issues with colleagues or family members.

Moving from a positive attitude to a negative attitude can be a sign that stress has begun to impact on your behaviour and your feelings towards others.

Headaches and Stomach pains

Stress does manifest in the body, often presenting itself as mild headaches or an upset stomach.

At first, you may blame this on being tired, or not eating the right food, or even having a reaction to a specific food type. But as this continues, the severity of the physical symptoms can lead to more serious illnesses.

IBS, migraines, psoriasis and even fibromyalgia have all been linked to chronic stress.

Burnout isn’t the same for everyone, as we all manage stress in different ways. So, while you may not see yourself in all of these symptoms, if you notice a change in your mood or behaviour we would highly advise seeking professional help.