Handling Job Burnout

The Information Age has increased our access to information and also increased the work pressure we have to deal with. There is no excuse not to know something, or have the information - and all that information has to be read, analysed, processed, and stored.

Then there's the creative side you're required to tap into. Your company wants you to have all the information and know how to use it, but they also want you to think outside the box - take that information to a level no one has ever taken it. It's no wonder so many employees burn out before they even reach the ten year mark in their careers.

Some high flyers believe that it is "better to burn out than to fade away". But if you're not ready, or able, to make your millions and go out in fireworks, you have to find some sort of middle ground and allow yourself to rest, recharge, and fire those engines up again. Julia Cameron likened it to depleting your inner creative well without refilling it. There is only so much you can take out, without replenishing the source of your creativity, and there's only so much you can take in and process without letting some of it go.

What causes burnout?

Burnout usually occurs for one of two reasons. Very often, in the high-paced society we live in today, creative burnout is caused by trying to achieve too much from too little. Too little energy, not enough time or creativity, too few good ideas, too much pressure.

Many people try to juggle a day job with a creative dream, and very often these clash: great art ideas occur to you just before you're due to lead an intensive international conference. And just when you thought you had a moment, your children, spouse, parents, neighbour, or pets need your attention.

Burnout can also occur while you're coming off a highly creative streak where everything seems to have been going brilliantly and you can't believe how much work you're able to do and how much energy you seem to have. Your work seems to feed you and keep you going and, especially if you're undisciplined, you may be skipping meals or sleep in order to work while the going is still good, or in order to meet intense deadlines.

Naturally, if you don't keep a balance in your life between your body, mind, and soul, a pressurised work life like this can lead to health issues such as insomnia, fatigue, hyperactivity, hypertension, lethargy, hypoglycaemia, muscle weakness, back, neck, and joint ache, anxiety, paranoia, and depression.

Usually once depression hits, motivation block is not far behind, and it becomes easy to fall into a cycle of lethargy leading to depression leading to further blocking.

What can you do to prevent burnout?

Varying your pace, and allowing yourself time out to rest and rejuvenate, can do wonders for your health without spending much time or money. Set a limit on your maximum working hours per week.

Take a regular break from work. This can be a full day's leave, a week, or as little as giving yourself the first twenty minutes or hour of your day to meditate or relax in some way instead of diving straight into your work. Unwind.

Get outside if you work indoors. If most of your day is spent outdoors, go to a movie, theatre, museum, or art gallery.

Find a hobby that is the opposite of your job. Completely let your work pressures go as you enjoy a pastime that soothes and rejuvenates you.

If you normally lead a sedentary life, get yourself moving with an energising exercise programme.

If your mind is buzzing with the energy created by deadlines and adrenaline highs, try meditation to calm yourself before attempting to sleep.

It's important to learn to identify situations before they lead to burnout, and put measures in place to slow down, calm down, and listen to your stress levels. Are they balanced? Do you have enough pressure to keep you moving, but not too much that you're about to crack?

In an ideal world, we would be able to deal with burnout triggers before they get out of hand. Most of us, though, will suffer burnout at some stage, no matter how much yoga and meditation we do. Occasionally life deals us every opportunity we've ever wanted in the same month.

How do you identify burnout?

The most obvious symptom of burnout is tiredness. You may have a sense of being unable to overcome this tiredness simply by resting. Your body, mind, and soul feel drained. Unfairly, this seems to be the time that insomnia pays a visit.

You might start snapping at people for very little reason. You may feel that everyone wants a piece of you and you can no longer give. Sometimes this leads to an anger with yourself for putting yourself in this position, or for being unable to say "no".

Your health also points to signs of burnout. Your body usually tries to stop you, or slow you down for a few days, by making you sick. How often have you come down with a cold or flu when you're stressed?

Depression, panic/anxiety attacks, and paranoia are some of the more serious signs of burnout, and if you have reached this stage you should see your health care practitioner and arrange for some time off with some urgency.

