Welcome to February!
How is the year going so far? How are you feeling? Are you motivated and energised for the year, or are you already feeling like you need another holiday?
If you answered the latter, this article may be exactly what you need right now. The term ‘burnout’ was coined as such by Psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in the 1970’s to reflect the “state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress” (Psychology Today).
It was a tactical move that we scheduled this blog for early Feb! You’ve had enough time to get back into the swing of work and get a feel for the year to come… And it’s still early enough in the year that you can stage an intervention before it’s too late.
Let’s have a chat about preventing burnout in 2022.
A few quick screening questions…
Have you experienced any of the following symptoms?
- Feeling like you have to drag yourself to work, and having trouble getting started once you get there?
- A lack of energy and lack of productivity?
- Difficulty concentrating?
- Excess irritation or frustration with colleagues or clients?
- A lack of satisfaction from your achievements?
- Feeling like a failure?
- Feeling overwhelmed or unable to cope with the pressures of the job?
- Feeling helpless?
- A drop in confidence or lack of self-efficacy?
Other symptoms can include changes in sleep habits (such as insomnia, restlessness, or excess sleeping), a change in appetite, unexplained aches or pains, headaches, or stomach discomfort. Some people also find themselves excessively relying on food, alcohol, or drugs as a coping mechanism.
What Causes Burnout?
While prolonged stress or problems at work tend to be the most common culprits, it can also occur due to stress caused by parenting, caretaking, or challenging personal relationships. Really, it can be anything that is causing ongoing stress or pressure – where the physical, mental or emotional demand exceeds the available capacity.
It is common in certain professions, such as healthcare, emergency services and law enforcement. These ‘helping professions’ can be emotionally draining work, particularly in situations where the individual is unable to fully control the outcome of a stressful event.
The following factors can also contribute to burnout;
- Working long hours or having a heavy workload
- Having high pressure to perform
- Negative workplace environments
- Unclear boundaries or expectations
- Perfectionist tendencies or difficulty managing work/life boundaries (Type A personalities and workaholics beware!)
- Interestingly enough, roles where you are consistently bored can also increase the risk of burnout!
While chronic stress is typically indicated by an overactive nervous system (i.e. trouble switching off, a busy mind, elevated heart rate, feeling anxious), burnout sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. Disengagement, detachment, feeling beyond caring.
Stress is… “if I could just get XYZ done, then I would be able to relax”.
Burnout is… “I’ve got nothing left to give anymore”.
Are any of these symptoms or risk factors sounding familiar to you?
The first step is identifying it! Whether you are already headed towards burnout, or just at risk of it in the nature of your work, it’s worth taking steps to prevent it from worsening. Burnout can be a trigger for more severe mental health or fatigue conditions developing – we see it often with our clients!
So what to do about it?
Those ‘lifestyle choices’ that we harp on about really are important.
- Are you getting enough sleep? (Turn off that technology 30-60 minutes before bed and you’ll drift off to sleep muuuch easier!)
- Are you filling your body with food that nourishes you? (Yes – that means more fruit and veges, less takeaways, alcohol and packaged goods)
- Do you move your body enough? (Some would call this exercise… But it can be as simple as gardening, going for a walk or simply avoiding those long periods of sitting – Sorry Netflix lovers!)
- Are you maintaining a proper work/life balance? (We know, easier said than done sometimes!)
- Do you give yourself enough time to recharge the batteries? (This depends on what activities YOU find most restorative – coffee with a friend, time in nature, art, music, journaling, or a hot bath are all great ways in our books!)
- Do you have enough social support around you? (Now’s the time to reach out to those friends you haven’t seen in a while!)
And of course, we encourage you to speak with your manager or supervisor to discuss whether there are ways that you could manage your workload differently or shuffle some tasks around the team to relieve the pressure.
It can be hard to make changes while you’re in the thick of a stressful or emotional situation, but remember – you need to keep your own bucket full before you can fill other people’s buckets. So since we are only in February, now is the time to make sure that bucket stays topped up.
What is one thing you can try this month to support yourself through 2022?
Author: Yolanda van Vugt Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Content Creator at Specialised Health
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