Academic Burnout Self-compassion, Connection and Mail Art

Article Sidebar

10. PDF
Published: Oct 14, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26443/crae.v52i1.2329
Keywords:
Academic Burnout, Mail Art, Self-Compassion, Arts and Wellbeing, Maslach’s Burnout Inventory

Main Article Content

Haley Toll
St. Stephen's College
Cecile Badenhorst
Memorial University
Heather McLeod
Memorial University

Abstract

Due to institutional pressures within neoliberal university environments, faculty are experiencing heightened burnout. Exploring ways to reduce burnout in accessible and creative communal ways is significant. To counter experiences of burnout, two professors and one emerging academic examined the three tenets of the self-compassion framework through arts-based inquiry. We created postcard images, mailed them to one another, and investigated our experiences using Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. We analyzed written narratives about the artmaking, receiving, and assessment answers within the self-compassion framework. We found mail art increased common humanity, self-kindness, and mindfulness. We recommend future studies explore self-compassion-focused artmaking while integrating assessments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Toll, H., Badenhorst, C., & McLeod, H. (2026). Academic Burnout: Self-compassion, Connection and Mail Art. The Canadian Review of Art Education, 52(1), 173–191. https://doi.org/10.26443/crae.v52i1.2329
Issue
Vol. 52 No. 1 (2026): Reconnections: Art, Education, and Inclusive Futures
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The copyright notice is CC BY SA. 

This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon your work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms. All new works based on yours will carry the same license. Thus any derivatives will also allow commercial use. For example, if someone translates your article into French, the French version of the article will also have to be shared under a CC BY SA license.

Author Biographies

Haley Toll, St. Stephen's College

Haley Toll, Ph.D., RP, CCC, RCAT, is an art psychotherapist, artist, researcher, and educator with 13+ years of clinical experience across Canada, Botswana, Thailand, and Mongolia. Her practice includes trauma care related to relocation, cancer and HIV diagnoses, sexual abuse, and other life transitions. She has trained mental health practitioners and students in art therapy, arts-informed counselling, and crisis intervention internationally. She is Editor in Chief of the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy and was President of the Canadian Art Therapy Association (2016–2019). Her research integrates intercultural art therapy and arts-based research, with a focus on newcomer women. She received the Governor General’s Gold Medal and the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award. She was keynote speaker at Memorial University’s Refugee Health Symposium and co-keynote at the Canadian Art Therapy Association conference. She teaches at St. Stephen’s College and Martin Luther University College and lives in Accra, Ghana.

Cecile Badenhorst, Memorial University

Cecile Badenhorst is a Professor in the Adult Education/Post-Secondary program, Faculty of Education, at Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada. She has conducted research and published in the areas of doctoral education, doctoral writing, graduate writing, thesis/publication writing pedagogies, academic literacies and faculty writing. She engages in qualitative, arts-based and post-structural research methodologies. She has written three books in the area of graduate student writing: Research Writing (2007), Dissertation Writing (2008) and Productive Writing (2010). She is a co-editor of Research literacies and writing pedagogies for Masters and Doctoral writers (Brill, 2016) and Re-imagining Doctoral Writing (WAC, 2021).

Heather McLeod, Memorial University

Heather McLeod, PHD, a full professor in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland, has won national, university, and faculty awards for teaching and curriculum development. She teaches visual art and arts-related courses and has previously served as associate dean (undergraduate programs). As well, she has served as Editor-in-chief of the Canadian Review of Art Education and Director of Publications for the Canadian Society for Education Through Art. Heather uses qualitative and arts-based research approaches including poetic inquiry. She is interested in narrative and arts-based research explorations into the quality of life on today’s campuses. A recent project, Lessons of the Land: New Genre Arctic Art and Land-based Learning, funded through the University of the Arctic, was international in nature. She has worked in schools, in government, and for the British Columbia Teacher’s Federation.

