Thread: Preventing Burnout

How do you prevent burnout?

We have been teaching for just over 18 months now.

We have one last session before the end of the year - we take Nov and Dec off because everyones' schedules get too crazy.

We just host our first hafla this weekend (it went very well) and I am feeling burnt out.

I took a workshop last weekend hoping to be inspired, the teacher was great, and I enjoyed it, but that feeling didn't last very long.

I want to be motivated to plan the upcoming year, but I don't. I feel I am just going through the motions at this point.

Any thoughts?

Taking those two months will really help.

When I started to feel - burned out, I walked away from dance. I was away for a year! That is insane for someone like me who has been dancing professionally (all kinds of styles) since I was 5.

That year away really helped me.

Now - what you need to find out is - what is "burining you out"? Is it lack of student interest? Something in your personal life? etc?

My reason for being "burned out" had to do with the studio I was with. Not gonna get into details but stepping away for a year forced me to deal with the "issues". Now I am back and stronger as ever!!

Look into what is "burning you " out. You may be surprised...

I think it's important to try and keep a balance. Do you have any other hobbies or does your entire life center around the dance?

I try to do other stuff to get my head out of the dance. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan (Gryffindor, in case you are wondering... although my daughter is a Slytherin) and I hang out with other fans on occassion. I also like to read other books and do stuff with my kids.

I obsess on belly dance, but it isn't the ONLY thing in my life. That helps.

Here are some things that work for me:

1) Balance. Make sure there's a bit of family, friendship, fun, quiet time, etc. in your life.

2) Cut back if necessary. I was teaching 16 classes a week (yoga and BD), I've cut back to 10 and it's helped tremendously.

3) Remember it's work. Sometimes I get frustrated because I don't feel the 'joy' and I forget that this is my job and sometimes it's just gonna feel like...a job! The joy always returns, for me, but I do have to push through the sluggish times.

4) Connect with the students. Make a little time to hang out with them after class and see if you can get them talking. Why were they interested in BD? How are they enjoying it? All it takes is one students saying something like 'I look forward to this all week' or 'this class is really changing how I feel about my body' to get me fired up all over again!

5) Take a mental break. During the sluggish times (see #3) give yourself permission to coast a little. I coast by teaching pure technique/drills or re-teaching an old choreo or having the students work on improv skills or watch videos for a portion of the class time.

6) Protect yourself emotionally. You say you just hosted your first hafla -- did you have a lot of students performing for their first or second time? That's draining. During the weeks before a show, after each class I find myself surrounded by an increasingly anxious gaggle of students with questions about the show, costuming, etc. Their questions aren't 'real,' they're always things we covered in class or common sense -- it's just their way of expressing their anxiety and, in a way, glomming onto the teacher to absorb some of her strength and calm energy. I used to go home drained, like my soul had been sucked out of me, but I've learned how to kind of guard myself now.

I have been feeling burnt out lately as well, so I am taking 2 weeks off and I am going to visit my family and friends in Colombia. However i still have to make it until then so this is the strategy I use:

I think of all the people who hate their jobs, who get to sit in an office for 8 or more hours to make a living, and who come after work to see ME perform to unwind and have some fun. I think about how lucky I am to be doing what i really love, to be one of the few who enjoy the priviledge of being part of this amazing world called bellydance. I know a lot of people would love to be in my plave while I would not want to be in any body else's place. We are really lucky.

I don't normally teach, but I think having students is also a blessing. I remember dancing kept me sane during college. Teachers are a great blessing for those who have discovered this art. Think about it when you are feeling down. It will probably help you a little (I hope so!!!).

We should really thank our luck :)

I know we all face this from time to time. It happens to everyone. You've just done a lot in a little amount of time and you are feeling overwhelmed by it all. Give yourself time to regroup, just take in what you've just accomplished and let yourself enjoy it for now. There are no rules as to how long you take a break, you will know when you're ready to come back full force. Good luck in the new year!

Originally Posted by Dahabiya

I think of all the people who hate their jobs, who get to sit in an office for 8 or more hours to make a living, and who come after work to see ME perform to unwind and have some fun.

Why not pitch up at an office at say 9am, pull up a seat, ask one of the staff to get you a nice cup of tea, and be entertained !!!

If you know someone who works in an office, and you see them at a social gathering, always ask them if they can show a little of their office routine. Perhaps play around with a few spreadsheets or something.

If you can afford to, schedule down time between sessions. I usually take 2 weeks off between 6 week sessions of group classes, and it really helps me look forward to getting back into the swing of things.

Thank you ladies for such great suggestions.

I will keep them in mind as we plan our next year.

I so love this dance and need to find that balance to be able to keep at it.

I think It is common to get burnt out in anything when you over do, I have been hearing this a lot lately....I think once has variety of activities and hobbies in life, this makes the life more liveable with desires...
I dont teach much, but I dance a lot, and love travelling and teaching, meeting new people, making new friends, I just love it. I have a day job which makes requires focus, attention and some type of brain power...I lose my attention a lot during my job even though I love what I am doing (I am a Software Quality Assurance Engineer for Verance Corp which puts watermark in film audios, fun huh?), so between high tech, dance, costuming, yoga, choreography practices, group rehearsal, and being my own webmaster, and event organizer...I hope to have some time to stay home and be a mommy to my little kitty Bambina ;-)

I think teaching is such a giving, tiring profession! Who knew? I know so many of my fellow bellydance teachers feel fed up and tired of it on occasion. I think, like any job, you can tend to invest too much of your mental and physical energy when you start teaching, and it takes a while to learn how to hold back, take it a little easier, not care too much. I personally feel like I've been through several burnout periods over the years, but find I do get through them and enjoy it again...so don't feel like you'll lose the joy forever.

The two things that help me the most are (1) cutting back regular class hours. Now that I teach two nights a week instead of three, I feel so much more able to give my all in the classes I do teach. (2) Regular holidays! If you can afford to do so, take 2-3 weeks off between terms (sessions) and a longer break once a year. This is the single-most important thing for me, especially physically (and physical strain can bring you down mentally). In these times, I try not to bellydance much, as my body really needs the break. But I keep fit with other exercise, perhaps do some other styles of dance classes, choreograph and plan the next term. That way, I can start each term fresh, and not feeling "Oh no, here we go again..."

And Lauren's right...sometimes you've just gotta remember that it's a job. All jobs suck at times, and no-one is ever stellar at their work 100% of the time.