Burnout is a Global crisis
Early starts, business meetings, expected to attend social events and taking work home from the office. This makes us raise the question- When do we have time for self-care? Many of us only recognise the need for self-care when our body reminds us. These reminders can come in many forms, exhaustion, self-doubt, guilt, paranoia, lack of motivation, the feeling of isolation, headaches and many more….
If you are experiencing this, you may be burnt out.
The World Health Organisation defines Burnout as:
“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.
Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”
Burnout is a recognised condition and should be treated as with every illness. It is not something to be embarrassed about. It needs to be addressed and helped with treatments that suit the individual. Luckily it is reversible and through time.
Some strategies of coping include-
- Hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis
- Exercise
- Getting outside and walking/running
- Art Therapy
- Music
- Talking to someone trusted
- Getting a Life Coach
Self-care is an important coping strategy and many of us are unsure of what self-care actually is and what it involves. The Positive Psychology website gives the following examples;
- Downtime tasks include activities that require little effort to complete, have no productive outcome, and are not deadline driven. Examples include reading, watching tv, coloring, and napping. These tasks should have little to no physical or cognitive demands.
- Social tasks, such as spending time with family and friends.
- Physical activities, such as exercise and yoga, will help your client feel less stressed and also help encourage a better sleep cycle.
- General health refers to satisfying other important drives such as eating and sex. Eating a healthy diet, rather than eating irregularly or unhealthily, will contribute to an overall feeling of well-being.
- Enjoying sexual activities with one’s partner will help foster feelings of love, intimacy, and support.
- Other activities that can help promote general health include meditation and enough sleep.
Articles
https://www.who.int/tools/occupational-hazards-in-health-sector/occup-stress-burnout-fatigue
https://tools.positivepsychology.com/3-stress-exercises
https://positivepsychology.com/how-to-recover-burnout/#self-care
https://mentalhealth-uk.org/burnout/