Teacher burnout: concepts, stages and ways to avoid

Teachers are forced to communicate intensively with students, parents, colleagues and management, to be in constant emotional contact with them, in a state of constant response. Because of this, they are more prone to teacher burnout.

History of the concept

The term "emotional burnout syndrome" went down in history in 1974, when the American psychiatrist Herbert Freidenberg noticed a state of exhaustion in the volunteers of the psychiatric clinic where he worked.

The problem of "professional burnout" was dealt with by foreign and domestic scientists. According to their research, specialists working in the "man-to-man" system burn out more often. Working in a tense rhythm with an emotional load affects the psycho-emotional state of the employee.

Moreover, the lack of proper financial and moral support (psychological praise), the need to perform bureaucratic procedures lead to a sense of devaluation of their own work. A person may feel that he or she is not socially benefiting society.

Ways to diagnose burnout

Emotional burnout is a state of exhaustion characterized by loss of strength, feelings, including joy and satisfaction with life. Psychologist emphasizes: if you want to be on a desert island for at least 15 minutes, it is a sign of burnout.

It is important to develop the skills of reflection, ie self-observation. When a person is able to self-analyze their experiences, actions, feelings, it forms its own beliefs. This allows it to be in the resource. It is better to think about the question "what?" Than "why?", Because there is a risk of going into self-digging. For example, "what confuses me?", "What is most important in my life?", "What should I change in my work, my attitude to events?" etc.

Researchers in 1986 developed a questionnaire to determine the degree of burnout. Domestic psychologists have interpreted it in tests that still remain relevant today.

Professional Tree technique allows you to analyze your attitude to work and, consequently, to assess the risks of burnout. The essence of the method is to divide the sheet in half: on the one hand you need to write 20 points, for which you are grateful for your work, and on the other - 20 points, for which the work is "grateful" to you. One side will show

How much pleasure teaching brings, and the second - how much the teacher values ‹‹himself and, in his opinion, why the teacher is valued at work. If there are not enough points (5-8) in the first column, it is a bell that is a voltage; when there are not enough points in the second column - you need to look for why the teacher does not value himself, or it will indicate that he is not valued, so it is worth thinking about changing jobs.

Stages of burnout

The incubation period (or the phase of the honeymoon) - the desire to work in a good mood, dedication, idealization of work, inflated demands on themselves.

Stenic syndrome - the tension increases, the sense of humor disappears, what was joked about earlier cause™s anger. A person still has the strength to be angry. This stage needs influence: you need to take care of yourself.

Asthenic syndrome - lack of strength for anger, apathy, helplessness, "hands down", want to cry. At this stage, you should ask for help, delegate authority.

Disorganization phase - professional help of doctors will be required.

If a teacher burns out, those around him suffer the most because they do not receive his support in advance. To counteract burnout, you should constantly think about how you can take care of yourself so as not to lose the ability to feel.

In this case, some small steps: timely exit from contact; a stop to stand by the window, drink water, eat candy, etc. Only a teacher who can take care of himself will be able to take care of others. Remember: through the experience of the teacher, students see how he can afford to sit comfortably, drink water during the lesson. That is, the ability to take care of yourself is one of the important things that students need to broadcast.

Some stereotypes about teachers accelerate teacher burnout:

• The teacher must always be calm and restrained;
• He must hide his feelings;
• The teacher must sacrifice himself: full commitment to work / educational institution without the right to personal life and interests;
• The teacher must be in telephone or online access outside the learning process.

Practice "two minutes of silence"

While working in the classroom, the teacher is in a rich information environment, and his brain needs to organize information. You may often experience a noise in your head, especially at the end of the day. To relax and organize the accumulated information, you need to be 2 minutes in silence (without phone, gadgets, other sources of information, other people). It is small, but effective.

The practice of returning to adulthood

When the teacher goes out to the students, his inner state begins to work.

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There is a practice: returning yourself to adulthood. Not by age, but by the ability to accommodate different voltages. If the teacher feels like an adult, then the child feels that an adult can handle everything difficult. You have to imagine that you grow in size from earth to space; you become huge, wide, like the ocean. So small drops of dirt are not terrible - water will dissolve them. You can even think: "For me, my knowledge, my family, teachers, I can handle." Then students can rely on the strength and resilience of the teacher and count on his authority. Remember that a teacher is a "beacon": he does not need to fuss or shout.

Teacher's, not parental attitude towards students

The teacher may lose his strength when he performs a role not peculiar to him. Teachers or parents have the following expectations: the role of "second mother / second father" for children. However, it takes a lot of energy. The teacher is a guide to the child's outer territories, and the parents are a guide to the child's inner territories. If the teacher fulfills their role, the student will begin to project all the unlived, unfulfilled expectations and insults from his family to him, it will affect the learning process. And a real mom / real dad will feel jealous, it will complicate the process of communication between parents and teachers.

Correctly formulate verbal constructions in everyday life

The verbal constructions used by the teacher can also take away his energy, so it is important to formulate the idea correctly without loss for yourself. "I put all my soul, all my heart into the students." It turns out that when a student graduates from school, he "takes away the whole soul, the whole heart" of the teacher. "The whole soul" is a phrase that is too global, so much love will lead to intoxication. In fact, students only need a small portion, and this does not mean that the teacher will give less. It is better to paraphrase: "I give from the heart and soul."

Arrange the workplace with nice little things

In order to quickly feel the balance during the lesson, you can use external means. These can be nice little things: a favorite picture with beautiful scenery, a statuette reminiscent of a vacation, a photo and more. They should be placed so that they are in visual access.

Find new resources to build strength

To be in a state of balance, you need to know where to draw strength. There are several channels.

Visual - watch movies; contemplate landscapes during a hike or walk; visit performances, museums, galleries. That is to look at everything that pleases the eye.

Physical - all the actions we do for the body: physical activity, sports, walking, massage, bath, dancing.

Audial - songs, music or silence.

Olfactory - pleasant smells of flowers, aroma of coffee or fresh pastries, etc.

Relationship channel - communication with nice people and friends, family support, psychologist.

Intellectual - the acquisition of new knowledge and skills - it is this channel is usually overloaded.

Channel of intuition - spiritual practices, meditations, prayers.

In everyday life or during work, teachers use 1-2 channels, so the burnout begins. In order to receive energy, it is important to use uninvolved channels after work. For example, silence and a walk.