Over 60% of working people experience symptoms of emotional burnout, and the WHO already recognizes burnout as a professional phenomenon. The topic was commented on in the program “Social Network” on NOVA NEWS by psychologist Nikola Yordanov. “Many people are in burnout without realizing it,” said the psychologist. According to him, the condition is almost always the result of prolonged stress, most often related to the work environment, but also to family and social factors.
“A short break can temporarily relieve tension, but it does not solve the problem. The main responsibility lies with the environment – the institution and the direct supervisor,” the specialist emphasized. The difference between ordinary fatigue and burnout is in the duration and inability to recover. If a person sleeps for 8-9 hours, but wakes up exhausted, without energy and motivation, this is a clear signal of emotional burnout. “If you wake up tired for two or three weeks despite getting enough sleep, this is an almost certain sign of burnout,” added Yordanov. “People in burnout seem constantly exhausted, have difficulty making decisions and often react irritablely. They do not do their tasks well, which leads to the accumulation of additional stress,” explained the psychologist.
A multitude of meaningless administrative duties is the factor that most often leads to burnout among teachers. About 47% put it in first place. This is followed by excessive workload – 42%, low student motivation – 41%, lack of understanding and interest on the part of parents – 37%. The data is from a test for burnout levels completed by 6,085 teachers in Stress Portal – an electronic platform for risk diagnosis and prevention.
At the end of 2025 results were announced at a forum at the Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski” with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Education, Education and Science, educational institutions, the university community, teachers’ unions and employer organizations. The stress portal for teachers was created under the National Program “Prevention and Rehabilitation of Pedagogical Specialists” of the Ministry of Education. The platform offers the first systematic approach to reducing stress and building mental resilience in teachers. The portal functions as a combination of certified tools for studying stress-related conditions. With them, teachers can measure the extent to which they are affected by burnout, receive individual guidance for coping and track their progress. So far, data for 2024 has been summarized, and an analysis for 2025 is also pending, specified Prof. Yuri Yanakiev, who heads the Department of “Pedagogy and Psychology” at the “Paisii Hilendarski” University. The researcher is also the head of the national program, within the framework of which the electronic portal for the prevention of stress, burnout syndrome and the development of resilience was created.
“The levels of professional stress are not only in the teachers’ guild. The time of rapid changes leads to more difficult adaptation. Our generation lives in the conditions of a technological revolution. In order for teachers to be accepted, to maintain their authority and to meet the expectations of children, they need to put a lot of effort and energy into adaptation,” said Prof. Yanakiev. He emphasized that the problem is not only professional, but also social. Teachers need leadership, but also mentoring, sharing. About 60 school psychologists have been trained under the program. There will also be a reference list of psychologists on the MES website – specialists who will consult teachers in person and online, and will train teams in times of crisis. However, the main priority remains the prevention of these conditions before they turn into passive or aggressive behavior, emphasized Prof. Yanakiev. For this purpose, the portal is constantly enriched with information materials. Dr. Yulian Petrov: When burnout exceeds 70%, indifference comes The state must create compensatory mechanisms, but everyone must also help themselves, said the leader of the Education Trade Union The national leader of the Education Trade Union, Dr. Yulian Petrov, recalled that at the initiative of the Bulgarian Teachers’ Union and the teachers’ union, with funding from the Ministry of Education, the first study of burnout in the teachers’ guild was conducted years ago. It found that 60% of Bulgarian teachers are affected by professional burnout. This largely exceeds European norms. “Back then, the message was that the state should take care of doctors and teachers,” said Dr. Petrov. What’s new today is that it should generate compensatory mechanisms, which are common practice in Europe – the teacher should be relieved with the necessary activities, with opportunities for sports and cultural events. But the state either does not have the opportunity or does not prioritize this. And today we say that every teacher should also take care of himself. The stress portal is an opportunity for anyone with their MES account to fill out a survey and do a self-diagnosis. After that, they are offered different options on how to relieve themselves.” Dr. Petrov added that doctors and teachers are most affected by burnout, but the medical guild has a higher level of coping – resilience. “Teachers need to be helped, not because the consequences of burnout are bad for both the profession and the individual. If a teacher has over 70% burnout, he becomes indifferent and is not that good. On a personal level, he suffers from mental stress, is subject to illness and is not useful to himself,” described Dr. Petrov.
On a national scale, the state could create its own tools or use European experience. In some countries, there is a practice – in 3, 5 or 7 years, teachers are entitled to a 1-year break for recovery and qualification. There are different funding formats, but in all cases, during this period, students are not worked with.
This makes them more resilient to work until 65, which is the retirement age for teachers in Bulgaria, as well as all those with category III labor. As a compensatory mechanism, teachers in our country can retire 3 years earlier. Not without our assistance, a National Program for Prevention and Rehabilitation was created and teachers are reimbursed part of the funds when they use rehabilitation centers in Bulgaria, added Dr. Petrov.
