When you’re teaching and managing a business at the same time – or even if you’re just doing one of either – not taking breaks can lead to you feeling unmotivated and exhausted. When this is happening, you might be burned out. Burnout is work-related stress that manifests as exhaustion, weariness, and loss of personal identity. The American Psychological Association reports that nearly three in five employees feel this type of extreme work-related stress. These people also lack motivation and report emotional exhaustion.

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Spotting Burnout

Medically, burnout is not an exact diagnosis. However, it is recognized as a severe stress condition that can lead to exhaustion – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Burnout can make simple things feel challenging, but many people don’t recognize it and simply shrug it off as a simple sign of stress.

Here are three ways to spot oncoming burnout:

Severe Exhaustion

Teaching and managing a class means juggling many things all at the same time. You have to assign tasks to yourself and your students – sometimes to the point of you overloading yourself with projects. This can lead to exhaustion and weariness.

Burnout may feel like severe exhaustion. You feel emotionally drained and physically depleted even if you have only accomplished little tasks. Being burned out may feel like you are drowning in your responsibilities and that there is no hope for your situation. You might even feel disengaged due to your exhaustion.

Lack of Motivation

A teaching job should be a challenge for it to be enjoyable and engaging. To be happier in your position, there should be growth and learning opportunities. For those things to be gone can be a sign of a dead-end job. However, let’s not confuse burnout with reaching a dead end in your career. LHH lists the difference between burnout and a dead-end as a lack of motivation versus a lack of enthusiasm.

Burnout manifests as a lack of motivation, especially in direct response to your situation. It detaches you from the things you might have liked before. Burnout also feels as if you have lost the drive that once fueled you when you started work.

Highly Irritable

Being calm and cool is always a nice approach to teaching and being an entrepreneur. It makes you more focused on the task at hand. However, there may be times when you are quick to anger and have let your temper control you. This might be a sign of burnout.

Burnout can cause you to easily lose your temper around the people you are most at home with. This could even be associated with the emotional exhaustion you might be feeling. As Healthline discusses, emotional exhaustion can fuel your irritable mood due to a combination of stress and the feeling of being trapped in a situation.

Preventing Burnout

While not a diagnosis, burnout is a real condition that you need to treat properly to prevent from worsening.

Following these steps may help you keep burnout at bay:

Practicing Good Habits

Burnout can be prevented by being kind to yourself and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Doing simple exercises can help boost your mood and give you time to focus on yourself. To get you started, you can try our Teacher Fitness Tips. Another good habit such as eating healthily can make you feel happier. Even practicing good sleeping habits can give you a much-needed rest that can make you feel sharp and clearheaded.

Scheduling Time-Off

You don’t need to work 24/7 to be successful. Sometimes, taking breaks can give you the opportunity to rest and reset your mind. Scheduling time off can help your brain relax and can recharge your senses. This can help motivate you and get you back on track.

Asking for Help

When you think you might be suffering from burnout, reaching out to your family and friends might be best. They can take care of you and keep your mind off of things. In Pablo Ruisoto’s study on how Social Support Mediates the Effect of Burnout on Health in Health Care Professionals, he and his colleagues found that social support can reduce stress and can increase one’s coping skills. Having a support system with people you trust can help you prevent the worse of burnout.