There’s no doubt about it: burnout is a real challenge in education. In the last few years, we’ve seen a rise in discussions around burnout, specifically around educator burnout. In a 2022 poll, the National Education Association found that 90% of their members said burnout was a serious problem; 67% categorized it as very serious.

The focus on burnout in education has mostly been around the rate at which teachers are leaving the profession due to long-term stress. But teachers aren’t the only ones experiencing burnout. Principals also experience stress and burnout, in some cases at higher rates than teachers. A separate 2022 report by Rand stated that 85% of principals experienced job-related stress and 48% were facing burnout. 

What is burnout?

Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that leads to feelings of overwhelm or powerlessness. Powered by chronic, unaddressed stress, burnout drains away a person’s passion and enthusiasm for work or even life in general. 

Often when a person experiences burnout they begin to feel a lack of engagement and enthusiasm. This doesn’t happen all at once. A person doesn’t just suddenly stop feeling engaged in their work. Instead, it happens over time. Think about burnout like a fire that is slowly extinguishing due to a few drops of water at a time. Eventually the drops accumulate until it is enough to extinguish the flame.

Principals have a stressful job. They manage academic programming, staff and teacher well-being as well as relationships with administration and community members. That level of responsibility can make finding time to focus on physical and mental health needs difficult. When there is always one more thing to do, personal needs are put on the back burner. Unfortunately, ignoring stress and deprioritizing self-care contributes to burnout. Fortunately, there are many things principals can take to mitigate and even prevent burnout. Let’s look at a few strategies.

Start with Small Things

A leading cause of burnout is unmanaged stress. Stress can be caused by big things like life events or unexpected changes at work, but it can also be caused by smaller things. Remember, burnout most often happens when enough drops of water accumulate to extinguish a flame. The good news is that the small things are often some of the easiest to manage.

For example, you may notice that you are always stressed trying to get the staff meeting agenda sent out every week. It becomes something you end up doing at the last minute and it becomes a constant source of stress. When you recognize this small task as a source of stress, you can then make a plan to handle it and prevent it from becoming a bigger challenge. For example, you may decide to block a section of time on your calendar to prioritize the agenda. This simple fix allows you to complete the agenda with plenty of time to send it out to staff. Removing this small stressor may not get rid of all the stress in your life, but it may help lighten the load a bit.

Build Communities of Support

Dealing with the unique challenges of being a principal can feel isolating. In a school community, different groups turn to the principal for guidance and support, but often it can feel as if the principal has no one to turn to. Who could possibly understand other than another principal?

While it is helpful to receive support from someone who understands exactly what we are dealing with, that is not the only type of support we can rely on. We need different types of support from different people. Think of support like a series of concentric circles. One circle may be your fellow principals, another may be your family, friend group, book club, workout friends or neighbors.

People in different circles can support us in different ways. Intentionally building communities of support is essential. In addition to helping with stress management, communities of support keep us afloat and provide respite.

Set Boundaries

Walking away and leaving work at work can be challenging when it feels like there is still so much to do. But we know that we can’t work all the time. Our bodies and minds need time to step away from work and enjoy other areas of our lives. Setting boundaries around work can help facilitate a work/life balance that ultimately allows us to be more effective at work and experience greater satisfaction. Check out this post to learn more about how to set healthy boundaries.

Ultimately, the work of a school principal is an incredible opportunity to create a healthy, thriving learning environment. Burnout can rob us of joy and passion for work. But when we notice the signs and prioritize healthy strategies, we can retain our passion and continue another day to support not only ourselves, but the entire school community.