Mindfulness is set to become a powerful tool in reducing teacher burnout

Teachers who practice Mindfulness are better able to reduce their personal stress levels and susceptibility to burnout.

This is the finding of new research undertaken by Lisa Flook, an Assistant Scientist at the Centre for Investigating Healthy Minds (CIMH) at University of Wisconsin.

What is Burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It happens when an individual feels overwhelmed and unable to meet the constant demands on them. While similar to, it is different from compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatisation.

Burnout reduces an individual’s productivity and saps their energy, leaving them feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical and resentful. Eventually, individuals experiencing burn out may feel like they have nothing more to give.

Most of us have days when we feel stressed overloaded, or unappreciated, when this becomes a pattern, we become candidates for burnout. This has serious consequences on both professional and personal functioning.

Objective of Study

The purpose of the CIMH study designed by Flook who has advanced degrees in education and psychology was to help teachers manage escalating levels of stress.  The demands of the curriculum coupled with the behaviour of a small percentage of pupils are a known recipe for feeling overwhelmed.

It is well known that burnout causes many problems including extended sick leave.

Why Mindfulness?

The practice of Mindfulness arises from centuries old meditative traditions that are now being taught in a secular way.

An increasing number of studies are emerging that focus on empirical research which is open to rigorous scientific scrutiny.

Mindfulness is a technique that when learnt can heighten an individual’s core sense of awareness. This includes an awareness of self; a noticing of external stimuli and body sensations.  Importantly the practice develops an ability to register stressors but not respond to them.

Practiced well, Mindfulness produces a sense of calm and wellbeing. Let’s be clear, it does not remove the stressors per se, rather being able to practice Mindfulness effectively, changes reactions to stress. Used effectively, it can be a powerful tool to reduce burnout in teachers.

The cohort of teachers who took part in the study learned specific strategies for both preventing and dealing with stressors in the classroom. They learnt techniques such as ‘dropping in,’ a term to describe the process of bringing attention to the sensations of breath and other physical sensations, thoughts and emotions for short periods. They reported a significant stress reduction.

Mindfulness and stress reduction

Research is drawing clear links between Mindfulness and cortisol reduction.  Cortisol is a stress hormone. It is an integral part of the fight or flight response. When we are stressed or scared cortisol production is ramped up. Excessive cortisol is known to increase inflammation in the body that over a period of time can contribute to physical health problems.

A previous study carried out in 2013 and published in the Journal of Health Psychology found an association between increased Mindfulness practice and decreased cortisol production.

The level of the hormone present in the saliva of participants was measured before and after taking part in a Mindfulness retreat.

Tonya Jacobs a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California said in a statement that ‘A direct relationship between resting cortisol and the scores obtained on any Mindfulness scale was identified’.

Bringing Mindfulness to Teachers

Teaching Mindfulness to teachers is an exciting new project that offers potential gains, in particular, retaining talented teachers in education. A large amount of interest has been expressed by teachers who have already observed how Mindfulness has helped their pupils. Now they are beginning to understand the wider application of Mindfulness in education.

Running Mindfulness training for teachers is a specially tailored programme based on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Programme.

 

For further information on Mindfulness techniques for teachers, please contact Sheehan Brooke Psychology 01243 775055. The organisation provide a range of Mindfulness workshops at their s rural offices near Chichester West Sussex and at venues throughout UK and Southern Ireland

Further reading: Mindfulness for Teachers: A Pilot Study to Assess Effects on Stress, Burnout and teaching Efficacy (Pages 183-185) , published in Journal of Mind, Brain and Education September 2013,  Lisa Flook, Simon B. Goldberg, Laura Pinger, Katherine Bonus and Richard J Davidson