Everything You Need to Know About Burnout
Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress. While it is often caused by problems at work, it can also arise from aspects of daily life, such as parenting, caregiving our own parents, and managing stressful relationships. Significant changes to our workplace over the past few years has caused a staggering increase in self-reported burnout among Canadians, making it a cause for concern among mental health professionals.
What is the Difference Between Stress and Burnout?
Stress itself is not harmful, but rather a natural, normal and necessary experience of completing tasks and managing demands. Burnout, however, is a syndrome that develops from chronic stress, accompanied by feelings of negativism, cynicism and hopelessness. The demands of life can feel never-ending, and the stress feels as though it will never be lifted. Burnout is also characterized by lack of control of how a task or job is being carried out. If prolonged, burnout can lead to mental exhaustion resulting in depressive symptoms, sense of dread about work, anger, irritability, and increased likelihood of using drugs or alcohol.
Not surprisingly, some industries report more burnout than others. Here are some of the worst hit:
Health and patient care (53 per cent)
Transportation (40 per cent)
Finance, legal and insurance (39 per cent)
Education and childcare (38 per cent)
First responders (36 per cent)
How can we Deal with Burnout?
The most impactful way of handling burnout is to attach meaning to our activities, counteracting the negativity associated with the task or job. Having a sense of purpose makes these tasks less daunting and helps improve one’s motivation. Adjusting work habits has also proven to be quite successful as a step in avoiding burnout (something your manager may need to support you with!). Improving work-life balance can often lead to healthier decision making, and feelings of regaining control. This could be as simple as adjusting your work hours, change the location of where you’re working from, sharing responsibilities with your colleagues, not checking work e-mails during off-hours, or going on a mid-day walk. The ultimate goal is to find value in other aspects of life outside of work, concentrating on interests that bring joy and a sense of meaning.
If you are not being supported at work or at home for levels of burnout, accessing counselling can be very helpful in reversing the cycle. Research suggests that accessing counselling or therapy significantly reduces stress in one’s life and can start the journey to wellness again. You may also reach out to someone close to you and let them know how you’re feeling. Often the people around you can give a new perspective on your situation and it could make all the difference.
The good news is that with one third of Canadians reporting burnout in early 2022, you’re not alone. Burnout is something that we all go through at some point in our lives. The key is to tune yourself into recognizing the early warning signs of burnout and adjust accordingly if it starts getting too overwhelming. If you are feeling burnt out, our clinicians at Brookhaven Psychotherapy specialize in helping you gain skills and strategies for managing high levels of stress in your life.
Learn more about Adult Therapy here.
