Teacher Burnout: Symptoms, Causes, & Prevention

Though a career in education has long positioned teachers for burnout, the enduring nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has made teacher burnout even more likely.¹ Teachers increasingly find themselves exhausted by work, disconnected or cynical about teaching, and suffering from reduced efficacy, all hallmarks of what the World Health Organization (WHO) has referred to as “burnout syndrome.”²

What Is Teacher Burnout?

Burnout is a state of chronic exhaustion that occurs after prolonged periods of stress. Teachers can feel this way due to the demanding nature of their job and the caregiving stress and potential for social fatigue related to jobs in education. Teacher burnout follows educators home, contributing to stress, anxiety, and sleeping issues. Ultimately, it’s the main contributor cited as the reason for leaving the teaching profession.

Teachers can learn and engage in self-care strategies to cope with teacher burnout, but systemic issues such as a perceived lack of administrative support and an emphasis on standardized testing contribute a sense of limited autonomy or control.³ Research shows that teachers with supportive administrators show higher retention rate, which speaks to the need for a comprehensive approach to burnout prevention.⁴

11 Signs of Teacher Burnout

A teacher experiencing burnout may feel increased irritability with colleagues and students, anxious, restless, depressed, or disconnected. They may have decreased effectiveness at planning or executing lessons, withdraw from others, or present as sarcastic or cynical in interpersonal interactions.

Here are eleven symptoms and signs of teacher burnout:

1. Physical and emotional exhaustion
2. Sleep issues and fatigue
3. Self-doubt or a lack of confidence
4. Increased or decreased appetite or weight
5. Lack of motivation or drive
6. Feelings of ineffectiveness
7. Anxiety
8. Existential dread or anxiety
9. Cynicism and negativity about their job
10. Irritability and emotional lability
11. Depersonalization: not seeing the humanity in students, families, colleagues

10 Causes of Teacher Burnout

Internal factors contributing to teacher burnout include difficulty managing stress, prolonged health and safety concerns (especially related to the pandemic), and minimal breaks to attend to personal needs. External factors that increase the likelihood of teacher burnout include feeling unsupported by administrators or colleagues, preparing for testing, and communication issues.

Here are ten potential causes of teacher burnout:

1. Poor school funding
2. Emphasis on teacher outcomes related to standardized testing
3. Dealing with difficult parents
4. Difficult pupils and classroom management issues
5. Financial stress
6. Feeling underappreciated or undervalued
7. Lack of autonomy
8. Shifting expectations
9. Unpredictable schedules
10. Lack of respect for the profession

8 Ways to Prevent Teacher Burnout

Preventing teacher burnout means first acknowledging that it’s happening. Begin by naming it and then learning how to deal with feeling overwhelmed. There are a variety of stress management strategies that educators can use to combat teacher burnout. Then, educators can engage in the teacher advocacy work that can make for systemic change in their schools or districts.

Here are eight ways to prevent teacher burnout:

1. Make Mindfulness a Daily Practice

Cultivating mindfulness, a practice that encourages people to engage in regular mental “check-ins,” can help limit symptoms of teacher burnout.⁵ It allows teachers to acknowledge their inner experience before they’re overwhelmed by it. During overscheduled school days in overenrolled classrooms, it can be especially difficult for teachers to have a moment to consider their own needs; however, taking a quick “mental inventories” is a step in the right direction.

2. Exercise or Physical Activity

Paying attention to one’s physical being and creating a physical outlet for stress is imperative to alleviate teacher burnout. Whether it’s a brisk walk over lunch time or a 30-minute weight workout before or after work, physical movement through exercise removes stress from the body. Teachers can even incorporate this into their routines with students, allowing for desk breaks, stretching, or yoga.

3. Create a Community

Socializing with others allows you to explore other parts of your identity or to commiserate with others who “get it.” Having both “in group” outlets (other teachers) and “out of group” outlets (people who have nothing to do with your profession) can help you create support networks and develop other parts of your identity. Build your network and rely on one another during times of stress.

4. Beware of Contagious Negativity

When creating your community, be careful of burnout contagion.⁶ Because humans are social beings, we are especially susceptible to emotional contagion, whether the emotions are positive or negative. Find colleagues who emanate positive emotions, and add them to your circle. Conversely, beware of those colleagues who regularly bring down faculty morale, focusing on what is going wrong rather than what is working.

5. Set Firm Internal & External Boundaries

Set reasonable deadlines for yourself. Though adhering to a plan is good, don’t allow that plan to be so strict that you feel imprisoned by it. With parents and colleagues, set boundaries for when and how you are to be contacted. Consider creating a formal document and sharing it at the start of the year to set the tone for the type of communication you wish to have.

6. Rest & Relaxation

Because of the take-home nature of teaching, burnout can easily creep into home life. Make for clear separation between work and home by consolidating “homework” to one space within the house or during a set block of time. Though it may feel like there’s pressure to be productive at all times, take time to question whether this expectation is real or created by your own restlessness.

7. Adopt a Growth Mindset

By seeing each day as an opportunity to start over, teachers can avoid teacher burnout. Adopting a growth mindset is an act of self-compassion that allows teachers to give themselves the same kind of grace and compassion they offer their students.⁷ This kind of emotional self-care can become part of a teacher’s daily routine.

8. Choose Compassion Over Empathy

Teachers are often deeply empathic people; however, when one empathizes too much with the hardships of another, the pain centers of the brain are activated.⁸ By maintaining a healthy level of emotional distance, we can possibly decrease the likelihood of teacher burnout. Remember, compassion activates positivity rather than pain.

When to Seek Professional Help

Feelings of low mood or persistent anxiety that last beyond a period of several weeks or are not alleviated by time away from work should be addressed with a mental health professional. Consider seeing a therapist who specializes in anxiety, utilizes mindfulness based self-compassion, or engages in body-based approaches to healing burnout (e.g., sensorimotor, polyvagal theory).

Additionally, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is increasingly being utilized to work through issues related to teacher burnout. For help finding a therapist who will meet your needs, consult our directory of mental health professionals.

Final Thoughts on Teacher Burnout

Teacher burnout is often difficult to acknowledge and overcome. However, by paying careful attention to your internal experience, looking for signs of teacher burnout, learning tools to cope with stress, and engaging in self-care, you can embolden yourself to address the systemic issues related to a profession in education. Remember, you are not alone.

Additional Resources

• Edutopia
• Self-compassion.org
• We are Teachers
• Usable Knowledge
• Online Therapist Directory: Sort therapists by specialty, cost, availability and more. Watch intro videos and see articles written by the therapists you’re considering working with. When you’ve found a good match, book an online therapy appointment with them directly.

Are you ready to connect with a therapist but feel a little overwhelmed by all your options? Speak with one of Choosing Therapy’s Client Navigators. Client Navigators are mental health professionals who will listen to what you’re looking for in a therapist and help pair you with the best possible fit. Getting started is free, easy, and confidential.