8 Questions on Burnout, Answered.
1. First of all, what is burnout?
Burnout is a relatively new term that describes the emotional, physical and mental exhaustion that results from excessive and prolonged stress.
Emotional: Unstable mood, feelings of sadness, anxiety, numbness, irritability, hopelessness and helplessness. Feeling cynical and resentful of others or work.
Physical: Tiredness, Insomnia, frequent illness or longer recovery time, muscle tension and body aches.
Mental: Difficulty focusing, brain fog, avoidance, assuming negative intent, loosing interest in the things you once enjoyed.
2. What do we mean by excessive and prolonged stress?
We all experience stress, even intense stress, every now and again. Our stress response helps us in the moment to protect ourselves and make sure we are safe. When stress becomes excessive, we mean that it is more than we can realistically handle. This type of stress can be traumatic, or can shake our experience of the world and ourselves. Prolonged stress is defined by an experience of stress where we do not have a chance to feel calm between stressors. Many frontline workers are under prolonged stress, where they must keep going and don’t have a moment to reset. Excessive and prolonged stress are often both present in burnout. Additionally, what is excessive and prolonged to one person may be different for another person. When in doubt, focus on what you notice about your experience, instead of how long or how intense the stressors are.
3. This only applies to work, right?
Often times burnout is associated with work, but work is not the only culprit. Perhaps this association came about because we do spend so much time working. Toxic work environments where overworking and under-appreciation are the norm contribute to why burnout at work is so common. In truth, anyone in a prolonged and/or excessively stressful situation can experience burnout. Chronic stressors like coping with illness, school, providing care for children and older adults, financial stress, complex divorce are just a few examples of contexts that can foster burn out. Systemic injustice also is a chronic stressor, so anyone with a marginalized identity can also be at risk. Bearing the impact of racism, homophobia, fat-phobia or any other —ism is exhausting and sometimes traumatic. The impacts of chronic stress can pile up and compound, making burnout more intense and more challenging to manage.
Burnout is a strong sign from your body that something is not working. It’s very important to listen.
4. What are the warning signs of burnout?
If you are pondering whether you or a loved on is experiencing burnout, I truly want you to trust your gut and do something about it. Often times we unintentionally cause more suffering by waiting for mental health to be “bad enough”. That said, if you can relate or imagine a friend relating to these statements, burnout is likely:
Work or helping others feels endless.
I am never acknowledged for all I do.
I have absolutely no time to relax.
I’m exhausted and drained all the time.
I don’t know what drew me to this role in the first place.
Life feels dull and meaningless.
I have no time for friends or fun.
I feel angry or snap at my loved ones when I don’t mean to.
I’ll never make it out from under this.
5. Can someone be predisposed to burnout?
Yes, some people are at a greater risk for developing burnout than others. Like previously mentioned, individuals with marginalized identities or who are under resourced, (financially, socially, community wise) have the potential to develop burnout more easily than someone who holds privilege in their identity or unique situation. However, not all will develop burnout, and some people have higher tolerance to stress than others, regardless of their background.
There are many other factors in our unique histories, family dynamics and culture which can make burnout more likely. People with high achieving expectations (culturally or self-imposed) can more easily overlook their own needs and boundaries which leads to burnout. People who feel more safe or enjoy life more with a sense of control may carry out actions and ways of thinking and assuming responsibility that can lead to burnout - often to no fault of their own. People with perfectionist tendencies may feel distressed without putting in their best possible effort, despite the stress this can cause, and also predisposes them to burnout.
6. What can happen if I do nothing to help burnout?
It’s important to act when experiencing burnout. The longer we spend avoiding the problem, the larger it can become. The more we push ourselves during a period of burn out, the more likely negative consequences are to happen. Burnout can cause our relationships to suffer and strain, our work to become unmanageable, and everyone does have a breaking point. Unchecked burn out can contribute to more severe distress like substance use disorders and suicidal ideation. It influences all areas of life:
Health- The health impacts of chronic stress are documented widely. Burnout, a form of chronic stress, can increase your susceptibility to illness in the short and long term. Prolonged activation of the parasympathetic nervous system leads to increased stress hormones in the blood, which add wear and tear on our bodies. Increase in headaches and generally feeling unwell are also common.
Wellness- Feeling burnt out is a signal that you are not well. You may be getting by or surviving, but typically burnout indicates that you are not getting what you need from life. Burnout can cause us to loose sight of what makes life worthwhile and meaningful.
Relationships- Feeling burnt out in one area can affect relationships in all areas. Burnout can leave you feeling depleted, not having energy for the people you care about. It’s associated with an increase in criticism and arguing. People struggling with burnout can also start isolating because they feel too exhausted to engage socially.
Work- Burnout is associated with lower work performance, difficulty completing job duties, and low to no job satisfaction.
7. What can you do to prevent and address burnout?
Ask for help
Letting those around you and your loved ones know that you are struggling is a brave and courageous step. Many people experiencing burnout can hide it very well. Do not expect that others can “tell” that you are hurting. To prevent burnout, continually ask yourself what can you delegate or ask for more help on so that you prevent yourself from becoming overloaded in the first place.
Take a break
We all need breaks during stressful times. Build in moments for yourself throughout the day and give your body a chance to regulate. The truth is, we cannot be productive if we are constantly focused on one thing. While it may seem that you’l get more done by powering through, the opposite is true. Some aspects of life are especially draining, so taking time to limit or take breaks from technology, social media, or email is very important. Build relaxation into your schedule and commit to following through, as a prevention measure or to address symptoms of burnout.
Prioritize health
Whether warding off or recovering from burnout, its time to get back to basics: Sleep, Food, Exercise and Fun are vitally important. Focus on these in a way that feels aligned and supportive for you. No juice cleanse or HIIT workout necessary. Just what feels good and nourishing.
Embrace creativity
Doing something creative can connect us back to what feels meaningful and joyful about life. Whether its music, dance, art or writing, embracing creativity can put us in a healing “flow state” that is mentally rejuvenating.
Get out of *that* job
If your job or environment is completely unworkable, it’s important to acknowledge this and to safety find your way out of that situation. All of the self care in the world may not do anything if an environment or situation is perpetually placing you under unmanageable stress. Find the people who can support you in this transition.
8. What is Therapy for Burnout?
Therapy for burnout is an effective way to make meaningful changes. In therapy for burnout, you would examine the path that lead you to burnout in the first place, and along they way learn more about your individual needs that have gone unmet. Therapy at its heart is a caring, warm and nonjudgmental relationship. Your therapist will gently guide you to enact practical changes that will help you recover from burnout. Therapy with me involves developing and strengthening a kind and compassionate inner voice. Often people who experience burn-out tend to focus on others, minimize or devalue their own needs, and put everything before themselves. It may be particularly hard to place value, time and investment in your own wellness ( You may be thinking, “who me?, I don’t have time for that, it’s not that bad” etc...). Therapy for burn out will address the inner beliefs that can lead to further stress and pain which is ultimately unsustainable. We will look at social messaging, family and cultural expectations that contribute to burn-out. We can explore what really matters to you and take steps towards living a life in service of your true values. You will develop healthy boundaries that allow space for your own health and wellbeing.
Interested in connecting? Reach out to me here to get started at ALT.
