Week 7/8 this term and today, especially at the rate I'm going both in and out of work, I experienced many of within the picture.
Complete burnout is one of the scariest things I observed my mentor experience when I was in my NQT year. Sadly, many also experience this as schools don't always support it.
Burnout needs to be talked about more.
There are many warning signs of burnout before a complete meltdown as I witnessed my mentor go through.
Negative attitude
A negative attitude towards everything whether it is new ideas or things you previously enjoyed. This negative attitude will start to enter many facets of your life and fill you with a sense of 'ugh'.
Fatigue There's no tired like teacher tired but fatigue is where you will feel 'done'. You get your 8 hours of sleep, wake up, and still feel completely wiped. For me, this is one of the biggest indicators of a well-needed break.
Brain Dead You're sat at your computer, sat marking or just doing anything that requires any sort of additional brainpower and... nothing. You can't quite muster up the brain power to do tasks that were once seemingly normal.
Appetite change While hasn't been a big one for me because I am a human eating machine, my mentor went through a phase of skipping lunch prior to burnout which is something I am now aware of.
Not interested in work This will come in the form of literally only wanting to do the bare minimum where you may have previously been ambitious to complete 1 or 2 weeks of work in advance. For me, I suddenly get this urge of 'get me out of here' (linked to anxiety below) and then feel I just need to get out. Anxiety This is a huge under-discussed factor of burnout and is something I struggle with. This will become an inability to complete seemingly normal day-to-day tasks because you're worried about the outcome.
I'm slightly drained writing this at the moment, the above anxiety has started to reappear. As a result, I start to overthink EVERYTHING! Where I would once create a video each week, I will now overthink and get worried about whether people will hate me despite making 200 plus videos.
Thankfully, through my own discovery and research, there are some things that you can do to help yourself
-Reduce sensory overload: lights and sounds on a daily basis. This may include taking a break from social media.
Make a priority list. What's essential for the day. What isn't?
Keep goals visible. The above will help you keep them that way.
It's okay to not get every other thing on the list.
There will be times where you're productive. Other times may just involve taking time for yourself.
Sleep! I can't express the importance of taking that seriously.
Don't let others make you feel bad for how you're feeling
Drink more water. Believe it or not, this is a weird one that is really conducive to reducing feelings of mental fatigue.
A dependable partner can really help as a support system when you feel overloaded.
Ultimately, know that this moment shall pass too. Follow the steps above to support your wellbeing to benefit stronger mental health.
If you are struggling further with mental health, please check the website below
Hopefully, a tip on here will help someone.