References

Ahola, K., Toppinen-Tanner, S. & Seppänen, J. (2017). Interventions to alleviate burnout symptoms and to support return to work among employees with burnout: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Burnout Research, 4, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.burn.2017.02.001

Aronsson, G., Theorell, T., Grape, T, Hammarström, A. Hogstedt, C., Marteinsdottir, I., Skoog, I., Träskman-Bendz, L., & Hall, C. (2017). A systematic review including meta-analysis of work environment and burnout symptoms. BMC Publish Health, 17, 264-277. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4153-7

Barnard, L. K., & Curry, J. F. (2011). Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, & interventions. Review of General Psychology, 15(4), 289–303. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025754

Barnett, K.S., &Vasiu, F. (2024). How the arts heal: A review of the neural mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of creative arts on mental and physical health. Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience, 18, 1422361.https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1422361

Bhugra D. (2025). Burnout: its meaning and how to deal with it?. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 118(3), 99–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/01410768251320167

Bellaiche, L., Lihardo, K., Williams, C., Chaffee, J., LaBar, K. S., & Seli, P. (2025). Selective emotion regulation in creative art production: Psychophysiological reactivity during painting reduces anxiety. iScience, 28(6), 112543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.112543

Brown, W., C. (2022). Literature Review: Foundations of self-care practice Utilizing expressive arts for counselors in training [Capstone thesis, Lesley University]. Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/633

Chilton, G. (2013). Art therapy and flow: A review of the literature and applications. Art Therapy, 30(2), 64–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2013.787211

Coetzee, N., Maree, D.J.F, & Smit, B.N. (2019). The relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome, burnout, job satisfaction, social support and age among academics at a tertiary institution. International Journal of Occupational medicine and Environmental Health, 52(1), 75-85. https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01274

College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. (2024). Professional Practice Standards for Registered Psychotherapists. https://crpo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CRPO-Standards-Jan124-Revised-Dec1125.pdf

Colletti, D. (2010). Inspired by a stranger: Exploring mail art. In Hyland Moon, C. (Ed). Materials and media in art therapy: Critical understandings of diverse artistic vocabularies. (pp. 183-195). Routledge.

Cotter, D. A., Berheide, C. W., & Carpenter, M. A. (2024). Sustained strain: Faculty work strain under COVID-19. Research in Higher Education, 65, 1992–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-024-09809-3

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. Harper Collins.

Cure, M. (2018). Picturing the postcard: A new media crisis at the turn of the century. University of Minnesota Press.

Czamanski-Cohen, J., & Weihs, K. L. (2016). The Bodymind Model: A platform for studying the mechanisms of change induced by art therapy. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 51, 63–71. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2016.08.006

de Witte, M., Orkibi, H., Zarate, R., Karkou, V., Sajnani, N., Malhotra, B., Ho, R. T. H., Kaimal, G., Baker, F. A., & Koch, S. C. (2021). From therapeutic factors to mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 678397–678397. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678397

Dinibutun, S.R., Kuzey, C., & Dinc, M.S. (2020). The effect of organizational climate on faculty burnout at state and private universities: A comparative analysis. Sage Open, 10(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020979175

Egan, H., O’Hara, M., Cook, A., & Mantzios, M. (2021). Mindfulness, self-compassion, resiliency and wellbeing in higher education: a recipe to increase academic performance. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(3), 301–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1912306

Elleström, L. (2012). The paradoxes of mail art: How to build an artistic media type. Cultura: International Journal of Philosophy of Culture and Axiology, 9(2), 103-122.

Fancourt, D. & Finn, S. (2019). What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being? A scoping review. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/329834/9789289054553-eng.pdf

Flaxman, P., Ménard, J., Bond, F. W. & Kinman, G. (2012). Academics' Experiences of a Respite From Work: Effects of Self-Critical Perfectionism and Perseverative Cognition on Postrespite Well-Being. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(4), pp. 854-865. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028055

Franklin, M. A. (2017). Art as contemplative practice: Expressive pathways to the self. State University of New York Press.

