How teachers can overcome stress, anxiety and depression

Teachers are trained to walk into a classroom with confidence, command attention, deliver content with clarity, and hold learners together even when the world outside the school gate is collapsing. They are expected to be firm but kind, disciplined but flexible, professional but approachable. They must teach, mentor, counsel, discipline, guide, motivate, supervise, and still smile. Yet behind the timetable, behind the lesson notes, behind the polished voice that carries through a noisy classroom, many teachers are quietly fighting stress, anxiety, and depression.

The tragedy is not that teachers experience these struggles—because they are human—but that many suffer in silence, trying to remain “strong” until they break. In many schools, teachers are praised for being hardworking, but rarely supported for being human. A teacher can be celebrated for producing results, yet ignored when the pressure of producing those results is slowly crushing their spirit. Over time, stress becomes a daily companion, anxiety becomes a constant shadow, and depression becomes a heavy blanket that makes even simple tasks feel impossible.

Stress, anxiety, and depression among teachers do not appear out of nowhere. They grow in the space between high expectations and limited support. They rise from endless workload, emotional labour, financial pressure, indiscipline, toxic staffroom politics, and leadership that sometimes supervises with intimidation instead of empathy. They are fed by the culture of “push through” that teaches teachers to ignore their own pain while carrying the pain of others. Many teachers wake up already tired. They arrive at school already overwhelmed. They go home with the weight of unfinished work, unresolved discipline cases, and silent personal battles. Then they repeat the cycle the next day.

For many teachers, stress begins with workload. The job does not end when the bell rings. Teaching stretches into evenings through marking, lesson preparation, reports, records, departmental duties, club activities, remedial lessons, and endless administrative requirements. It is possible for a teacher to work from morning until midnight and still feel like nothing is finished. That constant feeling of being behind creates mental pressure that never switches off. The mind remains on duty even when the body is begging for rest.

Anxiety often develops when teachers feel they have no control over what is coming next. It can be the fear of being blamed for poor performance, fear of sudden transfers, fear of conflict with parents, fear of inspection, fear of staff balancing, fear of being labelled “lazy,” or fear of being embarrassed publicly. Anxiety is that restless feeling that something bad is about to happen, even when nothing is happening in that moment. It is the overthinking, the racing thoughts, the tension in the chest, the shallow breathing, the inability to relax even on weekends.

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Depression, on the other hand, is not just sadness. It is a slow draining of joy, energy, and meaning. It is waking up and feeling empty. It is losing interest in things that once mattered. It is feeling hopeless, worthless, or emotionally numb. Depression makes a teacher feel like they are carrying a load that nobody sees. Some teachers become quiet and withdrawn. Others become irritable and easily triggered. Some begin to isolate themselves because they feel nobody understands. Depression is dangerous because it convinces the teacher that suffering is normal and that nothing will ever improve.

Indiscipline in schools adds another layer of pressure. A teacher can prepare a good lesson only to spend half the time controlling noise, stopping bullying, addressing disrespect, or handling learners who refuse to cooperate. Some teachers face learners influenced by drugs, violence, and social media arrogance. Others deal with deep emotional problems among learners—trauma, neglect, hunger, and broken homes. A teacher is expected to fix what society has damaged. Yet the teacher is not trained as a therapist, social worker, or security officer. When these problems pile up daily, the teacher’s emotional strength begins to crack.

The pressure increases when parents and communities shift responsibility. Some parents defend indiscipline and blame teachers for everything. A teacher can discipline a learner and face threats. A teacher can fail a learner fairly and be accused of bias. A teacher can follow policy and still be attacked. That constant tension between school and home turns teaching into a battlefield, where the teacher feels unsupported and exposed.

