Originally posted 11/2/2020
Welcome to another Mental Health Monday! Today’s topic is burnout. I have been doing quite a bit of studying and learning about burnout over the last few months as I am studying positive leadership. I have been dealing with some things in my work life that have caused me to question my leadership methods and skills, and I always believe that learning more can lead to finding solutions. However, in my moments of doubt over who I am as a leader and whether I am effective with those I lead, I have also found myself focused on ways to keep myself from burning out in a job that I love. I truly do love my job, but it is not easy. Working in middle management, I am a person who manages people, who manage people, who manage people, who care for people…my job is not simple. There are a lot of layers, which bring levels of communication, understanding (or misunderstanding!), and direction that can and often are fueled by layers of emotion. As I sit here writing on Sunday night, I am experiencing the feeling that I know is not unique—I feel the tension rising as I start thinking through and preparing for my work week. Again, I love my job, and I love learning about mental health and wellbeing—but I am not immune.
As I have been studying a bit about burnout, there have been several key features that I have come across. I have read articles in Psychology Today, read information from the Mayo Clinic, and am in the process of working through an amazing book entitled Burnout. The common features include physical and mental exhaustion, increased irritability/anger/frustration, and decreased compassion for those impacted by our work. These things are often caused by ongoing stress that doesn’t seem to have a resolution. Based on our current societal climate, this can describe just about anyone. However, those in jobs that require personal interaction, caring and compassion for others seem to be the hardest hit—or at least the most talked about among the current literature. This doesn’t have to just be in the professional/occupational fields—it also includes caregiving for family members, parenting, and relationships. We can experience burnout with those we love at times, just like we can experience burnout in jobs we love.
How do we combat burnout?
The first step is taking the time to recognize and acknowledge it. Once we recognize and acknowledge the feelings that could be indicators of burnout, it is important that we address them so we don’t get stuck in that pattern. The feelings of exhaustion, frustration, and decreased compassion can often lead to feeling guilty (how can I feel this way about someone/something I love?), which can make things even more complicated and can give us more to process.
As we process these feelings, we can then evaluate if there are any stressors that can be eliminated or decreased so we can focus on other things. Have we taken on a role that isn’t ours or could be delegated to someone else? Is there someone who isn’t doing their part that is putting more on us? Are there things we said yes to that aren’t a good fit with the rest of our role? We aren’t always able to diminish our stressors, but it is worth the time to evaluate to see if there is anything that could be adjusted or changed.
After we evaluate and eliminate unnecessary stressors, we can begin to process the stress itself. It is important to look at our coping skills, the things that refresh us, and the time management and margin in our lives to process our stress. This can take many different forms, such as: exercise, nutrition, deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, and engaging in our hobbies. We want to be sure that we don’t try to decrease stress by avoiding or diminishing it. Emotional eating, substance use, and engaging in unhealthy relationships are things that we might try, but ultimately this will cause more stress than it reduces.
Another key factor in combatting burnout is talking with others. Sometimes speaking our feelings out loud to another person can go a long way toward decreasing that stress. We need to be cautious with this—we don’t want to vent to the wrong person in our workplace or circle. The goal of these conversations is to decrease our stress, but we don’t want to increase the stress of others or create an unhealthy or difficult work or relationship environment. Handled well, it can be encouraging to others to hear that you are feeling what they might be feeling, building community and adding to the brainstorming power on how to address the stressors.
Burnout is becoming more and more prevalent in our society as we all push to accomplish more while also facing the uncertainties and unrest of our current culture. By calling it what it is and working to focus on what we are able to change, we can be healthier people and improve our work and home lives.
Thanks for reading! 😊 EW