Coffee House Writers

Top Menu

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Creativity
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fiction
    • Food
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home
    • Lifestyle
    • Memories
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Sports
    • Style
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
    • Poetry Editors
    • Advertising Team
    • Recruiting Team
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login

logo

Coffee House Writers

  • Home
  • Article Categories
    • Creativity
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Fiction
    • Food
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home
    • Lifestyle
    • Memories
    • Nonfiction
    • Poetry
    • Politics
    • Relationships
    • Sports
    • Style
    • Technology
    • Travel
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Founder
  • Meet Our Admin
    • Chief Editors
    • Editors
    • Poetry Editors
    • Advertising Team
    • Recruiting Team
  • Testimonials
  • Apply
  • Login
  • Self Allegiance

  • Abstract

  • What Comes Down the Chute

  • Magical Convergences

  • En Medias Res

  • September

  • Back Roads

  • Find Your Passion and do it with Desire and Purpose

  • Turning Forty

  • Sick at Netherfield

  • I’ll Pull One

  • A Piece Of Deadwood

  • The Island Flamingo: Chapter 17

  • Perils of Gaming

  • Paradise Falls: Chapter 8

  • Autumn Whispers

  • The Red Maiden, Part Twenty

  • The Witching Hour

  • Getting Away with Murder

  • The Inhabitants

  • All the Books

  • The Vampire of Longbourn

  • Cause of Death

  • An Ode to Swedish Metal

  • Éowyn, Queen of Earth

  • Reading Values

  • Autumn, Halloween’s Escort

  • The Thing About Football

  • Score Success for Two

  • The Island Flamingo: Chapter 16

LifestyleNonfictionCultureEnvironmentHealthCreativityRelationships
Home›Lifestyle›6 Tips To Avoid Burn-Out

6 Tips To Avoid Burn-Out

By Lisa Post
August 16, 2020
978
0
Share:
burnout text
Photo courtesy of geralt on Pixabay

There is no getting around it: teaching takes energy.  Lots of it.  It takes mental, physical, and emotional grit.  It takes organization, determination, and endless exertion.  It takes wisdom, compassion, and discipline.

And that is just to get through the first 10 minutes of the day.

Teachers have to wear many hats: teacher, philosopher, advisor, counselor, medic, surrogate parent, protector… the list goes on and on. They are not only educated in their area of expertise, but they know how to adapt lessons, shift gears when a strategy isn’t working, tutor students who fall behind, and much more.  They are overworked, underpaid, and undervalued.

But they still teach.  Not only do they teach, but they also help their schools in extracurricular activities such as sports, fine arts, and fundraisers. They give, and give, and give more.  While doing all of it, some have families, some have second jobs, and some may even be taking extra classes online to help better themselves.  And now, with new guidelines being established in schools due to COVID-19, it isn’t getting any easier.

Does it sound exhausting?  It should.  It is.

All of this “doing” promotes a sense of overburden and burn out.  You may not be a teacher, but you could be entering the same danger zone.  The big question is:  How can you avoid burn out?

1. Find An Example

Photo courtesy of StockSnap on Pixabay

Find someone where you work who has been doing their job longer than you and displays energy, creativity, and overall joy while engaged at their job.  That doesn’t mean they don’t have any bad days, but overall they seem well-equipped to continue in their job indefinitely.  Once you find that person, get nosey.  Have coffee or lunch with them.  Discover what their habits are outside of work.  Confide in them.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, irritable, mentally exhausted, or at the end of your professional rope, tell them about it.  Ask for advice.  They might be able to give you some tips that will help preserve some sanity and energy in your day.

2. Take Care of Yourself

Photo courtesy of Mircealancu_CandidShots on Pixabay

Self-care isn’t being selfish.  You cannot operate at your peak if you are worn down to shreds. Going to bed earlier isn’t a sign of weakness. Indulging in reading a book for fun isn’t a waste of time. Getting a massage, a pedicure, a manicure, or simply taking time to enjoy a long, luxurious bath isn’t a frivolous venture. Examine your body.  Are you tired?  Get more rest.  Are you anxious?  Maybe you need to work in some walking time to prompt endorphin production. How are your eating habits?  Are you turning to sugary, fatty snacks for comfort?  Self-care is about making sure your mind and body are able to handle the demands of the day.  As a teacher, I owe it to my students and family to take care of myself. I will be a better teacher, wife, and mother.

3. Learn to use the word “No”

Photo courtesy of annca on Pixabay

Taking better care of yourself means you will probably have to say “no” at some point to someone. I like to say “yes” to people.  Some of it is because I want to see good things happen.  That is admirable, but not always profitable.  Saying “yes” to too many activities will be a drain on your body and mind.  It will cause more stress (who needs that?). It will also detract from the quality of attention you can give to those commitments already made. Examine every opportunity presented carefully.  Do you really need to be in charge of decorations for the pep rally?  How important is leading the science club?  Are you doing it because you are compelled by a true love for the activity and you can fit it in reasonably with the rest of your commitments?  Or are you doing it out of a sense of pride or pressure?  Sometimes I think we take on an activity so we can think to ourselves “Hey, I saved this program because I was the only one who would step up and lead it!”  Or maybe we like to play the martyr:  “Poor little ol’ me, I’m so worn out because I’m doing everything!”  Be careful how you think about opportunities.  Many times new projects and tasks are taken on for buried, selfish reasons. We are very good at fooling ourselves into thinking we do what we do for more altruistic purposes.

