Send us Fan Mail

Burnout doesn’t show up because teachers “aren’t organized enough.” It shows up because your nervous system has been carrying too much for too long. We sit down with Dr. Julie Merriman, a licensed professional counselor supervisor, counselor educator, and former public school teacher, to name what so many educators feel but rarely get language for: living past capacity on a daily cocktail of adrenaline and cortisol.

We dig into three root causes of teacher burnout and compassion fatigue: the floating head of competence (living from the neck up and abandoning the body), leaking life force (overgiving until you’re empty), and going behind glass (a numb, disconnected state tied to dorsal vagal shutdown). From there, we tackle the boundary problem. “Just say no” sounds easy, but when your body doesn’t feel safe, holding a boundary can feel terrifying, especially for lifelong people pleasers. Regulation changes the game because a calmer baseline makes boundaries feel natural instead of guilt-driven.

You’ll also get a practical, school-day-friendly nervous system reset you can do in about 60 seconds between class periods: feet grounded, one hand on chest and one on belly, soften jaw and shoulders, inhale for four and exhale for eight like a straw, then ask yourself, “What do I need right now?” We also talk about bringing these somatic tools into the classroom to help students settle after lunch or recess and support a calmer learning environment.

If you want real educator wellness strategies that don’t require a shopping cart, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a teacher friend, and leave a review so more educators can find nervous system support that actually works.

https://www.juliemerrimanphd.com/desire

She's the author of Are We Gonna Have Sex or What? and In Pursuit of Soul Joy as well as the host of the Sexy After 50 podcast and the Compassion Fatigue Cure podcast.

Thanks for listening!