High-Functioning but Exhausted: When International Teachers Are Running on Empty
You know the type of teacher everyone relies on. The one who steps in when others are overwhelmed. The one who plans the school trip, supports the new hires, mentors the struggling student, and somehow still meets every deadline.
They’re the teacher who always seems fine — until one day, they’re not.
In international schools, these “high-functioning” teachers are everywhere. They’re passionate, dedicated, adaptable, and often perfectionistic. They love their students and take pride in their work. But beneath the surface, they’re often running on fumes.
The Hidden Side of High-Functioning Burnout
Burnout doesn’t always look like collapse. Sometimes it looks like achievement.
Many international teachers experiencing burnout are still showing up every day — teaching, grading, smiling, performing. They might even be praised for their resilience or commitment. But inside, they feel detached, anxious, or emotionally flat.
You might recognize this in yourself if you’ve ever thought:
“I’m so tired, but I just need to make it to the next break.”
“Everyone else seems fine — why can’t I cope better?”
“I don’t even know what I enjoy anymore.”
“I’m functioning, but I don’t feel present.”
This kind of burnout is especially common among international educators, where the culture often rewards adaptability, positivity, and professionalism — even when it comes at a personal cost.
Why It’s Hard for International Teachers to Rest
International school environments can amplify burnout in subtle ways.
Teachers are not only navigating demanding workloads, but also adjusting to new cultures, time zones, and expectations. Leadership changes are frequent. Professional and social circles often overlap, leaving little space for emotional honesty. And because international teachers are seen as “resilient,” it’s easy for their distress to go unnoticed — even by themselves.
Many also carry the silent pressure of gratitude:
“I chose this life — I should be grateful.”
That mindset can make it difficult to reach out for help or to even admit something’s wrong.
But gratitude doesn’t cancel out exhaustion. And surviving isn’t the same as being well.
The Physiology of Pushing Through
From a trauma and nervous system perspective, “high-functioning” burnout is a form of chronic stress. The body stays in a constant state of alert — producing cortisol, tightening muscles, suppressing emotion — all in service of getting through the day.
Over time, this leads to symptoms like:
Insomnia or shallow sleep
Brain fog or forgetfulness
A sense of numbness or emotional blunting
Increased irritability or anxiety
Physical tension or chronic pain
Loss of motivation or joy
You may look “fine” to others, but internally your system is overloaded. The nervous system hasn’t had permission to slow down — and eventually, it demands it.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy offers a space to finally stop performing and start listening — to your body, to your emotions, to what’s actually happening beneath the surface.
In my work with international teachers, I often combine trauma-informed psychotherapy with body-based approaches like EMDR, breathwork, and Pain Reprocessing Therapy. These methods help the nervous system regulate, release stored stress, and restore a sense of safety and connection.
We don’t just talk about burnout — we address the deeper mechanisms that sustain it: perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the internal pressure to always “hold it together.”
As a therapist who has also worked in international education, I understand how complex this world is — the performance of stability, the blurred boundaries between life and work, the constant cycle of transition. Therapy becomes a place where you don’t have to translate any of that. You’re already understood.
What Recovery Looks Like
Healing from high-functioning burnout doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen. Slowly, teachers begin to notice small but powerful shifts:
Sleeping more deeply.
Feeling calm instead of constantly “on.”
Reconnecting with joy and creativity.
Setting boundaries without guilt.
Remembering who they are outside of work.
It’s not about becoming less dedicated — it’s about becoming sustainably human again.
You Don’t Have to Keep Holding It All Together
If you recognize yourself in this, you’re not broken — you’re burnt out. And that’s something we can work through.
Online therapy allows you to access support wherever you’re based — whether you’re teaching in Bangkok, Berlin, or Nairobi. It’s private, flexible, and designed for the realities of international school life.
You don’t have to wait for a crisis to start therapy. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to stop running on empty and give yourself the rest you deserve.
