Recognizing Symptoms of Burnout and Doing Something About It

Today, Ali and JoDee are chatting with Jessica Madenford, an educator of 19 years who now guides other educators towards their own empowerment. Together, they’ll talk about how Jessica found herself at a crossroad in her career, the red flags that a teacher may need a change, and Jessica’s #1 tip for someone who is experiencing burnout or a stressor in their life.


Connect with Jessica:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-madenford-26948a212/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica.journeytohere/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/creativej03
Website: https://thejourneytohere.net

Connect with Ali and JoDee:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachershift
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teachershift
Teacher Shift LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/teacher-shift
Ali’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alisimon/
JoDee’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodeescissors/

Website
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/

Episode Transcriptions
https://www.teachershiftpodcast.com/blog

Transcript

Ali  0:05  
Teachers are natural innovators, entertainers and problem solvers. They dream of growing old into the profession, teaching their kids kids. But sometimes career goals shift or change, and that makes opportunities outside of the classroom seem intangible questioning who am I, if I'm not a teacher,? I'm your host, Alexandra Simon.

JoDee  0:30  
and I'm your co host, JoDee Scissors.

Ali  0:34  
This is The Great Teacher Resignation.

Today, our guest is Jessica Madenford. Jessica is an educator of 19 years who found herself struggling and burned out until she discovered tools and a roadmap to empowerment and inner healing. Jessica formed, The Journey to Here, to guide educators towards their own empowerment with the proper tools and coaching to help enhance overall wellness with improved emotional, mental and spiritual well being. Welcome to the show today, Jessica.

Jessica  1:14  
Thank you so much. I appreciate the invitation. 

Ali  1:17  
We're really glad to have you on the show today. And we've spent over a year planning and speaking with former educators so far in the podcast. And what we've really learned is that a lot of the deep struggles that many teachers go through are things like burnout, and being unfulfilled, and maybe just some sort of life circumstance that leaves them at a crossroad or makes them rethink their choices. So we're wondering, with talking to you, someone who's had 19 years in the profession, when did you find yourself at a crossroad?

Jessica  1:50  
Well, that happened about 2017 or 2018. That's when I really hit my burnout. And I had this perfect storm happening between my personal and my professional life. And it showed up in school. And I started a school year off so excited to try some new things. I had completely upended my philosophy of teaching art and changed it for something completely different. But there were other things going on in the culture of the school district. Things had changed a little bit. And it really impacted me to the point where I started having some major symptoms of burnout. But for the most part, I ignored them. Because I was very programmed to just keep on going. And I'm an overachiever and a people pleaser. So I was taking on more things and just doing what I could to, I don't know, like, prove that I could do this. That's kind of where I was at. But that definitely took me down a different road than I expected. 

Ali  3:08  
All of those things that you just mentioned, pushing yourself to keep on going. Being an overachiever, a people pleaser, that resonates with me so much. Because I feel like a lot of teachers, we have those feelings and those qualities that we just, oh, things are rough. But we got to just keep going. We have to be here for those kids. We have to do this. And we don't really take that time to stop and pause and say, I am not okay. Like, I'm burnt out, or I'm not feeling well. So this started a couple of years ago, several years ago for you. What is it like for you now? And how did you decide to start your transition into a career in holistic health?

Jessica  3:54  
Yeah, absolutely. So I'm going back to that story to answer that question. Because I got to the point where I started having panic attacks at school, in front of my kids, in front of my colleagues. And that was the point where I knew I needed to get help. And so I saw therapist. I went to my doctor. And as I was working with a therapist that revealed to me that I had a lot of self worth issues. And I didn't think I did. But whenever we were going through everything, it makes so much sense. But one of the things I did, and maybe this is something you can relate to as well, my overachiever self thought, I know that I do really well as a student. So I'm going to get into another graduate program. And I thought, I'm gonna prove myself even more. I can do this. I'm not crazy. So I entered into another Master's degree. And when I got to the end of it, I realized that it just confirmed to me that I really wanted to work with adults. I had those feelings for a long time. And I had thought about moving into an instructional coach position in my district, but it just didn't feel right whenever those positions opened. So whenever I finished up this degree, I remember sitting in my classroom thinking, Now what? Because I don't really want to do this anymore. I felt like I was growing at a rate that the four walls of the classroom couldn't provide. Like I felt limited. I felt limited in my creativity, and how I could help others. And that might sound weird, because of being an art teacher that I didn't feel like I was being creative enough. But it got to the point where I realized or recognized that I was helping other people to be creative, teaching these kids how to do that. But I, I just wasn't being fulfilled in that way for myself. So I had to explore other options. And honestly, I thought, I'll do art therapy, because I really felt good with the therapeutic services that I was receiving. I felt like my degree offered some therapeutic activities and learning and growth. And I thought, that's going to be it. But then that was another Master's degree. And I didn't want to put the time in for another one. So I explored other things. I found some resources online, and that were helping teachers transition out. And I devoured everything I could about what positions I could do. And I thought about instructional design or curriculum development. I got a writing position with the university I had just graduated from. But that was just a contracted role. So I started exploring other things. And my sister-in-law suggested this life coaching woman who was going to start this program for NLP. And I thought, Okay, what the heck is this? Like, maybe this could be it. So I caught on a consultation with her just to see what her program was like. And it was like, I was looking at the dots coming together and being connected from my teaching experience, and my life experience, and this program. So I enrolled in the program. And whenever I started my class, my mom passed away. And that was like, the entry point for me to really start healing and being coached, and just having her gone. It felt like the walls came down. And I had a very disconnected and difficult relationship with her. So whenever I was going through that program, I was able to really heal from the inside. That also led me to some spiritual development, some intuitive development. And I found reiki on that path as well. So now I'm to the point where I have gone through that journey. And I can't wait to share these things with other people. I'm working with clients, and really helping them with their limiting beliefs and breaking through those, being more emotionally aware. It's very freeing to have that for myself. And I really want that for so many people, especially educators, especially educators. 

