Reflections on burnout

Submitted by a member who has suffered with burnout and prefers to remain anonymous

Reflections on burnout Reflections on burnoutOne may ask what is burnout?

To my mind it means an extreme form of stress due to negative work / life balance.

The World Health Organisation says it is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

Some of the symptoms are:

• Demotivation and detachment from work • Depleted energy levels • Detachment in personal relationships • Lower productivity • Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion

In my experience causes of burnout included:

• Toxic work environment • No control over work (workload) • Lifestyle - taking on too many responsibilities • Not feeling valued at work • Perceived lack of support & help

Reflections on burnout Reflections on burnout

And all of this before we even consider issues such as moving house, finding a parking space or going shopping with a partner!

I am a big fan of Mayo Angelou’s words as follows:

We have all had negative lived experiences from time to time and my suggestion is to use these as a tool to help with your personal resilience and empathy as a leader.

,,People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel. ,,

Covid 19 has tested my personal resilience but I do think that I am now better at ‘walking in the shoes’ of the people I lead, enabling me to make better decisions that benefit the team. Empathy is a terrific behaviour to harness and, I believe, by doing so I have created a happier, more positive environment for my staff which increases morale and wellbeing for all.

I’ve created an ABC model for myself which I would like to share with you:

AAction and accountability - take responsibility for your health and take action to preserve and nurture it. BC Bold and balance - Be bold by challenging yourself to do something you have never done. Balance your work and life. Courage and commitment - Having the courage to sit with yourself. Commit to your passion and what will make you happy.