What to do when you feel at risk of burnout
At the moment there are a number of factors that come together to challenge our wellbeing; the recent Delta outbreak, colds and allergies around to hit us physically, and the logistics of managing work and home life with COVID restrictions in place. In our work context, this coincides with heavy workloads and tight deadlines as scale up delivery and prepare for the next phase of work. We have a number of teams and individuals who have literally been burning the midnight oil. Humans are amazingly resilient and when we are ‘in the zone’ we can be both working long and hard and feeling purposeful and energised. Working in a context that stretches and stresses us can make us feel at the top of our game, at our most efficient, effective and capable. It can be experienced positively as growth, development and accomplishment. However, this set of circumstances can also make people vulnerable to exhaustion and even burnout, as their resources become depleted over time. It is really important for you to be keeping an eye on your own wellbeing (and the wellbeing of those you work with). Some of the signs and symptoms of burnout include: • • • • • • •
Exhaustion – the kind that isn’t fixed by a good night of sleep Mental distancing – cynicism, disengagement Emotional dysregulation – emotions are just under the surface, so there is more irritability, frustration or tearfulness than usual Cognitive impairments – reduced concentration and attention, memory Depressed mood – tearful, sad, flat – lacking their usual spark or sense of fun Psychological distress – anxious, angry, upset Psychosomatic complaints – changes in eating, sleeping patterns, headaches/migraines, pain
If you are seeing these signs in anyone you work with or recognise them in yourself – then there are some things you can do that will make a difference. There are 4 steps you can work through to help reduce the risk that fatigue or exhaustion tips over into burn out. These will not be a magic answer to that fatigue or exhaustion, but they can help reduce the sense of being out of control that increases vulnerability to burnout, while helping to identify some practical actions. 1. Ask. Talk to someone you trust to check your perceptions. This is also the best way to start to identify what is contributing to your experience. Don’t stop at the first layer, as while volume of work is likely to be the first thing that comes to mind and is definitely an important part of the picture, it is almost never the only factor impacting on how you are feeling about your work and life. As part of this conversation, find out what supports are available. 2. Identify. Once you have identified the different elements that are impacting your experience, you can start to tease out the system factors, the relationship factors and the task related factors that might be important.