Page 21 - CJOct24

A State of Stress: Self-Care Strategies for Combating the Effects of Burnout

Self-Care Redefined existence. Remembering where you are and the group
you are surrounded by and putting your situation into
In-School Self-Care Strategies perspective is crucial. If you are a K-12 teacher or un-
It can seem counterintuitive to find strategies for self- dergraduate college professor, it can be difficult to re-
care that are specifically in-school. Isn’t that the whole mind yourself that a students’ prefrontal cortex is not
purpose, to take care of yourself outside of the stressful fully developed until age twenty-five, which of course
environment? Oftentimes, we spend more time in our is the part of the brain to control complex behavioral
rehearsal spaces than we do in our own homes. It is performance and executive functions.
imperative to find ways throughout the day to recenter
ourselves and to create spaces that cannot be turned Use Your Time Off!
against us or do damage to us. Why shouldn’t we also Sick days vs Personal Time Off (PTO) are two things
feel comfortable in the spaces we strive to make com- teachers try to collect like gold coins. However, often-
fortable for our musicians? times PTO does not roll over for future school years!
Take the time in the beginning of the school year to
Setting Boundaries/Defining Non-Negotiables pre-schedule PTO for things you find important to
We as teachers are quick to say “yes” for many rea- you—birthdays, a mental health day after a particu-
sons: to prove we can be good team workers, work for larly stressful concert series, a concert by your favorite
our administration’s praise, to do what we can for our band. This will also provide little spots in the year to
students, to name a few. However, for us to be the best be excited for outside of an otherwise hectic schedule!
versions of ourselves we can be, we have to make our
work environment a place where we feel comfortable Out-of-School Self-Care Strategies
saying a teacher’s least favorite word: “no.” Creating a Out-of-school strategies for burnout highlight your-
calendar at the beginning of the school year with dates self, the people you love, and that which you love to do.
you can commit to and sticking to it is a way to ensure We want to emphasize that eating, sleeping, and resting
that your administration sees you are able to work, but are not self-care; they are basic human needs. Using
you have set days that you cannot add extra. If you those as “rewards” is not beneficial to our emotional,
are an upper-level teacher, often students come to you mental, or physical health, and trains our brains not to
with all of their hard issues and emotions. Finding a place value on them.
way to be supportive while not making their issues your
problem is crucial to create those boundaries and keep Setting Boundaries
your classroom not just a safe space for them, but a safe There is a long-standing stigma that burnout is
space for you. equated to success; we have the power to break that
cycle and redefine what success is to us. Setting bound-
Changing Your Environment/Organization aries encourages us to give of ourselves in all aspects of
Take time to make an organization system that our lives as we are able, which creates balance. Power-
works for you. Whether that’s labeled drawers or fold- ful tools to utilize include defining our own non-nego-
ers, or just having your own system of piles on your tiables—the things in our lives that we are not willing
desk, keeping things organized will help to alleviate the to give up, the lines we are not willing to cross, and the
panic of having to be “perfect.” Creating a space in values we hold—along with using “no” as a full sen-
your classroom, whether you have an office or a corner tence.
with a desk that is your comfort space, can help.
Spending Time with Loved Ones
Mindfulness and Crafting Being in the presence of those we love can instantly
The little things are absolutely allowed to bother us, shift our mood, our motivations, and our actions. Liv-
but we should strive to not let it be the bane of our ing life with and creating memories with loved ones is

CHORAL JOURNAL October 2024 Volume 65 Number 3 19