What Does Burnout at Work Feel Like and How Do You Prevent Burnout?
You’ve probably heard a lot about work-related burnout in the last few years. With so many stressors (e.g., health, relationships, work) in our lives it’s not surprising that many people are emotionally overwhelmed.
What is Burnout and What Does Burnout Feel Like?
Burnout has often been used to describe the feeling of physical and emotional exhaustion from an imbalance between high work-related demands and limited resources with which to complete our work. This means that anyone can be at risk of developing burnout regardless of company size, organizational role, or whether they work outside or inside of their home (e.g., parent, caregiver). Given that the responsibilities associated with caring for our health/medical needs and/or in maintaining our relationships can also be quite demanding, you may also be at risk of experiencing burnout related to managing your healthcare and/or relationship needs. For those who work in healthcare or who otherwise provide care for others, you may also be at risk of developing “compassion fatigue” which is the difficulty in emotionally supporting others resulting from prolonged exposure to the suffering and needs of those for whom you provide care.
Does Burnout Lead to Depression and/or Anxiety?
Both burnout and compassion fatigue are associated with depression, anxiety, and other emotional, physical, occupational (e.g., job turnover, decreased job satisfaction) and even relationship difficulties. When work is causing us stress, that stress can spill over into other areas of our lives. The consequences of burnout and compassion fatigue highlight the importance of burnout/fatigue prevention.
How Do You Prevent Burnout and Compassion Fatigue?
It all starts at the top with organizational/system change as even the most well-adjusted employee who works in a dysfunctional workplace will be at risk of developing burnout. Prevention efforts therefore need to start with the organization working to balance demands and resources. In healthcare for example, this would mean that the healthcare system would ensure enough time, equipment, and staff to be able to adequately care for patients. Because correcting these imbalances can take time or because some organizations may not believe a meaningful imbalance exists, employees are also tasked with caring for themselves when working in dysfunctional workplaces.
Engaging in personal self-care may aid in coping with the stress caused by one’s workplace. It is unlikely however that self-care in the absence of a healthy and balanced workplace will prevent the development of distress. Again, a dysfunctional environment risks burning out even the most resilient employee. That being said, there are several strategies for self-care and stress management that may be useful to employees. These include, but are not limited to, the development of both work and non-work supportive relationships with whom you share your feelings; traditional self-care options such as physical activity, healthy eating and sleep, and engagement in pleasurable activities; and setting realistic expectations and goals related to work. In caring for ourselves, we can increase our ability to endure difficult work and other life experiences and continue caring for others in our lives. Thus, self-care isn’t selfish…self-care is a necessary first step which enables us to care for others. But, because having to endure a difficult work environment is generally not a pleasant experience, part of self-care may also be consideration of and active efforts to find new employment opportunities (if possible) as well as finding a therapist with whom to process your feelings.