Financial stress is another silent killer. Many teachers are burdened by loans, family obligations, school fees, medical bills, rent, and rising costs of living. Money problems are not just financial—they are psychological. A teacher with heavy debts is always anxious. They are always calculating. They are always worried about emergencies. Financial pressure reduces sleep, increases irritability, and can trigger depression when the teacher feels trapped. Some teachers try to escape through side hustles, which then reduce rest and deepen burnout.

Working conditions in some schools also contribute. Overcrowded classrooms, lack of teaching materials, inadequate offices, long distances, poor transport, and insecurity create a daily environment of struggle. When a teacher is physically uncomfortable and emotionally exhausted, their resilience drops. Even a small challenge becomes a major trigger.

Workplace relationships can make things worse. In some staffrooms, gossip is louder than professionalism. Cliques form, favouritism thrives, and teachers are judged more than they are supported. A teacher can feel lonely even in a room full of colleagues. Toxic culture creates anxiety because the teacher feels watched and targeted. It creates depression because the teacher feels unwanted and undervalued. It creates stress because every day becomes emotional survival.

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Leadership style matters greatly. A school with respectful leadership can carry teachers through hard seasons. But a school with intimidation, public humiliation, threats, unfair workload distribution, and constant fault-finding becomes a breeding ground for anxiety and depression. When supervision is weaponised, teachers stop seeing leadership as support and start seeing it as danger. That fear damages morale and slowly destroys mental wellbeing.

Navigating this problem begins with one difficult but liberating truth: teachers must stop suffering silently. Silence may look like strength, but it is often slow self-destruction. The first step is honesty. A teacher must be able to say, “I am overwhelmed.” That statement is not weakness. It is self-awareness. It is the beginning of recovery. Many teachers break down not because the problems were too big, but because they kept pretending the problems were not affecting them.

Teachers must learn to recognise early warning signs. Stress becomes dangerous when it turns into constant fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, stomach problems, irritability, and sleeplessness. Anxiety becomes a threat when it becomes persistent worry, panic attacks, restlessness, and fear that refuses to leave. Depression becomes serious when it lasts for weeks, steals joy, reduces motivation, and brings hopeless thoughts. These signs are not “normal teacher life.” They are signals that the body and mind are overloaded.

The most practical way to navigate teacher stress, anxiety, and depression is to act on three levels at once: self-management, school-based support, and external professional or social support. A teacher who tries to solve everything through personal strength alone will eventually collapse if the environment remains toxic. A teacher who expects the school to fix everything will remain frustrated if they do not build personal resilience. The best approach is balance—stabilise yourself, engage the school structures, and seek help beyond the workplace.

At the personal level, teachers must regain control of daily life through structure and prioritisation. Teaching produces endless tasks, but not every task deserves the same urgency. A teacher can reduce mental overload by using a simple method: identify what must be done today, what should be done, and what can wait. When the brain carries too many unfinished tasks, it begins to panic. When tasks are organised, the mind calms down. Planning is not laziness—it is mental hygiene.

Boundaries are also essential. Many teachers suffer because they are available to everyone at all times. Learners want attention. Parents want answers. Administration wants reports. WhatsApp groups never sleep. The teacher becomes a 24-hour service provider, and the mind never rests. A boundary is not disrespect. It is self-preservation. It can be as simple as setting a cut-off time for work-related communication, refusing additional duties when already overloaded, or creating one evening in the week where the teacher rests fully without guilt.

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Sleep is a powerful medicine that teachers often neglect. Lack of sleep makes stress worse, increases anxiety, and deepens depression. A teacher who sleeps poorly struggles with patience, concentration, and decision-making. They become emotionally fragile. Protecting sleep means reducing caffeine late in the day, limiting phone use at night, and maintaining a consistent bedtime. Many teachers do not need a miracle—they need rest.

Physical movement helps release stress stored in the body. A teacher can sit through a stressful day, suppress emotions, smile in class, and appear calm, yet the body records everything. Tension becomes headaches, fatigue, and pain. Walking, stretching, light exercise, and simple breathing routines reset the nervous system. A teacher does not need expensive equipment to heal. A 20-minute walk after school can do what long complaining cannot do.

