Are You on the Path to Teacher Burnout? Understanding the 12 Stages & How to Break Free
Burnout doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a slow, creeping process that can take months or even years to develop.
Many teachers don’t realise they are experiencing burnout until they feel completely overwhelmed, exhausted, and disconnected from the work they once loved.
Have you been working longer and harder, yet still feel like you’re not doing enough?
Do you constantly feel exhausted, but keep pushing through, hoping the next holiday will be enough to recover?
Have you noticed yourself feeling more frustrated, detached, or numb at work?
Burnout follows a predictable path, and recognising the 12 stages is the first step to protecting yourself before it’s too late.
🔗 Related Read: The Hidden Cost of Burnout
Burnout isn’t just feeling tired or stressed—it’s a state of chronic physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion.
In the UK, nearly 40,000 teachers leave the profession every year, many due to burnout (sec-ed.co.uk / thetimes.co.uk)
Prolonged burnout can lead to anxiety, depression, and serious health problems, including high blood pressure and immune system issues (World Health Organization, 2019).
The longer burnout goes unaddressed, the harder it is to recover.
Sara’s Experience with Burnout
Sara was an aspiring senior leader. She loved her job and wanted to make a real impact. In addition to running her department, she took over managing the school’s literacy strategy to strengthen her chances of securing a promotion.
She willingly took on more work:
✔️ Early morning meetings at 7 AM
✔️ Departmental, whole-school, and parental meetings
✔️ Running revision sessions after school
But things spiralled quickly. Due to long-term staff absences, she found herself covering classes, managing student behaviour, and taking on additional marking.
Her well-being took a backseat:
❌ No breaks—lunch was spent catching up on work.
❌ Regularly working until 10 PM, sacrificing sleep.
❌ Skipping meals, snacking on sugar for energy.
❌ Feeling guilty for struggling but unwilling to ask for help.
The result? Complete emotional detachment. Students started to feel like burdens. She resented colleagues who were also struggling. She felt constantly exhausted and turned to emotional eating, leading to weight gain.
Sara kept telling herself: I just need to get to the next half-term break.
But the break wasn’t enough. She returned just as exhausted, stuck in a cycle she didn’t know how to escape.
It was at this point Sara reached out for specialist coaching to support her recovery. Through structured guidance, over time she regained control over her workload, rebuilt her resilience, and found a way to reconnect with the profession she once loved—on her own terms.
Recognising the 12 Stages of Burnout
The 12 Stages of Burnout (Freudenberger & North, 1999) describe how overwork and chronic stress gradually take their toll, providing teachers with a basic timeline to know where they are on the scale:
Compulsion to Prove Yourself – Taking on too much to demonstrate your commitment.
Working Harder – Increasing workload, pushing through exhaustion.
Neglecting Needs – Skipping breaks, sacrificing personal time.
Displacement of Conflicts – Ignoring signs of stress, avoiding difficult conversations.
Revision of Values – Prioritising work over personal relationships, hobbies, or health.
Denial of Problems – Blaming stress on external factors rather than recognising burnout.
Withdrawal – Isolating yourself, avoiding colleagues, disengaging socially.
Behavioural Changes – Becoming irritable, cynical, or emotionally detached.
Depersonalisation – Seeing students and colleagues as problems rather than people.
Inner Emptiness – Using food, alcohol, or distractions to cope.
Depression – Feeling hopeless, questioning if you even care anymore.
Burnout Syndrome – Emotional, mental, and physical breakdown.
It’s important to note that not everyone experiences all 12 stages in a linear way. Some people may skip certain stages, while others move through them at different speeds. The key is recognising the warning signs early to prevent burnout from taking over.
Solution
If you recognise yourself in these stages, you don’t have to wait until you reach breaking point. In fact, you really should not wait. Burnout is reversible, and the earlier you take action, the easier it is to recover. However leaving it too late can have a damaging impact on your career.
There are a range of solutions available for teachers struggling with burnout, such as counselling or specialist coaching, to provide you with the tools and strategies to help you overcome this.
What is absolutely certain is that the earlier a person gets support, the faster they will recover (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).
How to Break the Cycle of Burnout
✅ Acknowledge where you are – Awareness is the first step.
✅ Set boundaries – Learn to say no without guilt.
✅ Prioritise recovery – You cannot function at your best when running on empty.
✅ Seek support – You don’t have to do this alone.
If burnout is affecting your life and career, let’s talk.
Book a free consultation call HERE to start your recovery journey today.
References:
National Foundation for Educational Research (2023) – Teacher Workforce Data: While the specific 2023 report isn't directly accessible, related information can be found in recent articles discussing teacher recruitment challenges. thetimes.co.uk
World Health Organization (2019) – Burnout Classified as an Occupational Phenomenon: In 2019, the WHO included burnout in the ICD-11 as an occupational phenomenon. en.wikipedia.org
Freudenberger, H., & North, G. (1999) – Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement: This seminal book discusses the concept of burnout and its implications.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. (2016) – Burnout: The Cost of Caring: This book delves into the causes and consequences of burnout, offering insights into prevention and recovery.
