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By Darby Eakins, CBT Therapist and certified Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Advisor  What is burnout?
While burnout is not officially recognized as a diagnosable mental illness, recent research (Koutsimani, 2019) suggests that even though it’s often associated with anxiety and depression, it appears to be a robust and stand-alone construct. The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a feeling of intense fatigue, loss of control, and an inability to produce concrete results at work.” Another definition indicates burnout is “a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” It’s always associated with work, and while it was initially reserved for those in caring roles (nurses, doctors, social workers and teachers), we now know that all workers can be exposed to burnout. Folks with burnout will often meet the criteria for depression and/or anxiety, and some will even meet the criteria for PTSD. In my case, I met the criteria for all three. But with the context of work removed or the organizational issues remedied, most folks will recover. Burnout Risk Factors & Facts
Burnout and the National Psychological Safety Standard The National Psychological Safety Standard (The Standard) defines a psychologically healthy and safe workplace as “a workplace that promotes workers’ psychological well-being and actively works to prevent harm to worker psychological health, including in negligent, reckless or intentional ways.” (National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (CAN/CSA-Z1003-13/BNQ9700- 803/2013) The Standard outlines 13 risk factors for psychological safety at work:
Preventing and Recovering from Burnout Burnout does not happen overnight. It is insidious and creeps in over time. Symptoms that may arise include: fatigue, pain, digestive problems, stomach ulcers, skin problems, disrupted sleep, weight loss or gain, frequent illnesses, constant loss of motivation with regard to work, detachment from work, pronounced irritability, spontaneous anger, feelings of incompetence, inefficiency and exhaustion, a desire to isolate oneself, a feeling of failure, a drop in self-confidence, anxiety, worry, insecurity, difficulty concentrating, loss of memory, difficulty in using good judgement, indecision, confusion, and in the most serious cases, suicidal thoughts. Preventing Burnout From a prevention perspective, it’s important to notice the flags and risks of burnout to mitigate them in yourself:
Recovering from Burnout From a recovery perspective, it’s important to navigate to resources for support:
By Dr. Joti Samra, CEO & Founder of the Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Clinic and MyWorkplaceHealth  Is someone you care about working themselves so hard it may be damaging to their health? Maybe they aren’t just exhausted, but are starting to isolate themselves? Or they’re tired enough that they’re putting themselves at risk every time they drive home – many people don’t consider the fact that tiredness at the point of exhaustion is the same as impaired driving. Or, they may be engaging in unhealthy behaviours such as excessive drinking or overeating as a way to self-soothe or self-medicate.
When putting in a few too many hours becomes a problem With overworking there are two major issues: The person’s decision to work an inordinate number of hours, and the resultant impacts on their health. Keep in mind that the person’s decision to work the number of hours they are working may not be completely voluntary. There are a number of reasons a person may need to – or feel they need to – work these hours, some of which may include: high living expenses or debts, significant changes to life circumstances, working following a period of unemployment or preparing for retirement. Have empathy & be kind Whatever their reason, try to understand where they are coming from. It can feel awful to be in a position where you are uncertain about your future, particularly as we age. They are probably worried about the future, as well as frustrated or even angry at themselves, or their past circumstances. The reality is that they may need to be working at the level they are to pay the bills or have the future they once imagined. Starting a conversation First, ensure the conversation takes place during a time when you are both feeling relaxed. Remember to keep the conversation light and supportive, and be mindful that they probably will have a lot of pride around these issues. Start with a conversation about their future and talk generally about what their hopes and dreams are. This may help you get a picture of what they’re working toward. Gently inquire about whether the means they are currently adopting (in other words, the hours worked) are necessary to achieve those goals. If appropriate, offer to help them with planning – you may suggest that they could find it helpful to sit down with a financial advisor who can map out plans in more detail. Key messages to communicate After you’ve had the opportunity to talk with your loved one about the future and gained some insight into their goals and underlying values associated with work, then, in a separate conversation, you can express your concerns about their health. Here are some suggestions about how to approach this topic:
Unfortunately, you can’t magically get your loved one to value their health more than work, but you can guide them toward possible solutions that improve the situation. Visit MyWorkplaceHealth.com for more workplace resources. Editor’s Note: This post was originally published as part of a Globe and Mail “Ask the Psychologist” column authored by Dr. Samra, and has been edited and updated. By Darby Eakins, CBT Therapist and certified Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Advisor The Slow Slide into Burnout: A Personal Story
