Today I met with my client who has been juggling two fulltime senior roles for the last twelve months. When the re-structure occurred, he was promised more resources and a level of team competency that would enable him to delegate. Fast track 12 months and neither promise has been kept. The organisation remains on a headcount freeze, and he is exhausted to the extent that I am worried about his physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. He tells me that he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep for as long as he can remember, and his skin has a chronic rash that flares up from week to week. The sparkle in his eyes is gone, and his body oozes fatigue. He was meant to talk to his boss a few weeks ago however each time he schedules a meeting, it is cancelled at the last minute. To say that my client is ‘burnt out’ is an understatement.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has redefined burnout as a syndrome linked to long-term work stress. Today burnout is a global phenomenon and according to the WHO comprises three elements:-
- an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion
- becoming detached from one’s job
- a drop-in performance at work.
So how can you tell if you are close to burn-out? Not quite there but almost? Wouldn’t you agree to be waiting until you are already entirely burnt out before you do something about it makes no sense at all. Let’s face it, for any other illness you wouldn’t wait until it is too late.
“A lot of the signs and symptoms of pre-burnout would be very similar to depression,” says Siobhán Murray, a psychotherapist, based in County Dublin, Ireland, and the author of a book about burnout, The Burnout Solution. Murray suggests taking note of bad habits that are becoming the norm, such as increased alcohol consumption and relying on high sugar, fat and salty foods to get you through the day. Not to mention feelings of tiredness that won’t go away no matter how much you sleep. “So that even if you do sleep well, by 10 in the morning, you’re already counting down the hours to bed. Or not having the energy to exercise or go for a walk.” The things you previously enjoyed have lost their lustre. As soon as you feel this way, go and see a doctor who can help to distinguish between the two (burnout and depression), because burnout is still best dealt with by making lifestyle changes, while depression requires a different approach.
Overwhelming exhaustion.
So how do you figure out whether you are just having one of those hideously stressful months or are you on the cusp of burnout? Stress in manageable doses can make us perform at our peak; however, it is persistent levels of stress with no recuperation that can turn into burnout. In his book Why Zebras don’t Get Ulcers, Robert Sapolsky says that our primitive stress response (aka our fight or flight response) was never designed to be switched on 24/7, instead only used in short bursts to get us out of danger back in cavemen days. The problem is that the threat we perceive today versus the danger when we were cavemen is vastly different.
Further, with our well-developed brains, humans don’t need a physical crisis to switch on their stress response but can do so by merely thinking about something that may go wrong, that hasn’t even happened and may never happen. Think about the last time you got yourself into a state by worrying about something that might happen at work or perhaps at home. That big presentation to your boss that may impact a future promotion; the tough conversation you need to have with a peer about not pulling their weight on a project; or perhaps conflict in a personal relationship that you have been avoiding because you have no energy to face it when you get home. The impact of this on our body is enormous and can push us towards burnout. If you find you are continually feeling exhausted and your energy reserves are at an all-time low, you need to take action and get some professional advice.
Cynicism towards your work.
Feeling like your work has little value, saying no to socialising and becoming more sensitive to disappointments is another classic sign you may be inching towards burnout. “Someone on the brink will probably begin to feel emotionally numbed or mentally distant,” says Jacky Francis Walker, a psychotherapist based in London who specialises in burnout. “Like they can’t engage as much in the ordinary things of life.”
Reduced work performance.
Walker also stresses that we look out for the third sign of burnout, which is the nagging feeling that the quality of our work is starting to slide. “People say ‘but this isn’t me!’, ‘I’m not like this’, ‘I can usually do x,y and z’. But obviously if they are in a state of physical depletion, then they aren’t in their normal range of capabilities,” says Walker.
For those scientists amongst us who find these symptoms a little too vague, have a look at the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a test which measures burnout. The MBI-General survey is the most widely used, and measures exhaustion, cynicism, and how well you think you are doing at work. Although this survey is generally used to diagnose burnout, it can be used to assess if you are getting close – starting to slide down that slippery slope.
You’re pre-burnout: what’s next?
If ignored, burnout can wreak havoc on your health, happiness, relationships and job performance. So, catch and combat it early and here are some ways to do this.
Serious relaxation.
Whether it be meditation, listening to music, reading a book or magazine, taking a walk or visiting with friends and family, genuinely think about what you need to do to relax, and schedule it in your day to ensure you make time for it.
Cultivate a life outside of work.
Find a hobby, sports or fitness activities or volunteering in the community, something that doesn’t involve work and that you are passionate about that’s challenging, engaging and really gets you going. Where you can unwind and enjoy the moment.
Unplug that device.
While communication technology can promote productivity and ensure that we remain on top of things at work, it can also allow these stressors to permeate into family time, holidays and social activities. Be firm in setting boundaries by allocating certain times to check email at home and by turning your mobile off at dinner or not taking it to bed with you.
Sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Research suggests that fewer than six hours of sleep per night is a significant risk factor for burnout. Poor sleep can negatively affect your job performance and productivity. It can lead to fatigue, decreased motivation, make you more sensitive to stressful events, impair your mental function, leave you more prone to making mistakes and make it harder to juggle competing demands. Nothing like a sleepless night to make you cranky the next day.
Organise your life.
People who are burnt out often spend time worrying that they will forget to action something or that something important will slip their mind. Get organised, clear your head, put together a to-do list (or an electronic task list) and then decide what needs to be tackled first. That way, you don’t have to wake up at 4am in the morning with an endless list running through your head. You know you have systems in place to remind you.
Tune in to your body.
There are important physical signs that may indicate that you might be under too much stress: an increase in headaches, tight shoulders, a stiff neck or more frequent stomach upset. You must stay tuned into how your body is feeling. We know from research that when it comes to mental health, burnout can affect depression, and if you’re depressed, it can also affect your level of burnout—it goes both ways. So, if the challenges you are tackling are severe and getting worse, you may need to seek professional help. Talk to a doctor or psychologist to get help as support from your family and friends may not be enough.
Is it me or is it them?
Burnout is sometimes a symptom of external factors like work. In the first instance, make sure it is not because of an internal factor that you need to address. You should ask yourself, “Where is this coming from?” so you can work out what causes your stress, and how to maintain your internal resources to keep yourself motivated, doing your best work and functioning well.
Some burnout really is work-related. Cutting costs by hiring freezes, layoffs, cutting work hours can cause massive stress in the system. Owning your own business and having the responsibility of employees on your shoulders can create huge pressure. There are often two components that contribute to burnout: too many demands and too few resources. Assess if it is time to move on, figure out whether your role is a mismatch between what you need and what you are getting from work.
When is enough, really enough?
If you have tried everything within your power to make changes at work; however, the organisation is not willing to meet you halfway, is it time to move on? Talk to your manager, mentor or Human Resources about access to counselling services, mental health benefits or stress management training. Perhaps it is about improving communication and creating a better work environment. Emphasise how those cultural shifts will enable you to continue to serve the company and become an even better employee.
At the end of the day, life is not a dress rehearsal! And if we are not living the life we want because we are exhausted, not connecting with the people that we love because we can’t face another conversation at the end of the day and not liking ourselves for the way we show up in our life every day, then do something about it.
I ask my client in a concerned voice ‘How long are you going to do this for?” He says quietly “I am done!” On the one hand, I feel a sense of relief for him but on the other hand I think “What a shame, for his career, his team and the organisation.” He has a meeting with his boss tomorrow, confirmed in the diary or at least for the moment it is. He plans to lay out the ultimatum of ‘Keep your promises, or I am gone.’ I hope for his sake, he does.
