The Kate Languages Podcast - S1 Ep2 - Teacher Wellbeing and Burnout

Talking about teacher wellbeing

This was my second podcast episode, and I felt a bit nervous recording it! Here is a summary of the episode (which you can listen to by clicking the "play" button above, or by subscribing to the Kate Languages Podcast wherever you usually listen to podcasts):

Today, we're going to chat about teacher wellbeing. It's a subject that's very close to my heart, and it's actually become a significant part of my working life now. I'll be sharing my personal experience with burnout, how I recovered, and the tools I use regularly to maintain positive mental health. Hopefully, you'll pick up some ideas and tools that you can use yourself.

My own burnout - how, what, why...

So, why is this topic so crucial for me? Well, a few years back, I was a full-time class teacher and head of German. Long story short, I ended up leaving the classroom. The longer version is that I experienced what I'd now call burnout. At the time, I thought it was a bit of a breakdown, but let's stick with burnout for now.

This situation didn't just appear out of nowhere. It was the result of years of build-up. In fact, during my fourth year of teaching, I was really struggling with stress. I was living in London then, and I ended up quitting my job, selling my flat, and moving out of the city. I did a master's degree, which I absolutely loved, and then went back into teaching.

At the second school I worked at, a few different factors led to me not being able to continue classroom teaching. One of the main issues was workload, which I know is a huge problem for many teachers, not just in England but worldwide.

I think I had unrealistic expectations of myself and how many hours I could work. Like many teachers, I was working most evenings and weekends. My free periods were jam-packed with preparation, marking, and dealing with various issues that popped up. If I could have actually used those free periods for planning and marking, I reckon the workload would have been much more manageable.

Another factor was the lack of trust in the teaching profession. This is something that changed during my time as a teacher, and I think it really needs addressing. I often felt like I was constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for someone to criticise me. We'd have book scrutinies, and no matter how well you were doing, there was always something to pick on. It was incredibly frustrating, especially when the criticism wasn't actually about improving student learning.

Difficult relationships with colleagues were another contributing factor. And I want to be clear here - it was never about the children. The kids were brilliant. It was always other staff members who could make life really difficult. I had this situation both in London and at the last school I worked at before I left.

I genuinely believe that if you want to feel good in a school, you need positive relationships. You need at least a few people who are always on your side, who you get on well with, and who you actually want to see every day. When you're dreading interactions with your colleagues, when you feel they're constantly criticising you and making you feel rubbish about yourself, it becomes impossible to work in that environment.

What did burnout feel like for me?

So, what did burnout actually feel like for me? In a nutshell, it was panic attacks and anxiety.

The first day I was off sick, I woke up, had a panic attack, and physically couldn't get ready for school. I just couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything. I called in sick and took the day off. I tried to go back after the weekend, but I only made it a few minutes down the road before having another panic attack while driving. I ended up going to the doctor that day and was signed off sick for a couple of weeks. This kept getting extended, and I literally never went back to that school.

Every time I tried to visualise going back, I'd have a panic attack. It was my body's way of telling me that it wasn't a good idea.

Physically, I was exhausted. There were days where I'd sleep until about 11 o'clock in the morning. Leading up to the burnout, I felt sick all the time and had stomach pains. I went to the doctors thinking there might be something wrong with my stomach, but it turns out it was 'just' stress.

I'm sharing this because if you recognise these signs in yourself - stomach pains, feeling sick, or even having thoughts about harming yourself to avoid work - you need to seriously consider what's going on and think about changing your situation.

How I recovered from burnout - exercise, meditation and gratitude

So, how did I recover? Well, firstly, I listened to my body and did what I needed to do. I slept a lot. I tried to exercise, but found that running gave me anxiety attacks because my elevated heart rate made me feel like I was panicking. So instead, I went for nice walks and went swimming - things that were calming and gentle.

I spent time with friends and family, which was an absolute lifesaver. I also learned about meditation and breathing exercises. I can't say I meditate religiously, but I do it when I can and when I remember to. Even just focusing on your breath and making sure your out-breath is longer than your in-breath can be incredibly calming.

Another thing that really helped was starting a gratitude practice. Now, I'm quite good at focusing on negatives and complaining about bad things, which I do think has an important role. But I've found that regularly focusing on what I'm grateful for helps to reframe things in a more positive light.

I want to be clear though - I'm not advocating for toxic positivity. I think it's important to acknowledge the full range of human emotions, including negative ones. The key is to understand that these are emotions and thoughts, not objective reality.

What self-care means to me

Self-care was also a crucial part of my recovery. And I don't just mean having a bath and lighting a candle (although if that works for you, go for it!). For me, self-care involves doing things I enjoy, like reading or going for walks. It's about taking time for myself and allowing my body and mind to rest.

Another important aspect of self-care for me is setting boundaries. This includes things like not working when I don't want to, and not feeling guilty about it. It's about having some autonomy over when and how I work.

Email boundaries are important too. Not answering emails at the weekend if you don't want to, but also not feeling guilty if you do want to. It's about finding what works for you and sticking to it.

Hopefully this has been helpful!

So, there we go! That's a bit of background on my own situation. I felt a bit nervous about sharing all this, but I hope it's been helpful.

My main goal in sharing this is to hopefully prevent others from going through what I went through. It's not an experience I'd recommend to anyone. While I'm much happier now doing what I'm doing, I wish I hadn't had to get to the point where I couldn't leave my house without having a panic attack.

The things I've talked about in my recovery - gratitude, meditation, breathing exercises - are all things you can do before you reach burnout. If you're starting to feel stressed, these are tools you can use to hopefully prevent yourself from reaching that breaking point.

Remember, it's okay to prioritise your wellbeing. In fact, it's essential. Teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession, but it can also be incredibly demanding. Don't be afraid to set boundaries, practice self-care, and seek help if you need it. Your wellbeing matters, not just for your own sake, but for the sake of your students too.