TEACHER'S CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME: MEANS OF AVOIDING

СИНДРОМ ХРОНИЧЕСКОЙ УСТАЛОСТИ ПЕДАГОГА: СПОСОБЫ ЕГО ИЗБЕЖАНИЯ

Бекирова Эльмаз Алимовна

студент, кафедра английской филологии, Крымский инженерно-педагогический университет имени Февзи Якубова,

РФ, г. Симферополь

ABSTRACT

The article is devoted to the actual problem of chronic fatigue syndrome or the so-called emotional "burnout" of people involved in teaching activities. This paper highlights and describes the causes that contribute to the development of this syndrome, as well as provides practical advice to prevent and neutralize emotional "burnout" summarizing the experience of teachers and psychologists.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Статья посвящена актуальной на сегодняшний день проблеме синдрома хронической усталости или так называемого эмоционального «выгорания» людей, вовлеченных в педагогическую деятельность. В данной работе выделяются и описываются причины, способствующие развитию этого синдрома, а также приводятся практические советы, обобщающие опыт педагогов и психологов, по предотвращению и нейтрализации эмоционального «выгорания».

Keywords: chronic fatigue syndrome, professional "burnout", physical and psychological workload of teachers, long-term stress.

Ключевые слова: синдром хронической усталости, профессиональное «выгорание», физическая и психологическая нагрузка педагогов, длительный стресс.

Everyone knows that teaching is one of the most energy-intensive activities. Its implementation requires huge intellectual, emotional and mental costs. In recent years, the problem of preserving the mental health of teachers has become particularly relevant. The modern world dictates its own rules: parents' demands on the teacher's personality and role in the educational process have grown. Changes in the education system also raise the bar: creative approach to work, innovation, project activities, and pedagogical technologies are welcome.

Not only does the training load increase, but also the nervous and mental stress of the individual, overwork, increases with it. Various types of overload are compounded by numerous fears: fear of being abandoned, fear of being unprofessional, fear of control. This situation quickly leads to emotional exhaustion of teachers, known as "burnout syndrome". Emotionally "burned out" teachers are characterized by increased anxiety, aggressiveness and categoricity. These manifestations significantly limit teacher’s creativity and freedom, professional growth, and the desire for self-improvement. As a result, the teacher's personality undergoes a number of deformations such as inflexibility of thinking, excessive straightforwardness, instructive manner of speaking, excessive explanations, mental stereotypes, authoritarianism.

Emotional burnout is a kind of psychological defense mechanism developed by a person in the form of complete or partial exclusion of emotions in response to psychotraumatic effects. The concept of "burnout" was introduced in the early 70s of the twentieth century by the American psychiatrist Herbert Freudenberg and is defined as a state of increasing emotional exhaustion [3, p.160]. Freudenberg first published an article in the Journal of Social Issues, using and describing the term. This was followed in 1974 by a book called Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement [4].

Initially, the concept was based on observations of the work of person-to-person specialists, nurses, teachers, and social workers. Therefore, emotional and professional burnout are synonymous expressions and are used equally often. Teachers most often become victims of emotional burnout and this is due to the following reasons:

• teachers communicate a lot and intensively with other people. The work of a teacher implies the presence of empathy and a high level of responsibility in communication. At the same time, the teacher does not have the opportunity to choose those with whom he interacts and he does not have an emotional release. Even if he comes across a conflicted student, he will not be able to avoid him and openly express his dissatisfaction;
• continuous educational reforms do not contribute to a stable world perception. Teachers have no certainty about the future, including due to low wages. Low salaries affect the fact that teachers take an increasing number of working hours, which causes stress;
• the processes of modernization and computerization of society have a strong impact on the education sector. Teachers simply can not master a huge amount of information on the discipline, and knowledge needs to be updated almost every week. Creating new and editing old educational programs affects the growth of document flow and takes up most of the working time.

Researchers in the field of psychology of teachers [1,2] emphasize the importance of such a factor as feedback.Direct deep contact with students and the severity of their problems contribute to burnout [2, p.59].

