For many of you in the northern hemisphere, the school year is coming to a close, and with it comes a likely drop in the stressors that build up and promote teacher (and administrator) burnout. It therefore may not seem timely to suggest interventions to prevent or reduce burnout. However, it is often not until we are away from a high-stress situation for a while that the brain can move out of reactive survival mode and into a relaxed state where it can ponder the big picture.

The burnout interventions I am about to suggest are likely to be ones that you already know. The problem is, when it comes to adding another activity to your schedule, past experiences may have left you with the expectation that there is not enough time — or you’ve tried things like this before and didn’t notice any change. So you stopped.

My belief is that when you understand what happened in your brain to build up the hopelessness and frustration of burnout, you’ll connect with the logic of the interventions. Then, with the addition of the video game model to the boost the neurochemical benefits of the activity of your choice, you’ll literally deconstruct the resistance network your brain constructed, and reset your circuits of confidence and motivation.

via How to Rewire Your Burned-Out Brain: Tips from a Neurologist | Edutopia.