Gangadharan, S.P. (2009). Mail art: Networking without technology. New Media & Society, 11(1&2), 279-298. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444808099581

German, M. (2019). Mindfulness-Integrated art therapy & the cultivation of self [Master’s thesis, Lesley University]. Lesley University Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/1123

Hashem, Z., & Zeinoun, P. (2020). Self-compassion explains less burnout among healthcare professionals. Mindfulness, 11(11), 2542–2551. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01469-5

Heng, S., Yang,M., Zou, B., Li, Y., & Castaño, G. (2020). The mechanism of teaching-research conflict influencing job burnout among university teachers: The roles of perceived supervisor support and psychological capital. Psychology in the Schools. 57, 1347–1364. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22426

Hill-Berry, N.P., Wynter Adams, D.M., & Thomas-Brown, P.G. (2023). The impact of burnout on female academics’ resiliency (pp. 123-150). In C. Bissessar (Ed.), Female Academics’ Resilience during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34140-3_6

Hinz, L. D. (2020). Expressive therapies continuum: A framework for using art in therapy (2nd Ed.). Routledge.

Hinz, L. D., Rim, S.-R., & Lusebrink, V. B. (2022). Clarifying the creative level of the expressive therapies continuum: A different dimension. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 78(4), 101896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101896

Ho, A. H. Y., Tan-Ho, G., Ngo, T. A., Ong, G., Chong, P. H., Dignadice, D., and Potash, J. (2021). A novel mindful-compassion art-based therapy for reducing burnout and promoting resilience among healthcare workers: Findings from a waitlist randomized control trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 744443. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744443

Hyland Moon, C. (Ed). (2010) Materials and media in art therapy: Critical understandings of diverse artistic vocabularies. (pp. xii-xxxi). Routledge.

Ifrach, E. R. & Miller, A. (2016). Social action art therapy as an intervention for compassion fatigue. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 50, 34-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2016.05.009

Kaimal, G., & Ray, K. (2017). Free art-making in an art therapy open studio: Changes in affect and self-efficacy. Arts & Health, 9(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17533015.2016.1217248

Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of cortisol levels and participants' responses following art making. Art Therapy, 33(2), 74-80. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2016.1166832

Lee, K. J., & Lee, S. M. (2022). The role of self-compassion in the academic stress model. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 41(5), 3195–3204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00843-9

Liu, C., Xie, Y., Xu, Y., Song, Z., Tang, J., Shen, J., Jiang, Z., Shen, C., Zhan, X. & Zheng, C. (2024). Assessing the stress-relief impact of an art-based intervention inspired by the broaden-and-build theory in college students. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1324415. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.13244

Łucznik, K., May, J. & Redding, E. (2021) A qualitative investigation of flow experience in group creativity. Research in Dance Education, 22(2), 190-209. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1305432

Maiden, J. & Stewart, D. O. (2025). Healing through art: A grounded literature review on art therapy for graduate students facing anxiety and depression. Crisis, Stress, and Human Resilience: An International Journal, 6(4), 125-146. https://www.crisisjournal.org/article/139057-healing-through-art-a-grounded-literature-review-on-art-therapy-for-graduate-students-facing-anxiety-and-depression

Martin, L., Oepen, R., Bauer, K., Nottensteiner, A., Mergheim, K., Gruber, H., & Koch, S. C. (2018). Creative arts interventions for stress management and prevention: A systematic review. Behavioral sciences, 8(2), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs8020028

Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (1996). Maslach Burnout Inventory manual (3rd ed.). Consulting Psychologists Press.

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311

Miller, M. (2024). A mixed-method mindful self-compassion art therapy postpilot program evaluation study: Metaphors and media to increase adults’ acquisition of MSC program benefits (Étude d’évaluation post-pilote d’un programme d’art-thérapie d’auto-compassion à méthodes mixtes : métaphores et médias pour accroître l’acquisition des avantages du programme MSC pour les adultes). Canadian Journal of Art Therapy, 37(2), 184–196. https://doi.org/10.1080/26907240.2024.2408864

Neff, K. D. (2023). Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. Harper Collins.

