Welcome back to The Flourishing Teacher's Field Guide.

This week, we’ll show you how to talk back to the voice in your head that contributes to teacher stress and emotional exhaustion. 

We’re teachers - of course we’ve all got an inner critic!

Let's jump in...

The Whispers That Hold Us Back: Battling Teacher Emotional Exhaustion

We've all been there…

You're in the middle of a lesson, and suddenly that little voice pipes up: 

"They're not getting it. You haven’t done enough. You don’t know what you’re doing. You're a terrible teacher." 

Or maybe you're marking work late at night, your life/work balance in shambles, and you hear: 

"A good teacher would have finished this hours ago."

Sound familiar? 

You’ve got a bad case of negative self-talk, and it’s a common contributor to teacher burnout.

For years, I let my inner critic run the show, increasing my stress levels and pushing me towards emotional exhaustion. 

Even though deep down I knew I was an effective teacher, that surface-level voice told me I wasn't good enough, that I'd never measure up, that every mistake was proof of my inadequacy. 

But here's the thing.

That voice? It's not telling the truth. 

It's just a habit, a pattern of thinking we've fallen into. 

And like any habit, it can be changed to improve our teacher wellbeing.

3 Practical Tools to Silence Your Inner Critic and Boost Teacher Self-Compassion

1. Catch, Challenge, Change: The Cognitive Restructuring Technique for Teacher Stress Relief

Next time you catch that inner critic in action, contributing to your emotional exhaustion, try this:

• Catch the thought: "I'm rubbish at classroom management."

• Challenge it: "Is that really true? What evidence do I have for and against this thought?"

• Change it: "I'm learning and improving my classroom management skills every day."

This technique, based on cognitive therapy, helps rewire our brains to think more realistically and compassionately, reducing our classroom stress levels.

2. The Self-Compassion Break: Your 60-Second Teacher Burnout Buster

When you're feeling overwhelmed by your teacher workload, try this quick exercise:

1. Acknowledge the difficulty: "This is a moment where my workload feels overwhelming."

2. Recognize the shared human experience: "Difficulty is a part of teaching and life, and it will pass."

3. Offer yourself kindness: "May I be kind to myself in this moment."

This practice, developed by self-compassion researcher Kristin Neff, can provide immediate relief and perspective, helping to prevent teacher burnout.

3. Positive Self-Talk Journaling: Your Daily Dose of Teacher Wellbeing

Start or end your day with a quick journaling session to improve your work-life balance:

• Write down three things that went well in your teaching today.

• Note one thing you're grateful for about yourself as an educator.

• Craft a positive affirmation for tomorrow: "I am capable of handling whatever challenges come my way."

This kind of positive self-talk can rewire our brains for more optimistic thinking, boosting resilience and job satisfaction while reducing emotional exhaustion.

Remember, building self-compassion and lessening the impact of that inner critic takes time. 

Be patient with yourself and you'll find that kind inner voice becoming stronger, drowning out the critic and allowing your true teaching talents to flourish.

What Are You Waiting For?

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That's what this newsletter is all about.

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Thank You For All You Do

Remember, your worth isn't measured by that critical inner voice, but by the countless lives you touch every day in your classroom.

You're doing incredible work, even when – especially when – you don't feel like you are.

Here's a quick recap of our strategies for taming that inner critic:

Until next time, remember, you're more than your marking, your lesson observations and your planning.

You're you. And that's all you need to be.