Take Care of You!

person holding head with the word stress written across the picture

According to Jorde-Bloom (1982), three characteristics of early childhood burnout are:20

  • Complete emotional and physical exhaustion
  • Growing disillusionment with the job and life in general
  • Growing sense of self-doubt and blame as individual considers what he/she “used to be like” and questions why he/she is unable to change current behavior and attitude

It is important to be on the lookout for symptoms of burnout. Symptoms include:

  • Headaches and muscle tension
  • Depression, boredom, apathy
  • Absenteeism, decline in performance
  • Hypertension, insomnia
  • Irritability, increased anxiety
  • Increased smoking, drinking, drug dependence and other addictions
  • Escape activities (e.g., shopping sprees, overeating, daydreaming)
  • Stress-related physical and emotional ailments
  • Tensions with family and friends
woman standing pointing to positive thought statements

Don’t wait for burnout to strike. There are a number of things you can do to avoid burn-out. The key is to be intentional, deliberate. Take time to implement these suggestions:

  • Ask for help when you need it.
  • Eat right, exercise and relax.
  • Keep work stress at work. Don’t take it home with you.
  • Do things that you find enjoyable (e.g., read, knit, cook, take pictures).
  • Don’t expect more of yourself than is realistic.
  • Laugh and have fun.
  • Reduce job-related stress by participating in more professional development opportunities which will lead to increased knowledge and improved skills, making your job easier and more enjoyable.
  • 3 women smiling next to each other
  • chalkboard with 2 faces and checkmark next to happy face
  • silhouette of person sitting looking at sunset

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20 Jorde-Bloom, P. (1982). Avoiding burnout: Strategies for managing time, space and people in early childhood education. Nashville, TN: School-Age NOTES.

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