How to help yourself recover

Ideally, you need a good vacation, a change of scenery, new sounds, smells, sights, a different temperature - but in the real world, our vacation time rarely falls into the same period that burnout hits. Try to give yourself as much of a break as you can with the resources and time you have available to you.

Your body's telling you it's time to give something up so that you can survive. Listen. Perhaps you need to give yourself permission to listen to your body. Maybe it feels too indulgent. It's not. This is your health you're dealing with.

Mini vacations

If you're suffering from insomnia, you're probably dozing off just as your alarm goes off in the morning. You may find you need to reset your body's clock over a week or two. If you work, arrange for a series of half-days off. Go to bed an hour or two later than you usually would, even if you're tired. Sleep in for the first few mornings, and gradually realign your sleeping and waking times to fit in with your work life.

Create your own Zen space (whatever is "Zen" for you) - as large as an entire garden or as small as a pot plant holder. Create a cocoon environment with beautiful colours, textures, smells. Go for a swim and float around in the water. Allow the buoyancy of the water to hold you up. Relax your body completely. Have a massage. Use aromatherapy oils or incense. Have a hot bath or shower with candles and essential oils.

Get a good workout to keep your serotonin levels up. Have a day where you alternate mediation and relaxation with a varied workout: walking, yoga, kickboxing, dancing.

Put on your oldest dance music and move your body while you sing along. You'll be giggling in no time, and laughter is a great stress reliever.

Moving Out of Burnout Defence Mode

Burnout defence is a panic mode. You've gone through an intense period that has caused you to burn out or even to have a break down. Then, with the kick in the pants that you needed, you've gone into recovery mode, sheltering yourself from all forms of stress in order to recover. This can cause a problem, however, when recovery becomes a permanent lifestyle. Suddenly, the slightest stress becomes unbearable.

You find it difficult to understand why you feel so anxious and panicky over things that you used to find easy or okay - things like dealing with people, going back to your job, or starting a new project. This is a sign that you've moved from recovery to defence - with your body alert for anything that could cause a relapse.

The truth is that without stimulation, we are unable to function beyond a survival level. It's like a muscle that becomes weak from under use after an injury. After a certain point, it needs to be exercised slowly and gently despite some initial pain.

Get up earlier

It may sound like an antithesis of what you feel you should be doing, but if you've fallen into a habit of sleeping longer you may also find yourself tired and lethargic no matter how much sleep you are getting. It could be that your body has formed a habit out of the defence mode you put it in when you burnt out. Who doesn't enjoy having permission to sleep in and take it easy? Your body doesn't want to give this up, so it creates a constant state of tiredness to keep you in this comforting new zone.

Try it. Get up a little earlier tomorrow - it doesn't have to be much, you can start with baby steps and eventually work your way up to a full hour earlier.

Now use your extra time to do something energising that you enjoy. You may want to use this time to catch up on work, but you may not be ready yet. Remember to take care of yourself first. You could spend this extra time on exercise, going for a walk, catching up on reading, having a bath, or simply getting ready for your day at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the free time available to you before you start your day.

Remember to take notice of the light outside at this new time of the morning. How is it different to your usual waking time? It should help to make you feel fresher and more relaxed.

Get a routine

Routines make us feel safe. They can also take a lot of the hard work and decisions out of everyday situations and leave you free to concentrate on new ideas and opportunities.

Push a bit more

If you've been too soft on yourself during your recovery, you may start finding you're not able to concentrate for as long as you used to before burning out. You may feel unable to sit still, you want to stop and do something different when you start working on one thing, and you can't find the motivation to start or continue a longer project.

Again, you need to gradually stretch your concentration levels, as you would a previously injured muscle. Start with warm up exercises in whatever media you use. Time yourself for ten or twenty minutes. Then do a longer exercise for thirty to forty minutes. After two or three days, try to reach for an hour of work. Then build this up gradually until you are working at a length of time that feels comfortable.

Content copyright © Elsa Neal, 2007. All rights reserved.