THE DREADED BURNOUT –WHAT IT IS, AND HOW YOU CAN PREVENT IT

By Amanda Balcombe –Still Wellness

In 2021 I became part of the Great Resignation, after burning out in a career I had loved for over 17 years.

First came the overwhelming fatigue, insomnia, headaches, nausea and hormonal issues, then out of character behaviour, like bursting into tears during the work day and having trouble making decisions.

I started to feel negative about my work, which was so out of character for me as I really loved my job. I’m known for my positivity.

But experiencing burnout first hand showed me how damaging it can be. Stress, exhaustion, overwhelm and anxiety impact health, relationships and wellbeing.

While I was once an award-winning Financial Planner, I’ve now retrained as a Health and Mental wellness coach.

It became my mission to heal not just myself, but to use my passion for health and connection, to provide a service supporting rural business owners and professionals to find balance, prevent burnout and build sustainable wellbeing. I wanted women (and men) to be able to access a service either face-to-face or online where they could get support and take steps to improve their health and mental wellbeing.

We are in a burnout epidemic

We currently have an alarming epidemic of work-related stress and burnout in Australia. Statistics from the Wellness at Work Report 2022 demonstrated that over 50% of Australian workers are feeling burnt out.

But burnout comes at an immense cost, not just for individual sufferers at increased risk of low wellbeing and associated mental and physical illnesses, but also for businesses.

Research suggests entrepreneurs are more at risk of burnout because they tend to be extremely passionate about work and more socially isolated, have limited safety nets, and operate in high uncertainty.

Unfortunately the rise of digitalisation has also brought the need to ‘always be on’ and this 24/7 culture is blurring the boundaries between work and life. Therefore it is harder to maintain a balance between work lives and personal lives and this 24/7 accessibility is leading to burnout as we are no longer able to switch off at the end of our work day.

What is Burnout?

The World Health Organisation describes Burnout as a syndrome relating to chronic workplace stress not successfully managed. It is positioned as a workplace phenomenon and not a medical condition.

Burnout consists of 3 main components:

• Feelings of energy depletion and exhaustion.

• Negative feelings, cynicism and a desire to distance oneself from work.

• A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.

It is a common misconception that burnout is simply working too long, or too hard. However, burnout creeps up on you, and builds gradually over a long period of time after exposure to prolonged and chronic stress.

Burnout is very real and the negative effects of burnout in business include:

• Decreased productivity

• Increased physical and mental ill health

• Increased errors and accidents in the workplace.

Causes of Burnout

Some of the factors contributing to work burnout include:

• excessive workload and working long hours

• feeling like you have little or no control over your work

• lack of social support

• a conflict of values between yourself and your work

• unrealistic or demanding job expectations.

Burnout doesn’t just happen at work

Burnout isn’t purely a work issue. Other factors like lifestyle and personality traits can also contribute to burnout, like feeling you have little balance between your work and personal life as well as not prioritising selfcare.

Recent research has also highlighted certain personality traits such as perfectionists, people pleasers and high achievers often experience high levels of stress. Based on their behaviours and personalities these people tend to be more prone to burnout.

As a coach I work with my clients to help them understand their behaviours, beliefs and patterns that at times may not be helpful. Once they have this awareness, they can make changes to support their wellbeing, rather than sabotaging it and heading down the path to burnout.

Checklist of signs and symptoms

Burnout can result in mental, physical and cognitive symptoms and if left unaddressed can make it challenging to function and thrive in daily life.

Signs and symptoms to look out for:

• exhaustion

• having a negative or critical attitude at work

• disengagement or apathy

• lack of motivation or passion in work/life

• physical symptoms – headaches, nausea, aches, digestive issues, low libido

• withdrawing from others

• cognitive issues – concentration, memory problems, brain fog, difficulty planning and/or making decisions

• anxiety and feeling overwhelmed

• depression, low mood, lowered self worth

• irritability, anger or feeling emotional

• sleep disturbance.

If burnout is not addressed, it can result in a variety of health problems and every person’s experience can vary.

When I was experiencing burnout symptoms, I started to wonder what was wrong with me as I am usually very resilient.

I kept pushing through until one morning I realised I just couldn’t do it anymore.

At that point I knew I had to prioritise my health. I resigned from my job and spent the next six months recovering and getting my health back on track.

I also understand taking six months out of the workforce is not always viable. This is why I’m so passionate about helping people recognise burnout and understand the causes. That way they can prevent it or recognise the signs of burnout early, so they can take the necessary steps to get help.

Tips to prevent burnout and build sustainable wellbeing

Based on my own experience and the research, the following actions and tools will help you build sustainable wellbeing and prevent burnout and can easily be included into your day.

Press Pause

Slowing down and pausing has never been so important especially with our 24/7 accessibility and busy lives. Pausing allows our bodies to build in much needed rest and recovery time from our stressors so we can recharge and replenish.

Two ways we can pause in our daily lives are:

• Breath is incredibly powerful as it hacks into your nervous system and transforms you into a state of calm. Try taking 10-20 slow deep belly breaths a couple of times a day, deep breathing essentially turns off the stress response.

• Mindfulness is about striving to be present and focused on the here and now. When we are fully present in the moment we get to experience more joy in our lives. A mindfulness technique is the 5 senses that can be used when you are feeling stressed or when you need to pause. Try taking in your surroundings using all 5 senses, what can you see, hear, feel, touch and taste, this helps you to get out of your head and grounds you in the present moment.

Unplug

Let's consider digital habits because numerous studies show consuming too much technology is contributing to burnout, increased stress, ill health and it is also impacting our relationships. Setting rules and boundaries with our technology ensures we make time to disconnect during our day. This might mean not looking at your phone for the first hour of the day and instead exercising or spending time connecting with your partner.

Choose something that makes you feel good, recharges you and sets you up for the day. Or it might look like no devices at the dinner table so you can be fully present and enjoy family time. I invite you to think about where the opportunities are in your day to unplug?

Support

The relationships we cultivate can have a profound impact on our wellbeing. Good relationships are associated with better health and mental health. Our relationships can support us through stressful and challenging times and remember one of the contributors to burnout can be a lack of support.

Make time to cultivate your relationships and be intentional about who you spend your time with because having close social ties is protective for our health.

Look After Your Energy

The basic lifestyle foundations like eating healthy food, moving every day and getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night are fundamental to our wellbeing. When we are able to focus on doing the basics at least 80% of the time (we are not looking for perfection), this provides a powerful buffer against stress and burnout.

It also helps you to sustain your wellbeing throughout the year by increasing your energy levels, boosting brain function and improving mood and mental health.

Set Boundaries

An inability to say NO to others can be one of the contributors to burnout and increased stress. Putting in place healthy boundaries can be uncomfortable at first, however if we don’t establish healthy boundaries with ourselves and others this will increase stress and overwhelm. Boundaries allow you to have a better balance around work, life and self which is more sustainable.

A tip to help with boundaries is to not say yes to a request straight away, give yourself space before you respond to really think about whether you have the capacity or time to do the task. Once you have evaluated where you're at, you can decide if you say yes or a polite no. Remember it is ok to prioritise your health and self-care as not only does this benefit you but it has a ripple effect on the people around you.

Practice Gratitude

When you are feeling stressed, it is easy to focus all your attention on the negatives. Practising gratitude and focusing on the good things in your life can give your mind a break from stress, anxiety and overwhelm and help boost your mood and shift your perspective. Essentially where you focus your attention grows, so hunt for the good in your day, focus on what went well and practice gratitude.

KEEP