We’ve all likely heard both sides of the argument. Many people just think burnout is one of those new millennial terms created by a younger generation and reflects the lack of work ethic our parents and grandparents had. Experts would argue that burnout has always been around, and we just didn’t have a name for it yet.
So, which is it? If we recognize the symptoms, will we realize it was always there? Let’s explore.
Recognizing Burnout
“You just need a few hours’ sleep.”
“You’re lazy.”
“There’s no such thing as burnout.”
“I can go a little while longer.”
“I can last on a little bit of sleep.”
We have all heard those little voices, even when we weren’t aware of them. When we are aware of them, they get dismissed maybe by ourselves or maybe by someone else. We’ve all had reasons to ignore them. What we don’t realize is that the more we ignore burnout, the worse it gets.
When people think of burnout they think of the mildest symptoms for it. A little fatigue, some mental exhaustion, something that can easily go away with a long weekend. What people don’t think about is the long-term effects and sadly a lot of people don’t until they’re dealing with them. They mistake burnout for stress. What people don’t know is that burnout can cause serious health issues and mirror symptoms of depression.
Psychology Today says:
“Burnout is an extended period of stress that feels as though it cannot be ameliorated. If stress is short-lived or tied to a specific goal, it is most likely not harmful. If the stress feels never-ending and comes with feelings of emptiness, apathy, and hopelessness, it may be indicative of burnout.”
We do hour-long commutes in traffic, yelling at traffic just to go to a job where our boss yells at us for eight hours then we get into a car for an hour again. Sounds like this is the kind of thing we were dealing with long before the term burnout was created. It takes its toll, so why are we treating it like it's no big deal? Is it a cultural thing or maybe generations of 'pursuing the American dream' teaching us that we have to keep our nose to the grindstone until we're in our sixties and can't work anymore?
How Do We Handle Burnout
We can’t take care of others until we take care of ourselves. We can’t do our best at work when we don’t feel our best. We can say that to friends and strangers easily but can’t seem to see it when we do it to ourselves. So how do we stop ourselves from experiencing too much burnout?
The best thing you can do, though it may sound cliché, is acknowledge that you're burnt out. After that, it's usually recommended to practice self-care. I realize I'm burning myself out when I can't keep my thoughts in check. I can't focus on getting one thing accomplished because I have too much I need to get done. Once I have reached that point, I have to take a step back and do some re-assessment.
I tackle burnout in this order:
1. Acknowledge the burnout.
2. Take a mental step back and take a deep breath, this stops the racing thoughts.
3. Ask myself what's causing this burnout, is it something I'm doing by taking on too much, or are outside forces causing my burnout?
4. Make a list of what is going on and how I can tackle it one at a time (it’s usually not as bad when it’s on paper)
5. Take some me time (walks are the best thing ever) and then implement each task one step at a time.
Apps To Prevent Burnout
There are also a lot of great apps out there. Kickoff, Noom, and Peloton are great for exercising to relieve stress. Calm, Headspace, or Insight Timer (my personal favorite) are great for meditation. Sometimes just journaling or taking a bubble bath can make a difference. I enjoy going for walks, kickboxing is also fun because you can imagine the person causing you stress when you do it.
Life happens, burnout happens, and pretending or thinking it's not there doesn't make it go away. Let's acknowledge it so we can overcome it, we overcome things best by starting to love ourselves. We can be there for the ones we love and perform our best at work for that promotion we want when we put ourselves first sometimes. Putting yourself first doesn’t have to cost us the respect of the people around us, I’d dare say the opposite! Showing how much, we care for ourselves shows others how we can care for them. Loving ourselves has always been one of the most important things, even when we don’t think it is.
