Burnout - a Curse or a second Chance?

I remember the first time I met someone who openly admitted to suffer from burnout. That was many years ago when I’ve worked as a HR and L&D intern for a major bank in Europe. After being away from work for a while, she returned to work for a few days a week to transition into a new (“less stressful”) role. She has stepped down from all leadership positions and took a break after she recognised that she suffered from “burnout” and her mental and physical health took a toll (note, back then the official medical diagnosis was depression). I remember how wonderful, caring, smart, capable and intelligent she was but she seemed to have lost her confidence and did not see what I saw. She was that kind of person people are drawn to as she had this beautiful personality and that inspiring and positive energy. She believed that she has changed for good and could never be as “good at her job and at life” as she has been before - she didn’t see the beautiful light she was radiating. She also reported that burnout meant to her that everything is burned to the ground and has destroyed her for good; and that she would need to try to manage the little resources she had left. That mindset is a very sad and depressing outlook for people who suffer from burnout…

What is burnout?

The term burnout was coined by Freudenberger who defined burnout to be a "state of mental and physical exhaustion caused by one's professional life". [1] Only recently, burnout has been included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an “occupational phenomenon” with the following definition:

“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

  • feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

  • increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and

  • reduced professional efficacy.

Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.” [2]

** Note from author: Burnout is not a medical diagnosis. This also means that burnout is technically not covered by the health system. Therefore, often people meeting the burnout criteria may be given a different medical diagnosis, such as, depression (fitting some of the criteria) which then determines the “treatment”. **

Burnout - a curse or a second chance?

You may have experienced burnout yourself or know someone who experienced burnout. I believe we can all agree that burnout is real and can be severe condition that impacts all parts of life - and not just work.

Burnout has different faces and may vary from person to person in regards to source, symptoms and behaviours associated with burnout. However, people who experience burnout report the same feeling of overwhelming exhaustion and loss of joy and the increased feeling of helplessness which seems to be very similar to clinical depression (see also Burnout or Depression?). It is a very dire situation but not hopeless. Burnout is not a one way street where there is no hope for return.

Prevention - culture and mindset

As always, preventing is better than cure. This can be achieved by creating an environment where we openly talk about the importance of mental and physical wellbeing and setting boundaries. This is especially important for ambitious graduates who are early in their careers; for well known high risk professions - i.e. working in the (health)care industry (i.e. doctors, nurses, social workers, carers) or in education (teachers); as well as for high achievers with perfectionism as their signature trait. All these groups are prone to mental and physical exhaustion as they push themselves to the limits to serve the community, to fast track their careers and/or to fulfil the often self-set and unrealistic high standard. Mentoring and resilience programs at work can help employees, including these high risk groups to:

  • develop a healthy attitude towards work;

  • set realistic personal expectations in regards to work;

  • develop and establish a resilient mindset and resilience strategies;

  • get timely guidance and needed support.

As part of prevention, organisations should work towards and embrace a resilience culture where vulnerability and recognising limits are viewed as a personal strength and where employees are supported to practice their mental well-being strategies (e.g. flexible work arrangements, mindfulness breaks, gym access, access to Employee Assistance Programs etc.). Resilience culture also means having role models and resilience advocates, especially in leadership positions, who embrace and live resilience and mental well-being.

Recognition and Acknowledgment

The most important step is to recognise and acknowledge the alarm bells and warning signs as early as possible. This is often easier said than done. Often when we experience chronic or extreme forms of stress, we are unable to see this in the moment as we tend to run on auto-pilot under pressure. Strategies to enable us to become more aware of what is happening may include practising mindfulness and/or regular reflection (e.g. using Wheel of Life as a Reflection Tool).

Making The turn And Getting on the path of healiNg

Once you are aware of your state, make the decision to make a “turn” and start the path of healing. The path of healing is different for everyone and may include:

  • Working with a qualified psychologist, qualified health professional and/or (resilience or well-being) coach;

  • Making significant life style changes which may include removing the stressors;

  • Creating new and healthy habits;

  • Setting boundaries and sticking to them;

  • Doing some “mind(set) work”;

  • Working on personal belief system (which includes uncovering unhealthy beliefs and replacing them);

  • Tapping into your social support network for help and support;

  • Practising self-compassion and kindness towards yourself (e.g. as part of mindfulness practice);

  • Learning and applying lasting self care strategies and practices for eliminating and managing stressors.

Final words

Burnout is not a never-ending curse - even though it may feel like it at one stage. The first step is to recognise (potential) burnout (the earlier, the better). Once you are aware seek and use help in order to make major lasting changes in your life. Burnout is a wake-up call and may give you a second chance to live a fulfilled, meaningful and mindful life.

References

[1] Fontes, Flávio. (2020). Herbert J. Freudenberger and the making of burnout as a psychopathological syndrome. 37. 1-19. 10.35699/1676-1669.2020.19144.

[2] https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases

Related Blogs

If you like this article you might also like…

Nadja Conaghan