Burnout is the result of chronic stress and is characterized by reduced productivity, fatigue, and indifference to the world around us. Repressed negative emotions accumulate and affect daily activities. Low productivity and reduced interest in work and life is perceived as fatigue. The overall physical and psychological state is assessed subjectively and incorrectly. Signs of emotional or professional burnout:

- drop in overall body tone;

- loss of interest in work and life;

- a sharp decrease in communication with colleagues (teachers and students);

- indifferent attitude to others;

- deterioration of the quality of work, inability to see errors in the work and inattention;

- uncertainty and a sense of professional incompetence;

- dissatisfaction with work tasks and results;

- lack of initiative.

Despite the many external reasons that accompany teaching, the main cause of burnout is the discrepancy between the desired and the actual. Idealism, especially characteristic of people in the "person-to-person" professions, strongly affects burnout. Therefore, you should take your work less seriously, without linking the results of your work with your significance as a person. To prevent burnout, follow these tips:

1. Distribute all your tasks by importance and relevance, set priorities. Don't try to do everything in one day. The more you process, the less efficient you will be in the following days.

2. Do not take additional functionality and instructions. Already at the stage of hiring, strictly protect your own borders. Unclear functional responsibilities lead to overwork and increase stress. Be attentive to yourself and your resources. Automate routine tasks if possible.

3. Relax completely disconnected from the workflow. Follow the daily routine, setting aside a clear time for sleeping and eating. To avoid thinking about work every free minute, find a hobby. This will allow you to shift your focus and think positively. Don't take on too many household responsibilities, especially for female teachers. The "second shift", which includes cooking, cleaning, washing and raising children, is not the prerogative of one person. Distribute household responsibilities among all family members and do not hesitate to ask for help.

4. Emotional burnout of employees occurs much less often if the organization has a corporate culture. It is obvious that building a corporate culture in the teaching staff is not the responsibility of the teacher. However, any specialist has the opportunity to establish relationships with colleagues. Without respectful communication in the team, work will not be fun. Constant competition and conflicts will not lead to the success of any participant. When the actions of employees are coordinated, they are all loaded evenly, each has its own responsibilities that it does not forget to perform. Constant communication with colleagues affects the speed of solving emerging issues and reduces the amount of office bureaucracy.

5. Employees can't be productive all day. Eight or twelve hours at work, especially sedentary, negatively affects the human body. It is clear that you will not be able to give up your work responsibilities. If you feel very tired, get up and walk down the hall, go up and down the stairs, go outside and get some fresh air. All these daily rituals will help you diversify your work activities and improve your physical condition.

6. If you already feel the approach of crisis, then take a break. Of course, such a type of working leave as sabbatical is not available for most employees. Sabbatical — partially or fully paid long-term leave lasting from three months to a year with guaranteed retention of the employee's place. However, a long vacation is not the only solution to the problem. For example, you can reduce the number of working hours or change your job, work from home, or temporarily quit.

In the last stages of burnout, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to return to the previous emotional and physical state. Usually in this case, you need the help of a psychologist or even a change of profession. Therefore, the most important thing is not to start this state, to track mood changes in time, and to be more attentive to yourself. If you notice negative changes and dissatisfaction with your responsibilities, try to use one or more of the suggested tips. Take care of yourself and build a comfortable work schedule.

References:

1. Орел В.Е. Феномен «выгорания» в зарубежной психологии: эмпирические исследования и перспективы // Психологический журнал, 2001, Т.22, № 1, С.90-101.
2. Формалюк Т.В. Синдром «эмоционального сгорания» как показатель профессиональной дезадаптации учителя // Вопросы психологии, 1994, № 6, С.57-64. 
3. Freudenberger H.J. Staff burnout // Journal of Social Issues. – 1974. –№ 30 (1). – P. 159–165.
4. Freudenberger H.J., Richelson G. Burn-Out: The High Cost of High Achievement. – Anchor Press, 1980.