There could have been no better situation to highlight the importance of self-care than in the past year. With the pandemic putting unprecedented stress levels on people worldwide, it's more crucial than ever to be aware of the signs of burnout.
Burnout is a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged or chronic stress. It occurs when someone feels overwhelmed, hopeless, and unable to meet their life's or work's demands.
Burnout is different from everyday stress. Normal stress is a response to a specific event or situation, such as a deadline at work or an upcoming exam. It is usually short-lived and resolves itself once the event has passed. On the other hand, burnout is a long-term condition that does not go away. It can be triggered by multiple factors and have lasting effects on your health and well-being.
There are three main symptoms of burnout:
Physical exhaustion: This is the most common symptom of burnout. If you're struggling with physical fatigue, you may always feel tired, even if you've had a good night's sleep. You may also have trouble sleeping, or you may wake up feeling exhausted. Other physical symptoms include headaches, muscle pain, and gastrointestinal problems.
Emotional exhaustion: Emotional exhaustion is characterized by hopelessness, cynicism, and isolation. If you're struggling with emotional exhaustion, you may feel like you're not cut out for your job or that your work is never-ending. You may also feel like you're carrying the world's weight on your shoulders.
Mental exhaustion: Mental exhaustion is characterized by difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and remembering things. If you're struggling with mental exhaustion, you may feel like your mind is constantly racing or that you're in a fog. You may also find completing simple tasks or following through on projects difficult.
Let's take a real-life example to illustrate the difference between normal stress and burnout. Imagine you're a doctor who is about to start your shift. You know that you're going to be busy, as several patients on the ward need your attention. This is a normal stressor, and your body responds accordingly by releasing adrenaline and cortisol, which help you to focus and work more efficiently. Once your shift is over, your stress levels return to normal.
Imagine that you've been working long hours for weeks or even months. You're constantly tired, but you can't seem to catch up. Your patience is wearing thin, and you feel like you're just going through the motions. This is burnout. The stress of your job has become chronic, and it is taking a toll on your physical, mental, and emotional health.
Burnout has been linked to several health problems, including heart disease, obesity, anxiety, and depression. Burnout can also lead to absenteeism from work, as well as poorer job performance. In severe cases, burnout can even lead to suicide.
Anyone who has ever worked in a high-pressure environment knows the feeling of burnout. It's that point when you can't muster the energy or motivation to keep going. And it's not just a lack of self-care that leads to burnout. In fact, it's much more complex than that. To address burnout, you must look at all three factors: self, team, and system wellness.
For an individual, burnout can be caused by several factors, including physical or emotional exhaustion, a sense of disconnection from your work, or feeling undervalued or unrecognized. To address burnout individually, it's essential to focus on self-care. This means taking time for yourself outside of work, whether getting enough sleep, exercising regularly or simply taking a few minutes each day to relax and de-stress. It also means setting boundaries with your work, such as not checking email after hours or saying no to additional assignments when you're already overloaded.
But burnout isn't just an individual problem. Factors within a team or organization can also cause it. For example, if there's a lot of conflict within a team or department, or if there's a lack of clarity about roles and responsibilities, that can lead to frustration and resentment. To address team-level burnout, it's essential to create an environment where team members feel supported and appreciated. This means fostering open communication, encouraging collaboration, and providing opportunities for professional development.
While at an individual level, there are many things that professionals can do to combat burnout, it is also essential to consider the role of organizations in protecting against burnout. Organizations can foster resilience in their employees by creating a positive work environment and culture, investing in employee well-being, and providing support during stress.
There are many ways in which organizations can promote employee resilience. Some examples include:
Creating a positive work environment and culture:
A positive work environment values employee well-being and supports employees in maintaining a healthy balance between work and life. To create such an environment, organizations should provide clear expectations and guidelines around work hours and workloads, offer flexible work arrangements, encourage open communication, and provide opportunities for professional development.
Investing in employee well-being:
Employee well-being should be a priority for organizations striving to create a positive work environment. There are many ways in which organizations can invest in employee well-being, including offering wellness programs, providing access to mental health resources, and offering stress management training.
Providing support during stress:
Organizational support is essential, such as when an employee is coping with a personal crisis or dealing with a difficult work situation. Organizations can provide support by offering confidential counseling services, establishing an employee assistance program, and having a clear policy on leaves of absence.
Finally, burnout can also be caused by systemic problems within an organization. For example, suppose there's too much bureaucracy or red tape. In that case, if there's too much bureaucracy or red tape, resources are scarce, or employees are expected to work long hours without adequate compensation, that can lead to a feeling of powerlessness and frustration. To address systemic burnout, organizations must closely examine their policies and procedures and ensure they're promoting wellness rather than exacerbating stress. This might mean instituting flexible work arrangements, offering employee assistance programs, or reevaluating job descriptions and workloads.
Burnout is a complex problem that requires a multi-faceted solution. Focusing on self-care, team support, and organizational change can create healthy and sustainable workplaces for everyone involved.
When organizational culture, policies, and practices promote resilience, employees are more likely to have the necessary resources and support to prevent and manage burnout.