Is it burnout?

[HopeHelpCompassionforAll]

Hi, just wanted to get some friendly advice as I'm having difficulty finding straight answers online. I work in a UK independent school and recently switched from 9 hrs a week to full time with one day every other week off. I'm one to one support with a child in main school, have been for the last 3 years nearly, but there have recently been lots of swopping, where I've been told to work in the main sen base which is a lot harder to work with and you have to be on higher alert. I began to adapt after a few days and thought I was fine. Things seemed fairly smooth. Then out of nowhere two days ago at lunch, I started randomly feeling ill, hot and cold feeling through my ears, then wanted to cry. By the time I got to class after lunch, I realised I couldn't actually hold it in and had to rush out to the bathroom so I could cry in peace. When I left the bathroom, I kept wanting to cry and had to bite my cheek all the way until I walked home. All of that time, I was having a tough time regulating. I decided to take a brain check because it genuinely scared me that if pushed past but my body acted on its own so I took yesterday off. Now I'm wondering what exactly happened as normally if I want to cry I'm able to control it. It doesn't happen at work. For context, I've been staying awake for the last few nights, sleeping around midnight to relax on YouTube (not a good idea, but it's an old habit and it makes me feel I haven't wasted my day because I love to relax - only my night 😂. But I'm not afraid of hard work), but it couldn't be that as I've done that in the past for longer periods and not felt this way. And what about next steps? I don't want to go back to work too soon and burst out crying again. Any kind comments or advice would be much appreciated. Thank you so much :)

Honestly, my goal since I was a kid was to be an author. I know I'm fortunate. I still live with my parents, I don't have anyone to take care of, but I want to ensure my own source of income and be in the position where I can provide for my family instead of the other way round.

I get paid just above minimum wage. For the stress, it probably isn't worth it. I would probably earn more working in a supermarket.

I don’t think it sounds like burnout - it sounds more like a minor blip while adjusting to working full time again.

You also have a responsibility to look after yourself to be fit for work, especially in schools, so getting a good night’s sleep is part of that.

If this new arrangement is not working then the best thing is to speak to your management and see if any changes can be made. It sounds like a 0.6 timetable would suit you better.

The school doesn’t sound great on policy and procedures but I don’t think they were unreasonable to redeploy you internally. I have worked in state school management roles and that would be an entirely normal thing to do in response to a staffing need, as the roles are broadly the same.

Try to view these changes as opportunities to try out a different role and cultivate a more resilient approach, as I think that would be expected in most school workplaces. Best wishes.