JoDee  9:02  
So I know that many teachers feel stuck and programmed, like you said. And when you said 'programmed' that really resonated with me a lot. I think a lot of our former guests, and a lot of teachers now feel that way as well. And so after all the time that you've spent in education, you you have this path, and you kind of amended the path by going and getting another master's degree and thinking of other choices. But you eventually made a choice and you forge a new one with being a master NLP and reiki practitioner. Can you tell us a little bit more about what NLP is and what reiki is? Before we kind of dive into the deeper questions of how you got there? What were the courses you had to take? And how you might recommend a similar path to others?

Jessica  9:53  
So NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming, and that if you boil it down or simplify it, it's how our beliefs and our thoughts help us reach our goals or influence the way we behave, how we're programmed, the patterns of behavior that we see, whether they serve us, or they don't. Because sometimes we take on things from our childhood, and they are carried with us through our adult lives. Sometimes we want to break free from those, and we don't know how. And for me, NLP gave me the tools to do that, to really reframe, and change my perspective, and also change my thoughts, and calm my mind. It's also really given me the tools to be more emotionally aware. And I would say emotionally well. And then reiki, whenever I'm working with reiki, it is the lifeforce energy. And we have different energy centers in our body. A lot of people know them as chakras. And so whenever I am looking at the energy centers, I can intuitively see where blocks are, where people might need a higher vibration. We work to balance and also clear anything that's going on. And it's also very relaxing, as well, which is a really nice perk of all of this. So if they're listening, and they're like, Okay, intuitive. You're going to like intuitively read me and my energy centers, like at least give it a try, because it's so relaxing.

JoDee  11:47  
What's interesting about what you're saying is, I mean, your energy is really calming and relaxing right now. But earlier, you were talking about panic attacks. And so the contrast of behaviors that manifest when you are experiencing something and how the way that you're speaking right now is just so different than what I was visualizing when you were telling your initial story. And so Ali and I, we talk all the time about how this podcast is, is not just for teachers, it's for people that support them, live with them, know a teacher, and how collectively, all the stakeholders in education in our community, need to build an understanding of mental health and the struggles of educators and how to address the concerns that they see. And it's just like, an isolated responsibility for just teachers to handle. Our loved ones can gauge the way that we're feeling, our teammates, our administrators, our friends. We're all partners in this. And so over and over our guests, and listeners, tell us about struggles. And they're really intense. The way that you were describing the panic attacks, that's intense. But the way that you are speaking to us now, and how you can center your energy in a different way, that is very intuitive. And I'm wondering, as you've worked with teachers, as you've built your clientele, what you know about the teaching profession, have you been able to gauge some of the warning signs or symptoms of someone that needs a change or needs services such as yours?

Jessica  13:37  
Yes. So even just listening to my colleagues in their conversations, or how they react or respond to situations, and even when they're talking to me, I can really pick up on their negativity and their limiting beliefs. If they are thinking or if they're talking about, oh, you know, this person will never do that because blah, blah, blah. Or, what gets me the most is, the way they talk about the kids in their classrooms. I don't want it to come across as like, I'm hearing this all the time from my colleagues in my district, because I am not. And I'm connected to a lot of different people on different platforms. So I'm hearing this from a variety of places. But whenever I speak to another teacher who almost makes, makes it sound like this kid has no chance because da, da, da... like their behavior or the way they speak. Or there are so many negative attitudes about the workplace or the culture. And I think what is the biggest red flag is if I hear a lot of doom and gloom language.Then I'm like, Oh my gosh, you really need some uplifting... or if they're just speaking a mile a minute it, or there are a lot of red flags, you know? 

JoDee  15:04  
A lot of our people that DM us, or message us, or our guests, they'll always say, it's not the kids. Like, it's it's not the students. But we all know that we've worked with people who they get in there for the kids. That's what they're there for. But sometimes, when they're experiencing these difficult feelings, the negativity starts to manifest in our conversations about students. And that, to me is a red flag. I always built my closest relationships in the school building with people that spoke positively about students. That was my circle. And so when, when someone starts to deviate from that, that to me, is also a red flag.

