Recognizing Burnout Before It Becomes the Norm

As a former collegiate athlete, I was very accustomed to pushing through my exhaustion. Like most leaders, I understood the importance of discipline and how to keep going when things became difficult.

Several years ago, as I entered my second year as a principal during the Covid-19 pandemic, I experienced something different. The exhaustion went beyond what I could recover from with rest and I struggled to understand what I was feeling. I knew how to push through challenges, but I hadn't learned when to recognize times I needed to slow down.

As school leaders, we give so much to others that we can begin to accept exhaustion as part of our jobs, so how do we know when we're simply tired vs. when we're experiencing burnout?

In 2021, I didn't know if I was tired from an incredibly demanding school year or if something deeper was happening. Looking back, I was so used to functioning on autopilot and focused on taking care of everyone else that I didn't know I needed to take better care of myself.

Burnout doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes it develops gradually until exhaustion becomes our norm and we begin to believe that feeling depleted is simply part of being a good leader, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Am I Just Tired or Am I Experiencing Burnout?

Leadership will always have demanding seasons. There will be difficult conversations, unexpected challenges, and times when the needs of our school communities require more of us than we anticipated, however there is a difference between being tired after a demanding week and experiencing persistent exhaustion that begins to affect how we feel, think, and function.

Genuine tiredness often improves with enough rest and recovery. For instance, you may return from a break feeling refreshed and reconnected with the work that fulfills you. Burnout feels different though. The exhaustion stays even after you rest. You may feel increasingly detached from your work, more irritable, or overwhelmed by responsibilities that once felt manageable. This is how I felt years ago.

One important distinction is that while rest may help you recover from feeling tired, rest alone may not solve burnout if the conditions contributing to it remain the same. For example, taking a day off may give you temporary relief, but if you come back to the same overwhelming workload you'll feel depleted again very quickly.

If you are unsure of what you are experiencing, take a moment to consider:

• Do I feel restored after time away from work, or does the exhaustion follow me?

• Am I still finding meaning in my work or do I feel increasingly disconnected?

• Have I become more irritable, withdrawn, or emotionally depleted? If so, for how long?

  
  

These questions are not a diagnosis, but they can help you recognize patterns that deserve attention. If your symptoms persist or interfere with your daily functioning, consider seeking support from a healthcare professional. You do not have to wait until you reach a breaking point to acknowledge that something needs to change.

Three Shifts to Protect Your Well-Being

Recognizing burnout is important, but awareness is not enough. We also have to be willing to examine how we lead and make changes that support our well-being.

1. Pay Attention to Your Patterns

As school leaders, we regularly examine data to identify trends and determine where adjustments are needed, but how often do we examine the patterns in our own life?

Pay attention to what consistently drains your energy, how you respond to stress, and what you have stopped doing because you believe you don't have time.

Are you spending hours managing tasks that could be delegated? Is your calendar so full that you don't have time to think strategically? Have you stopped making time for the people and activities that bring you joy? These patterns provide valuable information. Just as we use data to inform decisions for our schools, we can use reflection to make more intentional decisions about our own well-being.

2. Stop Confusing Being Needed With Being Indispensable

Many of us entered education because we wanted to make a difference. As school leaders, we want to solve problems, support our teams, and ensure that students get what they need.

However, when every every problem becomes ours to solve, we risk creating systems that depend too heavily on our presence. Trust your leadership team, delegate responsibilities, and empower others to make decisions.

Ask yourself: What am I holding on to that someone else is capable of leading? Delegating is an opportunity to develop others and create more sustainable school culture. Our goal should not be to become indispensable. It should be to build a school community where leadership is shared and people feel empowered.

3. Protect Your Boundaries and Ask for Support

Boundaries are not a sign that you care less about your school. They help you continue caring without consistently depleting yourself. Establish reasonable limits for yourself around after-hours emailing, protect time for planning and reflection, and make room for activities outside of work that help you recharge. It's important to also recognize that burnout is not an individual problem. Workload demands, staffing, organizational expectations, and access to appropriate resources matter.

If the demands of your role have become unreasonable, talk with your supervisor about the support you need, and seek guidance from a trusted colleague, mentor, or healthcare professional when appropriate. You do not have to carry everything alone, and you cannot solve every systemic challenge by becoming more efficient! Sometimes, sustainable leadership requires us to adjust our habits and the conditions in which we work.

Your School Needs You, But It Also Needs You Well

My experience with burnout during the pandemic taught me that recognizing what we are experiencing is not always easy, especially when we are accustomed to being the person others depend on. We can become so committed to supporting our staff, students, and families that we overlook our own needs. We often tell ourselves to push through, get through the next week, or wait until things settle down, but what happens when things don't settle down?

There will always be another challenge, another decision, and another opportunity to do more. If we wait until everything is finished before prioritizing our well-being, we may never give ourselves permission to stop and slow down to catch our breath. We need to help create school cultures where leaders and staff members can speak honestly about their capacity, ask for help without shame, and work together to make our jobs more sustainable.

A Reflection for October

As you move through this school year, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself a few honest questions:

• Am I leading in a purposeful way, or am I just trying to make it through each day?

• What warning signs have I been ignoring because I assume they're part of the job?

• What is one responsibility I can delegate, one boundary I can establish, or one source of support I can seek?

  
  

You don't have to change everything tomorrow, but an important first step is is acknowledging that something needs to change and making leadership moves in the right direction. We can be compassionate without being constantly available. We can hold high expectations while recognizing the importance of rest. Two things can be true at the same time.

Burnout should not be the badge we wear to prove our commitment to leadership. You are a leader, but you are a person first. Both deserve your attention. Protect your energy and make room for fun! Try not not wait until exhaustion becomes your norm to give yourself permission to make a change.

Reflection question: What is one boundary or leadership shift you can make today to better protect your well-being and help you lead more sustainably?