Coping with burnout

We all get overwhelmed by our responsibilities from time to time, but how can we avoid it becoming a long-term burnout?

Ifind that balancing my priorities is more of a struggle at this time of year than any other. Following Operation Transformation, I get a lot of requests for one-to-one sessions, which I say no to, as I need to manage my own stress levels, while continuing to saying yes to school, work and community commitments. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

Erodes the soul

Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life, including home, work and social life.

Prone to burnout

My experience is that those who care, I mean really care and are committed to looking after others, are prone to burnout. Often you see it in mothers, carers, teachers, nurses and health workers. I am interested in this area and will be speaking on ‘Self-care & Resilience’ at the Social Care Conference March 27th in Limerick (socialcareireland.ie).

The difference between stress & burnout

Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn’t the same as too much stress.

Stress, by and large, involves too many pressures that demand too much of you physically and mentally. However, stressed people can still imagine that if they can just get everything under control, they’ll feel better.

Burnout, on the other hand, is about feeling empty and mentally exhausted, devoid of motivation, and beyond caring. People experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. If excessive stress feels like you’re drowning in responsibilities, burnout is a sense of being all dried up. And while you’re usually aware of being under a lot of stress, you don’t always notice burnout when it happens.

Signs & symptoms of burnout

Burnout is a gradual process. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it can creep up on us. Think of the early symptoms as red flags that something is wrong that needs to be addressed. If you pay attention and actively reduce your stress, you can prevent a major breakdown. If you ignore them, they may eventually lead to burnout.

Physical signs & symptoms of burnout

• Feeling exhausted, tired and drained most of the time

• Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses

• Frequent headaches or muscle pain

• Change in appetite or sleep habits

Emotional signs & symptoms of burnout

• Detachment, numbness, feeling alone in the world

• Sense of failure and self-doubt

• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated  Loss of motivation

• Increasingly cynical and negative outlook

• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment

Behavioural signs & symptoms of burnout

• Withdrawing from responsibilities

• Isolating yourself from others

• Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done

 Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope

• Taking out your frustrations on others

• Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early

Preventing burnout – the ‘Three Rs’ approach:

Recognise – Watch for the warning signs of burnout and stress and engage in self-care. Recognition is the first act in preventing stress. Figure out how stress and burnout is impacting on you and develop your own self-care strategies. Self-care is not selfish. It’s something we need to do to protect ourselves. Sometimes when it comes to self-care we need to be assertive as others might not like us taking back control over our wellbeing. Set boundaries and say no.

Reverse – Undo the damage by seeking support and managing stress. Social connection is nature’s antidote to stress and talking face to face with a good listener is one of the fastest ways to calm your nervous system and relieve stress. The person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to ‘fix’ your stressors; they just have to be a good listener, someone who’ll listen attentively without becoming distracted or expressing judgment. Reach out to those closest to you, such as your partner, family, and friends, unless they are toxic. Limit your contact with negative and toxic people. Hanging out with negative-minded people who do nothing but complain will only drag down your mood and outlook. If you have to work with a negative person, try to limit the amount of time you spend together.

Resilience – Build your resilience to stress. This starts with sleep, rest, nutrition and exercise. Exercise is my go-to but also the first thing that gets hit when I am stressed! Burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Are you neglecting something that is truly important to you? This can be an opportunity to rediscover what really makes you happy and to slow down and give yourself time to rest, reflect, and heal.