What is burnout?
Photo by Rebecca Campbell on Unsplash
If you’re out there Googling, “What is burnout?” (or clicking on an article called “What is Burnout” wherever you found this), chances are that you’re feeling some burnout symptoms already. That’s okay and totally normal! Pandemic burnout is so widespread that some even argue that it’s created a whole new kind of burnout, so you’re definitely not alone. So, what is burnout, anyway?
According to The WHO, burnout is a syndrome (not a disease, though it certainly has physical impacts) that results from mismanaged chronic stress at work. The WHO limits the definition to refer to the effects of chronic stress in the workplace, although lots of folks extend the definition to other arenas.
This means there are really two components to burnout: how intense/ long-lasting the stress is that you’re experiencing, and how well you’re managing that stress. So, you can be incredible at managing stress, but if you’re just experiencing too much stress, you can still experience burnout. On the flip side, you can be experiencing just minimal stress at work, and if you’re not managing it well, you can also experience burnout.
Burnout Symptoms
Burnout symptoms include but aren’t limited to:
Fatigue: feeling tired and lethargic, and feeling like you can do less in a day than you used to.
Cynicism: feeling more negative than positive about your job– finding yourself complaining a lot about your job is a good sign that you might be approaching or experiencing burnout.
Detachment: feeling disconnected from your job. This can come about in surprising ways; you may notice that you feel less invested in the success of various projects, or you may find yourself gossiping or making fun of elements of your job excessively. Detachment is a strategy we may subconsciously use to create distance between us and our jobs, which we may do in order to protect ourselves from feeling harm. When we’re feeling great about our jobs and emotionally safe in the workplace, we don’t usually feel the need to be as emotionally detached from them.
Escapism: looking for ways to escape the drudgery of work, often through means that are not actually fulfilling. This can often be a gateway to addictive behaviors, such as gambling, irresponsible sexual behavior, technology overuse, drinking, and drug use.
Being less effective at work: this is the main sign that is external as opposed to internal, which can be helpful for folks who have trouble identifying their feelings, or who are so burned out that they are having trouble evaluating their feelings. If you’re less productive than you have been in the past, this can definitely be a burnout symptom.
If you want some other examples of burnout symptoms, you can check those out here.
And if you recognized yourself in those burnout symptoms, don’t sweat– it’s reversible! But while you probably have come across at least a few articles defining burnout and discussing burnout signs and symptoms, the literature on how to fix burnout is often a lot more vague and hand-wavey (with some notable exceptions). So, we’ve come up with some concrete steps to take to help you un-burn-out.
Photo by Michael Goodman
How to fix burnout
Find and address the underlying source of your burnout: You can do all the yoga and meditation in the world, but it’s not going to help you if you continue to shoulder too much stress at work. So set boundaries as needed (we have a guide to help you out with that here) and if you have the financial security to consider switching jobs, you may want to earnestly consider moving to a more supportive and less stressful work environment.
Be deliberate about your coping strategies: Even though stress is an inevitable part of life, most of us aren’t ever taught actual strategies for coping with stress. So, take some time to come up with some strategies that work for you– we even have a guide that can help with that.
Get interpersonal support: Burnout often leads to social isolation. And even if you’re lucky to avoid that particular side effect of burnout, chances are, you’re not getting the emotional support from others that could actually sustain you. So, don’t be afraid to look into therapists, dial a support hotline (no, you don’t have to be suicidal or even in any sort of crisis in order to call, and those calls are always enthusiastically welcomed), open up to a friend, or attend a Skip the Small Talk.
Beef up your self-care: When you’re burned out, it’s likely to be more difficult to get in touch with and fulfill your physical and emotional needs. So, really go out of your way to make sure you’re eating and sleeping regularly, doing things you enjoy (and don’t be surprised if things you used to enjoy don’t feel exactly as fun as they used to– that’s okay, and as long as they’re still somewhat enjoyable to you, they’re likely still worth doing), and interacting with humans in a way that feels good to you. Your self-care may look different from anyone else’s, but do what you need to in order to create solid, healthy habits that contribute to your well-being.
Be compassionate with yourself: A lot of us have a tendency to be mean to ourselves when we feel overwhelmed. When you notice yourself being hard on yourself (this can entail saying anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to a friend or respected colleague), gently move yourself in the direction of self-compassion. Want some more guidance on that? We got you.
These can all apply just as well to pandemic burnout as they do to work burnout, caregiver burnout, and just about any other kind of burnout, so feel free to use the above strategies for any kind of burnout you’re feeling. And while you’re at it, please remember that just like with any habit, it can take a while to build these skills into your everyday life, and even when you do, it can take some time for the benefits to follow. But if you steadily keep at it (even if you’re not doing them all perfectly!) you’re likely to feel refreshed at work again soon.
Have any other burnout-fighting tips that we missed? Let us know!