However, personal coping will not work if the teacher remains isolated. Teachers must learn to engage the school system instead of suffering alone. Speaking early to a HOD, deputy, principal, or staff welfare committee is not complaining. It is professional responsibility. It gives leadership a chance to adjust workload distribution, offer support, or address classroom challenges before the teacher breaks down. The earlier the communication, the easier the intervention.

Teamwork also reduces pressure. Many teachers carry marking, lesson planning, discipline cases, and counselling alone. This isolation is dangerous. Schools should encourage department collaboration, shared resources, fair duty rotation, and mentorship. When teachers work as a team, stress reduces. When teachers operate as isolated individuals, anxiety multiplies.

Classroom management must also be approached strategically. Indiscipline can turn teaching into emotional warfare. Teachers need simple systems: clear rules, consistent routines, predictable consequences, and positive reinforcement for improvement. Serious cases should be documented early and referred appropriately. Teachers must accept that some issues require guidance and counselling, administration, and parental involvement. Carrying extreme behaviour alone drains the teacher emotionally and increases burnout.

Toxic staffroom culture must be managed with maturity. Not every conversation deserves participation. Not every rumour deserves response. Teachers should choose safe colleagues, avoid unnecessary conflicts, and refuse to be pulled into negativity. Emotional survival sometimes requires distance. A teacher should not be ashamed to protect their peace.

Financial pressure must be addressed realistically. While salaries may not increase overnight, financial discipline can reduce panic. Teachers should list expenses, prioritise essentials, avoid unnecessary new loans, and build small emergency savings gradually. Even small savings create psychological safety. The goal is not instant wealth. The goal is reduced financial anxiety.

Beyond school, teachers must build a life outside teaching. One of the biggest dangers is making teaching the entire identity. When teaching becomes everything, any failure at work feels like failure in life. Teachers need friendships, hobbies, faith communities, sports, creative activities, and spaces that remind them they are more than their job. A teacher who has support outside school recovers faster. A teacher with no support system carries everything alone and becomes emotionally fragile.

Professional help should not be treated as the last option. Counselling and therapy are not for “weak people.” They are for human beings under pressure. Teachers absorb learners’ pain daily. This exposure creates compassion fatigue. The teacher becomes emotionally drained, numb, or hopeless. A trained counsellor helps a teacher process stress, manage anxiety, and develop coping strategies. In some cases, depression may require medical attention. Seeking help early protects the teacher’s life, career, and family.

Teachers must also recognise when stress has crossed into crisis. Persistent sadness, panic attacks, severe insomnia, hopelessness, loss of interest in life, and thoughts of self-harm require urgent attention. No job is worth a life. No pressure is worth permanent damage. A teacher who gets help early protects not only themselves but also learners and the school community.

School leadership has a major role in solving this problem. Teachers suffer not because teaching is naturally unbearable, but because systems sometimes make it unbearable. Unfair workload distribution, intimidation, poor communication, unrealistic expectations, and constant fault-finding create anxiety and depression. A school that values results but ignores teacher wellbeing is building success on broken people. Healthy leadership is not soft leadership. It is organised, fair, supportive, and firm. Leaders should reduce unnecessary paperwork, set realistic deadlines, appreciate teachers, strengthen discipline structures, and create a culture where staff can speak without fear.

Navigating stress, anxiety, and depression among teachers is not a one-day fix. It is a lifestyle decision. It is choosing boundaries over burnout, rest over constant pressure, support over silent suffering, and structure over chaos. It is the courage to ask for help before collapse. It is the discipline to recover without guilt. Teachers are not machines. They are human beings with limits. And when teachers become mentally and emotionally healthy, learners benefit, schools improve, and the entire education system grows stronger—because at the centre of every successful learner is a teacher who is not only skilled, but also well.

By Hillary Muhalya