Teaching is not the cause of my mental health issues…

In recent weeks, I haven’t had the best time with my mental health, my anxiety has been through the roof at times and the feelings of wanting to run away from my life have needed some careful handling; but the reasons for me feeling this way are not as simple as my job as a teacher being too much. There have been elements that haven’t helped but there were a lot of other elements of my life that also played a role. In all honesty, it wouldn’t matter what job I did, the elements of teaching that exacerbate my anxiety issues can be found in any job; it is uncertainty and unclear communication that exacerbate my anxiety, so when I tell someone that I am struggling (which can be hard to do) and the response I get is that I should reconsider my career choice it shows what little understanding some people have around the mental health and well-being of teachers and also belittle other factors which can influence a person’s mental health.

I am not saying that the current climate of accountability, constant changing goal posts and workload are not causing mental health issues and stress amongst the teaching profession, they are and it is a huge problem that needs to be addressed. However not all mental health issues faced by teachers are caused by the profession.

I was diagnosed 5 years into my career, however the professionals that I was seeing (doctors, psychiatrists and counsellors) all agreed that I had had these issues for far longer than my career, it was just at that point I broke. If anything, my job is one of the things that keeps me going when I am struggling with my mental health because I love teaching and being in the classroom. To be told that I should think about doing something else because of my anxiety issues almost suggests that those of us who do suffer with a mental health issue should not be allowed to be teachers at all.

I am not asking to be treated with kid gloves or have special treatment by my school, but just like a teacher with a physical health issue I may require some adjustment and consideration by schools.

I am very lucky that the school I work at is very supportive and have allowed some considerations for me to help cope with my anxiety issues, for example I was able to reduce my timetable to 0.8 so that I had time to decompress in the day and have a couple of afternoons or mornings off so that I am able to attend counselling sessions. They are also very understanding at the start of the year and during whole school CPD days where I can easily get overwhelmed with so many people in one place at the same time, so I am able to take myself out to get some air or a cup of tea to calm myself. They are also aware that when I am wearing earbuds around school it is not because I am anti-social or ignoring the no earphones rule that we have in school, but that this is my way of creating a safe place in school. It is not perfect, there are still issues with communication and leaving things till the last minute that can add to anxiety but I don’t feel that I have to hide when I am struggling (as long as I am aware of it myself).

So, I guess my point is, please don’t assume that when a teacher is struggling with their mental health it is because of the job. Mental health issues are far more complex to be reduced to a single cause.