Neff, K. D., Hsieh, Y. P., & Dejitterat, K. (2005). Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity, 4(3), 263-287. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500444000317

Rajendran, N., Watt, H.M.G., & Richardson, P.W. (2020). Teacher burnout and turnover intent. The Australian Educational Researcher, 47, 477-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-019-00371-x

Rattigan, M. D. (2022). The Art(making) of self-compassion for busy clinicians. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 27, 100503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100503.

Rehman, S., Addas, A., Rehman, E., & Khan, M. N. (2024). The mediating roles of self-compassion and emotion regulation in the relationship between psychological resilience and mental health among college teachers. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 17, 4119–4133. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S491822

Renna M. E. (2021). A review and novel theoretical model of how negative emotions influence inflammation: The critical role of emotion regulation. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health, 18, 100397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100397

Sy, J., & San Antonio, L. (2025). Coping strategies during faculty transitions: lessons learned from teaching an introductory happiness, positivity, and wellbeing course, International Journal for Academic Development, https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2025.2460500

Tjasink, M., Carr, C. E., Bassett, P., Soosaipillai, G., Ougrin, D., & Priebe, S. (2025). Art therapy to reduce burnout and mental distress in healthcare professionals in acute hospitals: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ public health, 3(2), e002251. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2024-002251

Torres, K. A., Glaros, C., Henry, M., Reed, K., Moss, M., & Tietbohl, C. (2023). Creative arts intervention to reduce burnout and decrease psychological distress in healthcare professionals: A qualitative analysis. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 83, 102021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2023.102021

Tran, S. H. N., & Fernandes, M. A. (2023). Drawing enhances memory for emotional words. Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology / Revue canadienne de psychologie expérimentale, 77(4), 296–307. https://doi.org/10.1037/cep0000319

Trautwein, K. R. (2024). Burnout among West Virginia art reachers in a post-pandemic world [Masters thesis, West Virginia University]. UV Campus Repository. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12466/

Urpí, C., Basanta, C. & Misaio, M. (2025). Arts and creativity in the fostering of teacher well-being for burnout prevention: A Scoping Review (2010–2023). In G. Jover, M. Y. Eryaman, I. Gogolin, L, & L. Liesel (Eds.) Transforming Educational Research: Realizing Equity and Social Justice Worldwide (pp. 96-116). Taylor & Francis Group.

van der Linden, D., Tops, M., & Bakker, A. B. (2021). Go with the flow: A neuroscientific view on being fully engaged. The European Journal of Neuroscience, 53(4), 947–963. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.15014

Watts, J. & Robertson, N. (2011). Burnout in university teaching staff: A systematic literature review, Educational Research, 53(1), 33-50, https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2011.552235

Weinfeld-Yehoudayan A., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Cohen, M., & Weihs, K. L. (2024). A theoretical model of emotional processing in visual artmaking and art therapy. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 90, 102196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2024.102196.

Welsch, R.L. (1976). Tall-tale postcards: A pictorial history. A.S. Barnes

Williams, P. R. (2018). ONEBird: Integrating mindfulness, self-compassion, and art therapy (ONEBird : intégration de la pleine conscience, de l’autocompassion et de l’art-thérapie). Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 31(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/08322473.2018.1454687

Willoughby, M. (1992). A history of postcards: A pictorial record from the turn of the century to the present day. Studio Editions.

Zhang, B. & Abdullah, A. b. (2024). Creative arts intervention to reduce academic burnout in college students: an Exploration Analysis. American Research Journal of Humanities Social Science, 7(9), 1-9. https://www.arjhss.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/A790109.pdf

Zheng, J. Y. (2024). Art therapy to promote college students’ mental health based on a hierarchical clustering algorithm. The International Journal of Maritime Engineering Special Issue: International Conference of Advance Research and Innovation, 1(1), 713-726. https://doi.org/10.5750/ijme.v1i1.1398