By Danyelle Bridges, M.Ed
I wish there were a worldwide pause button that I could press to slow everyone and everything down. I would have everybody look around for eight minutes and take in everything around them. Life can sometimes feel like you are running a race. And just like in a race, you can get tired, weak, and burned out. Many educators experience feelings of stress and burnout every day. They have no time to refresh their minds and bodies,--their spirits are broken. Laws, policies, procedures, curricula, and expectations are constantly changing. Educators' brains are on overload. They need someone to push the pause button. So, I am pushing the button today.
Switching into a relaxed mode is vital to our mental health because it allows time for our mind and body to rejuvenate and replenish. Finding ways to let our mind & body be calm and at peace lets us focus on our personal needs, wants, and desires. Relaxation prompts your brain to release endorphins, chemicals that act as natural painkillers (Ambardekar, 2022). For some, this is easier said than done. Turning off the "work brain" can be difficult because of the dire need to meet high expectations to produce lifelong learners, build college career readiness in students, provide resources for low-income families, and support the needs of building leaders, faculty, staff, and students.
Other professions have work time limits. Doctors, for example, have office hours and on-call schedules. They are not expected or required to answer outside of these times. Unfortunately, the same respect is not given to principals and teachers. Principals are assigned district phones to ensure they are always available. When the phone rings, they must answer. They must answer for the superintendent, emergencies, principal meetings, concerned parent calls, community crisis calls, and teacher emergency calls. On the other hand, teachers are expected to answer countless emails, call parents, meet deadlines, complete lesson plans and grade papers, volunteer for activities, tutor, mentor, and shop for classroom resources.
We are naturally creative beings, and our brains can easily slip into fight or flight mode. According to the National Library of Medicine (2021), psychological detachment is the central recovery experience from work-related stress that allows individuals to reduce burnout symptoms. Often, educators feel the side effects of stress, like the lack of sleep, loss of appetite, overeating, depression, stroke, heart attacks, and family and marital problems. I also had times when it challenged me to turn off my work brain. When my children were younger, they had recreational sporting events; I would be at the games physically, but my mind would be on work. Sometimes this would cause me to miss that fantastic touchdown or the smooth band choreography my kids would perform.
I remember bringing my purple bag every time my husband got admitted to the hospital. I even would bring it to doctors' appointments. I felt like I needed to have work nearby. I had to be able to answer questions about a student if someone called me, even while my husband was in the hospital, right? Hand on the face emoji. The purple bag represented my stress, worry, and anxiety. I felt like I needed it to function, but I didn't realize it was taking away my peace and sustainability. I am so glad I no longer have to carry that bag around, and I am free from Imposture Syndrome, which makes us feel like if we don't meet everyone else's standard, then we are subpar.
Educators are pushed constantly to do more and be more because if not, they could lose their jobs or lose control of their schools. And who wants that? Nobody! So principals are forced to aggressively push incentives and demands for change to reach state and district goals onto teachers no matter how it affects their mental health. Teachers are forced to change their teaching styles and meet student learning targets no matter how this affects their confidence and competency. While all of this is important to reach student achievement, the heaviness it weighs on educators is causing stress and anxiety, so they cannot press the pause button and recharge for the next day. Relaxation is a part of feeling safe. It guards your body, blocking your body's response to stress. Disconnecting from work to reboot is good for your mental and physical health. Researchers at the University of Konstanz and Bowling Green University found that work-related thoughts combined with a lack of recovery strategies after work aggravate emotional exhaustion and prevent the resupply of energetic resources.
Here are some ways to turn off your work brain:
Mental Health
Practice Mindfulness
Do a brain dump
Relax in a hot bath
Listen to podcast
Physical Health
Pick a hobby, and do it!
Exercise
Cook your favorite meal
Social Health
Set boundaries
Enjoy time with family and friends
Do a social media detox
Spiritual Health
Self-care plan
Find your place of worship and meditation
Soul Searching Self-Reflection
Forgive
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