Jessica  15:48  
Yes. And I was one of those people. Whenever I was going through my burnout, I was the, you know, Misery loves company. I was experiencing a lot of inner pain. And I did not see any kind of light or positivity. I was that person that I'm speaking about. I had to experience that to be where I'm at now. I think that I've learned a lot of lessons from that situation and that year. And as you were talking about the symptoms, and the feelings that people experience, whenever they are burning out, it's really challenging. And then you know how I am coming across now, as very calm. Whenever I was burned out, oh, my gosh, I feel like I was an awful mom. I was a terrible wife. Like, I don't even know how my family has survived me. Because I was eating like any kind of sugary snack or treat. I was like, give me the chocolate. I don't care if I've already had like, five little pieces. Or I've, you know, my one principal used to have a really good basket of candy in her office. So whenever I was experiencing this, I was like, there all the time. I was a yeller. I was an over drinker. I didn't have the tools to handle my emotions. I didn't have that from childhood. And it was like I was bleeding out all over through my words and my actions. And it really took a lot of excavation, to get to where I'm at now.

Ali  17:38  
Well, what you shared with us was that you were already feeling this burnout, and these stressors. And then you had a really big life experience, you lost your mom. So that on top of everything else. And I think a lot of educators, when we have something really big like that happen in our life, whether it's a loss of a loved one, whether it's something else personal, like that takes however we're feeling and it makes it even more difficult. And we still have to show up to young people and like put on some sort of a face. And so that doesn't really allow you to process whatever you're going through. And it really doesn't like support you to take care of yourself, because there's not those tool in our schools, in our districts for us. We try to provide those for our students. So I'm wondering, you coach, empower, and you provide these tools to enhance wellness now, and it sounds so much like a teacher brain skill to me. In the classroom, you must have developed some strong skills for understanding the special needs and the sensitive needs and topics of your students. What kind of wellness advice would you offer to a teacher who might be dealing with a current stressor at their job, or you know, this feeling of burnout that you experienced? 

Jessica  18:54  
I would say, really start paying attention to your thoughts and looking for the patterns that are happening within your mind. Because you have these beliefs, you have these thoughts, and they can be very positive or they can be negative. And how you think about situations will lead you and guide your action, your conversations with others. And as you're bringing your awareness to your thoughts and how you are behaving. If you are seeing a negative pattern or a very challenging pattern, it is time to wake up and get yourself some help in whatever that looks like. For me, it took an army I had a lot of things to break free from. For others, it could be going to see a therapist. It could be seeing your doctor. It could be that you are encircling yourself with uplifting people, and having that one good friend. But of course, there are so many other things that you could be doing. But I would say one of the first things that you should be doing is really paying attention to what's going on in your mind and your behaviors because that is key.

Ali  20:25  
I really agree with what you said. I'm thinking about all the times that I've really had that negative behavior. Like I've, I have times in my life where I've been pretty negative. I think we all probably have. And you need something to help you wake up or realize like that this is not healthy. It's not healthy to have negative thoughts. And I'm going back a couple of weeks to when I was helping my children, like they were discussing something that happened at school, and it's taken me years to figure this out. But you can't always control the situation, you know, what I was telling them. But what you can control is how you react to it. And so we can't fix everything in the education system. We can't fix everything overnight in our lives. But we can change how we react to it. And what we're doing to take care of ourselves and like to prevent a poor reaction, like a negative reaction or a, you know, a problematic reaction, like a yelling or something like that, taking care of ourselves. So I've definitely felt the way that you felt. And it's a work in progress with the negative, with the negative feelings, you know, I really do try to, it's like you got to practice what you preach, right? Our, our children and our students, They learn more from our actions than really what we say.

JoDee  21:45  
I just really loved the way that you said that you had to excavate a lot of those things. And I think that when teachers are experiencing depression, or panic attacks, or really strong reactions to whatever's going on in their life, really what it takes is taking a step back and asking for help. Because digging up all of those issues, sometimes takes a professional. I think about the way that we know about teaching reading, or teaching math, or teaching a language. We know all the tools to access and reach that goal. But sometimes our feelings are very complex, and there are professionals that can help us gain access and understand them and cope with them and develop the strategies and tools we need to feel good.

Jessica  22:34  
Yeah, absolutely.

Ali  22:36  
Jessica, it has been such a pleasure talking to you today on the podcast. And we really hope that as you continue your professional journey, that you'll be one of those people that those professionals that educators can reach out to and can connect with to improve their well being. So if you'd like to connect with Jessica, you can find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, by her business email or in her Facebook group, Educators Meant for More. We'll link all of her handles in our show notes.

If you liked the great teacher resignation, give us a five star rating and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, and Audible. Today's episode was written and recorded by me Alexandra Simon, and my co host JoDee Scissors. Executive produced by Teacher Brain. Produced and edited by Emily Porter. Original Music: Emoji by Tubebackr. Special thanks to our sponsor, Paper Planes Ed.