Unrealistic workloads, Overwhelm, Oh my!
In 2019, after nearly 40 years of Burnout Research, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made Burnout a diagnosable syndrome (finally!).
High five!
And then what happened?
2020 and COVID put a massive spotlight on, with all the unprecedented times and all.
So how does the WHO define Burnout?
“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”
But is that all it is to it?
You can only Burnout in the workplace?
There is no other place you can Burnout from?
What if the stress isn’t in the workplace? But at home? In a relationship? From a sick loved one? From juggling too much? Or what if it’s from creating unsustainable habits chasing down a dream?
It’s dangerous for a magnitude of reasons to put the full onus on the workplace.
Especially in a world that is extremely fast-moving and ever-changing.
So how CAN we look at burnout?
A new way to look at Burnout.
Burnout = Physical, mental and emotional exhaustion from prolonged stress.
The operative word here is prolonged stress.
And that stress can truly come from anywhere.
- Work.
- Families.
- Relationships.
- Sick loved ones.
- A lack of confidence.
Not enough time to focus on YOU aka unmet needs.
Why is it important?
If you only look at burnout through the lens of workplace stress, you can miss the root cause of our stress. You can start to focus too heavily on a situation that might not be the problem and not allow you to evaluate the different areas of your life.
If we focus on the wrong thing, then we can’t implement the right solution.
Now, does that mean it can’t come from the workplace?
Of course not.
However, what we have to be careful of doing is putting all our eggs in one basket and not taking a broader view of the real issue.
How do you know if you’re on the path to burnout?
That’s the million-dollar question, right there.
The first question we have to ask ourselves is, are there any warning signs?
Yes, yes there are.
I hear you now, “That’s great, Katie! Spill the beans”
But here’s the thing, when you’re running towards burnout, it’s easy to ignore the warning signs.
Why? Because we’ve normalised them to the point where we don’t even recognise the problem.
Don’t believe me? Let’s look at a few:
- Exhaustion
- Lack of motivation
- Lack of concentration
- Reduced memory
- Overwhelm
- Apathy
Sound familiar?
So how can YOU possibly know if you’re on the road to Burnout?
A couple of things, take the Your Burnout Score, which can tell you where you’re at.
And secondly, I will be posting a blog on the Six Stages Of Burnout next week, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
What can I do now?
If you think you’re suffering from burnout or people in your team, then we’re here to help. We have 121 coaching, training courses and keynote talks we can discuss.
Reach out.
And remember, Get Your Sh*t Together – Literally and Figuratively
