‘Compassion fatigue’ is a term often used when describing the stress and combination of physical and emotional symptoms felt by people in the caring professions – nurses, social workers, counsellors, police etc.  Another group who experience similar high levels of burnout and stress are teachers. Amy Green, a full time teacher and founder of The Teacher’s Coach, knows only too well the pressure, challenges and heavy workload experienced by teachers. With a career spanning over 12 years teaching in both Australia and overseas, Amy aims to empower teachers (and others) to help them manage their stress and get the most out of their day.

Amy points to the fact that we now live in a 24/7 ‘always-on’ world, “People are starting to want more beyond their day job, whether it’s time with their family, a side hustle or time to devote to hobbies or other interests”.

“Unfortunately, this also means that you can so easily get caught up in trying to achieve things you think you should be doing because everyone else is. There’s also the stress of trying to keep up with social media - keeping up with the ‘Jones’s’, even though you might not be sure that the Jones’ are where you want to be,” says Amy.

Amy starts from the point of the teacher being a person first, understanding their goals and what they want out of life.

“I first get my clients to look at their day from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to sleep and understand what they do with every minute of their day, is it in line with their goals?

“If, for example, they want to work as well as have a side hustle or passion project then they have to be prepared to really maximise the time they have.

“They will need to make sacrifices because every moment that you are living you have to be fully present to get the most out of it. There’s no point being at work and going ‘oh, I really want to be at home right now working on my business’, but then getting home and being so tired from being at work that you don’t do anything.

“You just fall into this loop of being overwhelmed and procrastinating and not really working on anything very well,” says Amy.

“I found a couple of years ago that I was surrounded by teachers who were tired, stressed and overwhelmed, who weren’t able to be completely present in the classroom or in their home life. They were all working well beyond what they should,” says Amy.

“I never did that. I was never the person that took work home on the weekends, I was always calm and happy and I didn’t understand why. There was a pivotal moment when a teacher said to me ‘how do you do what you do? How do you have a life where you get to be healthy and energised and spend time with your family, travel and exercise and look after yourself and yet still be amazing in the classroom?’, that was a real ah-ha moment for me.”

Amy set about researching why some people are able to achieve amazing things, but still have balance in their lives.

“I started to learn more about human behavior and thinking patterns and what makes people ‘people’ and how I could help them overcome obstacles they might be facing, “says Amy.

Amy believes one of the biggest barriers facing teachers is their reluctance to ask for help.

“Just like many other caring professions, teachers spend their whole day giving and when it comes to putting themselves first, teachers, nurses and other caring professionals feel guilty. Their whole life is based around looking after others; they even carry that into their relationships with family and partners, becoming the rescuer or the ‘fixer’ who takes care of others even at their own expense.

“Saying ‘no, I don’t want to do that’ or just having a day to themselves is so important because you are filling your own cup and you can’t pour from an empty cup. It is ok to say ‘no’ if it comes from a place of kindness.

“Once I can take care of me, I’ll be able to take better care of you”, explains Amy.

Amy works both with teachers and individuals (not just teachers) to help those feeling overwhelmed and struggling to keep up with demands, providing practical strategies, one-on-one support and small group training. She will be launching a new branch to her business 'Relearn you life', helping even more people understand themselves and learn more about how to enjoy a life the way they want to experience it.

About Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre
Lighthouse has a strong track record of supporting entrepreneurs, researchers and inventers on the path from concept to commercialisation. Since July 2008, Lighthouse has worked with over 990 distinct enterprises and provided group and peer based services to over 3400 enterprises and individuals. For over five years Lighthouse has successfully delivered business advice, education, mentorship and networking opportunities to help these businesses commercialise their ideas and grow their companies. Lighthouse also delivers programs such as the ACT Microcredit Program for the ACT Government. Visit www.lighthouseinnovation.com.au for more information.