Work/Life Balance as an Teacher

Hi all! 

I'm in my first year as an early career teacher in a secondary school and while I love my job, I'm really struggling to have any kind of life outside of work - by which I don't mean going out with friends or weekend breaks, but doing exercise, keeping up with my hobbies and interests, or even maintaining interest in things that I used to get a lot of joy out of. I find that by the time I get home from work - sometimes even at about half-four - I'm exhausted from masking and making decisions all day. I find that by halfway through the half term all I'm doing during the week is working, eating, sleeping, and getting overwhelmed and irritable at the slightest thing. It's like spending the day around colleagues and students, managing all of their expectations and roles I'm expected to fulfil completely drains me and I have no energy left to do anything which might help me to refuel, make me feel like myself again, or get some spoons back. 

If anyone has struggled with anything similar upon entering a people-centred profession, I'd love to hear how they coped and how they managed to claw back some energy for themselves. 

I often describe my job as feeling like getting hit by a train - no matter how much you love trains, it still hurts!

LB873