I’m here to talk about stress and burnout and stories from people I know who were or are currently school administrators, including myself. I was once a principal, but what I hear is alarming, and I can speak for something that I did that should have been alarming to me, too. I’m hearing stories about how people do not listen to their bodies.
The Job is Stressful
We know that this job is stressful. School principals, assistant principals, district administrators, and even classroom teachers are feeling the weight of stress these days, and they are walking out the door. We have to take care of ourselves, but our districts will not do it. No one’s going to do it for us. We have to save ourselves.
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Stories from the Trenches
I will tell two stories about three principals I know who did not listen to their bodies. One person was an elementary principal at the time. He was in his office when he began to hyperventilate and get chest pains. He told the school secretary, “I’ll be back.”
So, he gets his coat, gets in his car, and he drives to the ER because he thinks that he’s having a heart attack. He’s having every symptom of a heart attack, but he drove himself to the ER and found out it was anxiety. Afterward, he left the hospital and drove himself back to the school. When he entered the school office, the clerk asked what was happening. She said, “You know you don’t look that great!” He told the clerk, “I drove myself to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack.” Unbelievable, but true!
No Time to Heal
That’s one story, and now it’s time for another story. The second story that I
I heard another principal discuss something similar in nature. She was sitting at her desk, and she had just finished a meeting, and all of a sudden, she started to have chest pains. Like the first story, this principal leaves the school. However,
she leaves and goes to the doctor, not the ER. She leaves the doctor’s office and returns to work the next day. Fortunately, she did not have a heart attack, but she didn’t take any time to heal either. Most likely, this principal had an anxiety attack. Again, another educator is not following or ignoring their body. Your
body tells you when it is breaking down. Your body is the receptor of the stress. Your body keeps counting or scoring the dings from stress.
Am I Having a Stroke
So, I want you all to start paying attention to your body. I am guilty of not paying attention. One day, I woke up with the worst headache of my life. I mean the worst headache of my life! I was talking on the phone to a friend who was also a principal, and she said you really should go to the ER. I told her I would be okay, and I went to work. During my drive to work, she continued to call and said, “Please get your blood pressure taken.”
I stopped at a walk Walgreens store on the way to work. Meanwhile, on the way to work, I’m getting blurred vision. I’m getting to the point where I can’t even think straight enough to stop in the pharmacy to have my blood pressure taken.
The pharmacist took my blood pressure, and it was 199 over 120! I was possibly having a stroke, but what did I do? I continued on my way to work. Upon arriving at my school, I called my primary care physician. Next, I drove myself to the doctor. However, I should have driven myself to the ER. By the grace of God I was I did not have a stroke, but I was on my to be a victim, a statistic, or a corpse.
Listen to Your Bodies
I did not listen to my body, but I learned some things about life and had to make important career decisions. My dear educators, please start listening to your bodies. They tell you when they’ve had enough and will sit you down. Otherwise, you will end up in the grave. You have to prioritize your health and wellness.
Take it from me; take it from those stories you just read. I learned to recognize the signs of too much stress and its effects on my body. Take the time to recognize what doesn’t feel right. If it persists, make an appointment to see your primary care physician or a specialist. Begin journaling your thoughts and how your body responds to certain situations or tasks. Seek counseling if the burden is too heavy.
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Reach out to me and let me know you know your story. Tell us a time you ignored your body. Next, let’s advocate for educator wellness and make our voices heard. Join Exhale and Educate: Educators’ Wellness, a new online community for educators to collaborate, discuss, and problem-solve how to advocate better for teachers, school administrators, and district educators to live healthier lives and improve teacher retention rates.
Please, let’s take care of ourselves and prioritize our Wellness.
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