4. Recapture the Joy

Photo courtesy of Myriams-Fotos on Pixabay

There is a reason teachers choose their profession.  There is a satisfaction in it that surpasses all negativity. Teachers love to help students learn and grow as people. Teachers see the potential in young people and try to cultivate it. The best part is that teaching is never dull.  There is always a puzzle to solve because students learn so differently.  Many times a lesson has to be presented in different ways in order to help them learn. The classroom is a place of innovation, instruction, guidance, encouragement, and creativity. Recapture those things, instead of simply crossing off days until the next break.

5. Get Some Grit In Your Craw

Photo courtesy of klimkin on Pixabay

Some what in your what?

Here’s a little lesson in the origin of phrases.  Despite what you see in the movie Chicken Run, birds and foul don’t have teeth.  Instead, they have a gizzard, also called a “craw” in their throats.  They fill it with gravel, small stones, or sand.  In short: grit.  The grit helps break up food for digestion.  The term “grit in your craw” is meant to represent fortitude and perseverance.  Sometimes you can’t recapture the joy right away.  Sometimes you have to fake it till you can make it happen, as the saying goes.  This is where grit comes in.  Having grit means you have the ability to press through those times when you don’t think you can endure.  Until you are able to make personal changes to get off the road to burn out, get some grit in your craw.

6. Make Boundaries

Photo courtesy of aitoff on Pixabay

This is my best piece of advice: Don’t bring your work home. As a teacher, I always have paperwork to catch up on.  Tests, quizzes, essays, and papers are continually deposited in my inbox for me to correct.  The pile can be daunting, and I get tempted to take it home to catch up on.  But I don’t.  I leave it in my office at school because when I leave the building, I have other facets of life that need my undivided attention.  Family, grad school work, writing, exercising, or taking some self-care time all have a time and place.  Bringing work home would be an infringement on that arrangement and throw things out of balance.  That doesn’t mean that on some days I won’t stay a little later to finish up a chunk of work, but it never comes home with me. Find a boundary and stick to them.  That will give you a sense of compartmentalization and balance in your daily life.

Dealing with stress to avoid burn out is not only possible but necessary. Giving up because you are overwhelmed is selfish and short-sighted.  Find ways to make changes that will be beneficial for you personally and professionally.  Balance in life is the key to happiness, success, and sanity, and no matter what your daily life looks like, the balance must be found and preserved.

TagsLifeselfcarewritingjobhealthcopinglifestyleburnoutSchoolteachingEducationMental HealthStresscoffeehousewriters
Previous Article

Budget-Friendly Meals For the College Student

Next Article

The Hand That Steers A Kingdom – ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Lisa Post

I am a wife, mother of 7, student, and writer. I love to write fiction, poetry, and humorous non-fiction. In my spare time, I love to quilt, read, and drink lots of coffee and oolong tea.

Related articles More from author

  • PoetryHealthLifestyleSportsCreativityFiction

    Rain Run

    August 10, 2020
    By Lisa Post
  • CreativityFictionEntertainmentHealth

    Facing The Throne: Part 1

    November 4, 2019
    By Scarlet Noble
  • EntertainmentCreativityFictionEnvironment

    The Stalker

    June 22, 2020
    By Donna Trovato
  • CreativityRelationshipsPoetryHealth

    Darkness

    September 28, 2020
    By Lindsey Taylor
  • FictionTravelCultureEntertainmentEnvironmentCreativityRelationships

    Camping Inside The Fallen Forest

    June 24, 2019
    By Donna Trovato
  • gardening gloved hand holding shovel of dirt
    HealthFoodLifestyle

    How Gardening Blesses You with Spiritual Grounding and Calm Energy

    August 1, 2022
    By Dawn Marie Beauchamp

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You may be interested

  • Girl Fighter/Boxer
    FamilyHomeLifestyleNonfictionHealthCulture

    PCOS SUCKS! How To Fight Like A Girl And Survive Like A Woman. Chapter 5: Mental Health

  • silhouette of person flying a kite
    CultureFamilyNonfiction

    Flying Kites and Dogfights

  • Color is not a crime
    EnvironmentMediaFamilyRelationshipsLifestylePoliticsCultureNonfiction

    Wake Up America: Solutions To America’s Turmoil

Timeline

  • September 25, 2023

    Self Allegiance

  • September 25, 2023

    Abstract

  • September 25, 2023

    What Comes Down the Chute

  • September 25, 2023

    Magical Convergences

  • September 25, 2023

    En Medias Res

Latest Comments

  • Cast In Marble (is up at Coffee House Writers Magazine) – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    September 8, 2023
    […] Hello dear readers and followers, as you may know, I now write for “Coffee House ...

    Cast In Marble

  • In This Limbo, (at Coffee House Writers) – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    September 8, 2023
    […] https://coffeehousewriters.com/in-this-limbo/ […]

    In This Limbo

  • A Day At The Race, (is up at Coffee House Writers Magazine) – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    September 8, 2023
    […] Hello dear readers and followers, as you may know, I now write for “Coffee House ...

    A Day At The Races

  • A Welcoming Roar, is up at Coffee House Writers Magazine – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    September 6, 2023
    […] Hello dear readers and followers, I now write for “Coffee House Writers” magazine on a ...

    A Welcoming Roar

  • Birds on Fences, is in This Weeks Coffee House Writers Magazine – Ivor.Plumber/Poet
    on
    September 6, 2023
    […] Magazine. … please click on the link below to view my poem, at Coffee House Writers. ...

    Birds on Fences

Find us on Facebook

About us

  • coffeehousewriters3@gmail.com

Follow us

© Copyright 2018-2023 Coffee House Writers. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s administrator and owner is strictly prohibited.