Why Your Energy Feels Non-Renewable

You know them - people who seem to have boundless energy. They weren’t necessarily born with this much energy but they’ve gotten very good at the energy renewal process. They know how to recharge in an efficient way and avoid activities that suck their energy dry. So yes, energy is renewable, but it requires management and an investment in restoration to regenerate it. However, to many teachers, energy feels finite because they are consistently overdrawn without a focus on recovery at key points in their day.

The Teaching Crisis

Teachers are conditioned to believe that exhaustion is part of the job. It’s hard to be “on” from the time you arrive at work to the moment you leave. This includes managing many personalities, making quick decisions, being emotionally available, all while finding time to teach. It’s no surprise energy would feel finite to most teachers, similar to the way teachers view time - there is simply not enough!

But is energy really finite? No, energy can be renewable, but only if you treat it like a precious resource.

Understanding How Energy Works

Your body naturally cycles each day. Even during your most challenging teaching day, there are small opportunities for restoration - between classes, at lunch, between meetings, and on your drive home. Teachers who strategically take these opportunities for energy restoration claim to enjoy the job more and see the stress as manageable. However, those who engage in energy depletion activities such as scrolling social media or diving into the next task are more likely to say the profession is taking a physical toll on them that isn’t sustainable.

Chronic stress from lesson planning, grading, working with parents, and classroom management leads to a deficit of energy that compounds over time. It’s like drawing cash from a bank account that has no money. To overcome this chronic stress, it takes intentional effort and many times a complete reset of your current habits to offset the negative effects. Instead of packing your schedule without considering your natural rhythm, you need to build true restoration points into your day.

Be Your Own Superhero

Take back control of your energy and manage it well - everything will improve! You will be more patient with students, parents, and colleagues. You will be more creative in your planning and teaching. You will be more present and teaching will be more rewarding. You will have much more energy left to share with your family and friends even after a long day at school. Most importantly, you will be prioritizing self-care.

Teachers who seem to have superpowers aren’t really superheroes - they’ve just learned to work with their energy and not against it. They choose to believe that their energy isn’t finite but renewable.

The question is: will you invest in the renewal process with your energy, or will you just hope the day doesn’t run you over?

Recognize yourself in this post? If you’re nodding “yes, this is exactly how I feel,” you’re not alone.

My Members Club was created specifically for teachers ready to move beyond energy debt into energy renewal. You will get practical tools, meaningful book studies (think deeper conversations, not typical “teacher book clubs”), live workshops, and direct access to me for Teacher Talk with Tracey (to get life advice when you need it) sessions. Everything is designed around putting YOU FIRST and making energy management a sustainable practice, not just another thing on your to-do list. Join Today!