'Teachers and nurses are burnt-out to breaking point. But no one's listening.'

Before launching into what may seem like a whiny article, I feel the need to preface it by saying I pride myself on being an optimist. Sometimes sickeningly so. 

As a Mindset Coach, motivational speaker and naturally bubbly person, I genuinely see life as mostly sunshine, rainbows and lollipops, the good in every situation, the glass half full and all that jazz. 

But. 

Once in every blue moon, I am forced to face the fact that some things just suck. 

Watch: The horoscopes homeschooling their kids. Post continues below.

Sometimes you’ve just got to call a spade a spade, a s**tshow a s**tshow. And in true optimistic fashion, I hope that drawing attention to this s**tshow might contribute to conversation and change. 

And since most teachers and nurses are too busy ‘just getting on with it’ - someone needs to speak for them. So here it is.

What the heck is going on?

Why on Earth are a large percentage of my clients teachers and nurses?

In response to my last article, “I’m an overworked teacher with no time to teach”, I was bombarded with messages from teachers - many of which, frankly, didn’t surprise me. 

“My mental health is suffering.” 

“I feel like it’s never good enough.” 

“I feel so bad for my students…”  

“I have no time to actually teach.”

As an ex-teacher, I could relate. The responses were sadly expected.

Breanna May, AKA Miss Mindset, is a former teacher. Image: Supplied.

What I didn’t anticipate was the influx of nurses who felt the same: tired, burnt-out, stressed; no time to actually care for patients… let alone themselves.

I’m sure most people can agree that the bedrocks of any thriving society are health and education.

This might seem an outrageous notion, but surely it should follow that a thriving force of healthcare workers and educators would be a priority? 

It appears not.

Side note: Listen to Mamamia's parenting podcast, This Glorious Mess. Post continues below.

If there is anything that COVID has taught us, it's that our health is our wealth. Without our health, we cannot work, we cannot keep economies running, and we cannot thrive.

Without health, the fabric of society begins to fray at the edges - or as it has in recent times, completely fall to pieces. 

While healthcare workers work tirelessly to help and care for people, they do so in spite of their working conditions, not because of them.

While they burn themselves out caring for their patients, who is caring for them? And how long can they carry the heavy load on such tired and worn out spirits?

For teachers, the situation is similar. 

Teachers around Australia know how important education is - it is why they teach. 

Teachers know that education is power - it is through education that we can innovate and progress, as individuals and a collective.

Like healthcare, this pandemic has highlighted the need for quality education.

In times of crisis, and during the depths of our fear throughout lockdowns, we have waited hopefully for experts all over the world to provide solutions. 

We wait in anticipation for highly educated researchers and medical professionals to create vaccines, grateful for such brilliant minds. 

We have depended on the resilience and wellbeing of teachers to continue showing up not only to keep the wheels of daily life spinning, but to ensure future generations continue to thrive.

Once again, teachers are doing so in spite of their working conditions, not because of them.

If we are going to take any positives from the disaster of the past year, I would like to think we will look back at this time as the catalyst for change - when we reassessed our priorities and began a conversation about how we can improve such fundamental flaws inside a beautiful country. Like the working conditions for the thriving army of teachers and nurses nationwide.

The writing was on the wall before the pandemic - now it is just in bold. 

Something needs to change. We can, and must do better. 

Miss Mindset (Breanna May) is a writer, motivational speaker and mindset coach with a background in law and high school education. When she's not diving into all things psychology, personal development and philosophy, you will find her in the gym, or at the pub – because, balance. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Feature Image: Canva/Mamamia.