HEALTH + WELLNESS
I n today’ s ever-connected world, a world in which‘ doing OK’ has become an acceptable benchmark for mental health, in which most of us are feeling overwhelmed all too regularly, and in which many people think simply holding it all together is acceptable, it’ s fair to say that stress is on the rise. The latest workplace statistics put this into perspective- 86 % of people in the UK feel stressed at least one day a month and, on average, a typical UK adult feels stressed around 10.3 days a month. That’ s more than twice a week! As a nation, we’ re more stressed than ever, with 34 % of UK adults citing they experience high or extreme levels of pressure or stress‘ always’ or‘ often’. Such intense levels of stress lead to only one thing: burnout- a dark and quite scary place to be, both mentally and physically.
If you’ ve never faced burnout, I am truly delighted for you. Juggling too much for too long, beginning during Covid’ s relentless onslaught during which I, ineligible for furlough, worked full time while somehow home-schooling two young children as well as taking care of a one-year-old, my first experience of full-blown burnout happened in December last year. Having had the audacity to‘ stop’ for the Christmas holidays, I awoke on Boxing Day, not just zapped entirely of energy( we’ re talking sighing at the thought of standing up), but completely mentally drained. My emotions were all over the show, my brain hurt at the thought of simply deciding what to eat and my body felt useless but on high alert, as if I could feel the cortisol coursing through my veins.
Luckily, with the support of my husband and family, I was able to lean into it- the only way forward was to work through it, which entailed doing very little and sleeping a lot until it passed. And pass it did, but not without a huge reality check and some onward changes being made. My experience aside, this cumulative toll does seem to be hitting many people hard in an almost predictable tale of taking on too much, being constantly available, juggling family responsibilities and then finding themselves back on the brink of burnout. So, is this just the nature of modern life now? We’ re simply to‘ do our best’, treading water between bouts of drowning? Or, is it possible to recognise the signs and break the cycle?
A book I read recently that was only released in May last year to global critical acclaim appears to have the answers. Authored by Dr Kandi Wiens, a former consulting hotshot turned medical fellow with a specialism in the dramatic effects of stress, Burnout Immunity is an eye-opening and essential guide to protecting oneself from burnout by learning to develop and master key emotional intelligence skills, that teaches readers to learn the signs of mounting overwhelm and break the dismal cycle for good. And Wiens has pedigree- having worked herself to a point beyond burnout, she received a blood pressure reading of 200 / 110, indicating a hypertensive emergency( associated with organ damage, failure and even death), which prompted an immediate reckoning in her personal and professional lives. She’ s been there.
While Weins book is a practical guide, requiring the reader to‘ put the work in’ to build self-awareness, manage stress triggers, regulate thoughts and emotions, and develop healing connections to keep burnout at bay, it’ s also a long-game solution, so very much worth a read for those with whom my description of burnout resonates. In the meantime, if you feel as if you’ re paddling against the current, feeling exhausted and drained physically, emotionally and mentally, and that you’ re losing motivation generally, the chances are you’ re heading for a crash. But never fear, there are some helpful tips, tools and strategies that you can put into place immediately in order to avoid the point of seemingly no return.
Identify the source( s)
Although burnout is often attributed to demanding professional triggers, it can also build due to intense studying or training schedules, relationship problems( especially ones that repeat on a loop) and caring for a loved one with a serious or chronic health condition. Trying to do too much on your own also creates an ideal environment for burnout to fester; say you’ re a parent with a full-time job who’ s taking an online evening class while trying to have a social life, drink enough water, exercise … the list goes on … eventually, you bend so much you break. The stress that accompanies each single factor might be manageable on its own, but the combination can easily overwhelm if you don’ t identify the individual causes.
Make immediate changes
Once you’ ve identified your key trigger points, you might think of ways to lighten your load immediately. Perhaps your ambition to succeed at work is fuelling the temptation to try and‘ do it all’? Especially professionally, this mindset can backfire quickly, leaving you with zero energy for anything. Instead, try accepting that doing it all isn’ t realistic and prioritise your tasks into manageable chunks or delegate where possible. Overwhelmed with work and personal commitments but still can’ t bring yourself to turn down requests from loved ones? Those of us with peoplepleasing tendencies often take on too much to avoid letting anyone down; if you’ re already running out of hours in the day for the things you absolutely need to do, adding more tasks will only add more frustration and stress. Evaluate your existing commitments and consider cancelling or rescheduling a few- the instant relief this brings may surprise you.
Take back control
Burnout really can make you feel powerless, as if life is rushing past you and you can’ t keep up. If outside factors are contributing to your exhaustion, you may well blame these circumstances, but still have a hard time seeing what you can do to change the situation. Remember that although you may not have had control over what’ s happened to bring you to this point, you do have the power to take back control and begin to recharge. To start, try these tips:
• Prioritise. Some things have to get done, but others can wait until you have more time and energy. Decide which tasks are less important and set them aside.
• Delegate. You can’ t do everything yourself, so if more tasks than you can handle need immediate attention, pass them on to someone you trust.
• Leave work at work. Part of burnout recovery is learning to prioritise work-life balance. After work, focus on relaxing and recharging for the next day.
• Be firm about your needs. Talk to others involved and let them know what’ s happening. Explain that you need some support in order to take care of your health and manage your workload productively.
Set boundaries
It’ s essential to set limits on the time you give to others in order to manage stress while recovering from burnout. Accepting too many commitments will instantly trigger overwhelm, so before you agree to help someone or accept an invitation push the pause button and let the ball bounce. Take a moment to walk through everything that will be required of you if you agree and ask yourself if you genuinely have the time and energy, as well as whether it offers value to you. Part of boundary setting involves learning to say no- you’ re not lazy, selfish or unsupportive for declining a request for your precious time and being selective about what you say yes to is key to taking care of your mental health and proactively preventing burnout.
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