The Crash At first, I was convinced I had food poisoning. Then, fatigue overtook me that was so intense I wondered if I was severely physically ill. “Could it be cancer?” For three days, I could do little more than move from my bed to the washroom and back. My body felt weighted down, I moved slowly, I had a hard time thinking in full sentences. Usually high energy, multi-tasking and energetic, I was a shell of my typical self. I was too tired to even watch Netflix. Sometimes I just stared out the window. Sometimes minutes crawled by. Other times, I lost hours that felt like a blink of the eye. I didn’t know what I wanted at any given moment. “Am I hungry?” (Shrug). “Am I sleepy?” (Shrug). And so it went. I did not cry, at least not at first. I did not have a panic attack. I did not do the things you see on TV when someone crashes and burns. I just stopped. My body would not let me move forward any longer. My brain felt like it was soaked in molasses. I was exhausted. But I was so exhausted, I couldn’t even muster the acknowledgement of my own exhaustion. I just stopped. Like a computer that gets overloaded and freezes, I needed a reboot. “What’s wrong with me? Could this be depression?” Ultimately, I was experiencing burnout (solidified by a trifecta of moral distress, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue), and it took me 3 months before I was able to resume work again, and another many months to achieve optimal functioning afterward. A Slow BurnIn hindsight, I can see the flags waving to get me to notice what was happening, as I ground myself to a pulp trying to keep my high-wire juggling act going. It happens slowly. Starts with a little misstep here and there, a little lost sleep, a little extra stress, but every time I noticed I was off-balance, I made an excuse and brushed it aside. Have you ever been to one of those “build-your-own frozen yogurt” shops? Where you can select from a range of toppings to add? Have you ever got to the end and put your overloaded cup on the scale to see you owe $30. It was just coconut sprinkles at first, and then the berries, and then the chocolate…oooh, there’s candy! My burnout was like that. Each topping of stress, just a little on top until my cup was overloaded. First, I missed a couple of workouts. “Oh, I’ll get back on track after this big meeting.” Then I stopped running and working out entirely. Then, I stopped packing lunches, or even taking a lunch. Instead, grabbing whatever was fastest to stuff down between meetings. “Oh, this month has been busy, but it will be better next month.” Then I stopped taking breaks altogether. Then I started checking emails before and after work. Then responding to emails after the kids were in bed. Then taking calls and emails on weekends. Then saying “yes” to new projects. Then extending my work days to “catch up.” Then I stopped sleeping. Then I was working until 3 am some nights. Then I was actually trying to be in multiple places at once by responding to emails while on video conferences, or taking meetings in my car while I drove between cities. Just one more topping of stress on top of the other, constantly telling myself “oh it’s just a little on top.” The Tightrope ActI was so excited about a newly created management position, that I returned to work early from maternity leave when my second child was 7 months old. The scope was massive, the expectations high (and sometimes unclear, often shifting). I was up to the task. I was a brand new manager, leading a team of professionals in a subject matter that was new to me. I was up to the task. In the midst of this all, we purchased and moved into a new home with our two young sons – ages 1 and 4. By the end of my first year in the position, I was running several large scale projects, leading a team of professionals, and redesigning various program deliveries in a highly politicized context. I cared deeply about the work I was doing and told myself “eye on the prize” aiming to make a positive impact for the organization. Yet, I was still getting up multiple times in the night with my baby to nurse for the first year of my the position (often checking emails on my work phone, while my baby nursed). The more depleted I became, the more I rationalized. I didn’t know how to ask for help or what to do. I thought it was my own issue and I just needed to learn how to be a better manager. “It’s just a learning curve.” “The organization is just in a time of transition.” “Next month will be better.” “Toughen up.” “Get more efficient.” “Carve out more time.” “Be more productive with the time you have.” “Once this project is done, things will be better.” But I failed to realize that running at 150% at all times, with no balance in wellness is not sustainable. I failed to notice that with each passing month, things got worse, not better. The Perfect Storm No one thing caused me to experience burnout, but an accumulation of things resulted in the perfect storm for my crash: poor leadership and expectations, a lack of support for my growth and development, minimal recognition or reward, minimal involvement or influence, a workload that far exceeded my capacity, depleted harmony between my work and personal life, a sense of isolation and a culture that had constantly changing norms and values all combined with my high work ethic, deep passion for my work, and strong professional conscientiousness and perfectionism over time to completely deplete my resources. Rebooting I took time away from work, I rested, I healed, and I got better. The resources that helped me heal was an interdisciplinary support network, including a robust and well-organized disability management program, a supportive counsellor through the company’s Employee Family Assistance Program, a strong support from my family physician and my family support network, and subsequent leadership coaching provided to me when I returned to work. Almost 2 years after my burnout experience, I’ve now experienced the power of the National Psychological Safety Standard as a practitioner, but also as an employee who benefited from an effective recovery process after experiencing burnout. |
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