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4 Emotional Intelligence Strategies to Help with Teacher Burnout

by Patty Freedman

Is it burnout season? Teachers and parents everywhere are ready for a break.  There’s never been a better time to practice emotional intelligence. In this month’s newsletter we explore how emotional intelligence can help with educator burnout. Keep reading for EQ research and resources you can use for you, your faculty and students.

🔴 Thinking About: The season of teacher burnout

🟡 Research says: A boost in EQ mitigates teacher burnout

🟢 Try it Yourself: 4 tips for teacher burnout

🔵 Mark your calendar: Events for educators – will you join us?

🔴 Thinking About: The season of teacher burnout 

Even as spring arrives in the Northern Hemisphere with pink tree blossoms, sunny days — the calendar shows that there are still months left in the school year. Educators’ energy and optimism may be flagging at this point.

Have you seen this quote? 

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

It’s a bit cliche but there is some truth there. Let’s break down this old saying and make it actionable advice:

“Reach the end of your rope” – Do you know you are at the end of your rope? It’s good to pay attention to your feelings, they are important messages to you from you. Your anger, impatience, sadness, overwhelm are all reasonable responses situations that may be out of your control. Your response to the situation is your choice. Consider what options you have in the moment and make the best decision that supports your noble goal (your long term values)

“Tie a knot” – What is possible for you to do? When we shift from feeling powerless to having some control of our actions we regain our agency and a path to optimism. What actions can you take– make a big list. Sometimes the process of seeing options on the page can help us feel less stuck.

“Hang on” – Remember Martin Seligman’s model of optimism: TIE (Temporary, Isolated, Effort required; here’s a short video about these 3 elements). The temporal nature of circumstances is important. Hang on through the turbulence of this moment and things will improve. Time will pass, things will change. But at the moment it can feel endless. Knowing that things are temporary gives you a little bump to keep going.

Are you feeling burnout? Know the signs of burnout and take steps to get support you need. To go further, consider joining these workshops on SEL for Educator Wellbeing, and earn a certificate from Antioch University & Six Seconds.

🟡 RESEARCH SAYS: A boost in EQ mitigates teacher burnout

A study published in Journal of Behavioral Science (2023) demonstrates emotional intelligence as a mitigating factor for teacher burnout.

Researchers in Italy monitored educators during COVID era lockdowns to study teachers’ levels of burnout, work engagement, and self-efficacy. They wanted to better understand if teachers’ emotional intelligence made a difference. In the study 65 teachers working in a range of remote/hybrid/traditional classroom configurations. The study showed, “participants reported higher levels of burnout and lower levels of work engagement and self-efficacy and that these variables are influenced by teachers’ individual differences in EI.” The researchers conclude emotional intelligence is a benefit: “the protective role of EI has against burnout and for maintaining high levels of teachers’ self-efficacy and work engagement.”

Another study in India published in the International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE) (2021) also found, “Emotional intelligence and burnout syndrome have a strong negative associations.” This means that as emotional intelligence levels increase, reports of burnout decrease.

More research is needed to develop best practices for educators to prevent burnout and increase work engagement but this evidence suggests that emotional intelligence skills should be an essential part of any educator wellbeing program.

🟢 TRY IT YOURSELF: 4 tips for teacher burnout

To help you with your equilibrium, try the free online Wellbeing Balance Scale. Pile the challenges on one side of the scale, and on the other try adding some of these factors:

Stay positive but realistic 

Have you heard: “Grin and bear it” “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” “Life sends you what you can handle”

These phrases land in a “toxic positivity” zone where people deny challenging circumstances in an unhealthy or helpful way. We know that all emotions are valid messages – sometimes challenging emotions are signals you need to pay attention to. It’s not optimism to focus only on “happy thoughts.” Be realistic about hard days. Make a plan for yourself to connect with your friends and family for support, take time outdoors, take a break from social media, or make some art. These ideas can help give you a reset when you need to get a realistic frame of reference for hard days.

Watch out for Downers & Dumpers

Venting is natural and feels good, but some people turn it into their entire personality, making it their sole means of connecting with you. These “downers” or “dumpers” want to talk with someone so they can release their pent-up anger, frustration, and disillusionment. Listening to a colleague vent now and then can be validating and build camaraderie, but being on the receiving end of toxic talk can suck the energy from you, leaving you feeling worse. Try setting boundaries with “downer” and “dumpers.” Tell them directly you are working on shifting your mindset and focusing on things that are good in the world. They will catch on pretty quickly if you are not a good audience for their venting.

The grass is not always greener

Sometimes we like to escape by checking out the job market to see what else is possible if you need to get out of your current situation. But if you are feeling burned out, be careful of how much you spend job scrolling. What starts from boredom or curiosity can lead to unrealistic expectations about a better job elsewhere. Too much focus on what’s out there can lead you to disengage from your current position and compound your feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction. Instead spend some time looking for ways to improve your relationship with a colleague or take up small projects that you can see success like an awareness campaign, or fundraiser with your students. Taking action to help others is a great way to to feel better about yourself and improve the school climate for others.

Take a day for you

When you start to feel like you are on overload, plan a timeout for yourself to recharge. Taking a thoughtful mental health day can give you something to look forward to, but it’s essential to make it count. Plan to give yourself a real break: schedule the day then activate an out-of-office email response so you can set aside work. Be disciplined with yourself–do not use your day off to catch up marking papers or get ahead on planning. Your only planning should involve thinking about what would feel relaxing. In order for this day to be worth using your sick time, it must be beneficial to your mental well-being. So be your own best friend and tell yourself to make it a great day.

🔵 MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Events for educators – will you join us?

Free online events

• EQ Café “Unwinding Anxiety” about shifting from reaction to response – multiple dates
• Emotional intelligence mini-workshops online – multiple dates

Certification

• ​The EQ Educator Certification – multiple dates

​in partnership with Antioch University, online events

• ​SEL for Educator Wellbeing certificate program – starts April 17
• ​EdD with SEL Specialization, next term starts May 4 – free info session on April 16

​
in partnership with Teachers College, Columbia University, in-person courses

• S​EL Educator Institute​ – June 26 – 28, 2024 ​in New Orleans, LA
• SEL Leadership Institute – July 29 – 30, 2024 in New York, NY

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