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Burnout never really went away – Mary T. O’Sullivan
By Mary T. O’Sullivan, MSOL, contributing writer
“We take better care of our smartphones than we do of ourselves – the phones are always recharged!’ – Ariana Huffington
I thought the topic of burnout was an old theme, one which had been examined, scrutinized, studied, and assessed over and over for years. Maybe the New Year is a perfect time to revisit burnout, post-holiday burnout and other burnout – from work, parenting, and poor relationships. WebMD describes burnout as, …” a form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It’s a result of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress.” The holidays can be particularly exhausting, with all the shopping, cooking, decorating, cleaning, and visitors over a short period of time.
So maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise when the latest issue of Psychology Today arrived with its cover story title prominently featured across the page in large black letters, “Burnout, How to Beat Stress, Overload, and Your To Do List.” When assigned values of “emotional exhaustion” or “depersonalization”, several studies concluded that burnout prevalence in the general population ranged from 25.0% to 60.1%. Just think, 25 to 60% of us are burned out. No wonder Psychology Today deemed burnout the perfect cover story for the January 2024 issue.
By now, most of us know what burnout means. We’ve felt it and seen it in others. Our fight or flight responses are ignited in the brain which releases the hormones to induce quick action. And we’ve all heard that since we’re not fleeing tigers anymore, those body signals have nowhere to go, except to turn on ourselves. What drives people to become burned out, to the extent that even in times of relaxation and enjoyment, they can’t slow down? What makes them feel scandalized when taking a real vacation where the object is to do nothing?
The concept of “Workism”, where work replaces religion as a belief system, is one driver of our cultural addiction to “busyness”. Even on a holiday break, people tend to overload their schedules with so much to do, they return to work more tired and stressed than they left. Think back to your recent time off for the holidays. Did you spend your time watching movies and visiting spectacular light displays? Or did you spend every free moment shopping, wrapping, baking, and constantly entertaining? Making sure everyone else has a good time can fire up those flight or fight brain hormones and become the surest path to burnout.
Along with the well-known causes of burnout you’ll find the also much advocated remedies. Breathe, set smaller goals, practice yoga and Qigong, delegate, spend time in nature (some experts recommend at least ½ an hour a day), go swimming, drink more water, socialize more, and go to bed earlier are easier said than done, but research has shown incorporating these practices into daily life leads to better health and less stress.
In the workplace, these rituals lead to more productivity, better morale, fewer injuries, better attendance, and less turnover. Healthwise, you’ll have better heart function, improved immune function, better digestion, weight control, and even better mental health. Dozens of university studies support the benefits of practicing stress management too reduce stress and improve well-being and happiness. Professional athletes know when they’ve hit their wall, and they learn to recognize where that wall is. Their training teaches them to push it further back and cope when they sense it coming. We all can hit the wall, but if we pay attention to the signs of approaching it, we can remind ourselves to step back, take a few breaths and reclaim our sanity.
“The truth is that there is no actual stress or anxiety in the world; it’s your thoughts that create these false beliefs. You can’t package stress, touch it, or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking”. – Wayne Dyer
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Read all Mary’s columns here: https://rinewstoday.com/mary-t-osullivan-msol-pcc-shrm-scp/
Mary T. O’Sullivan, Master of Science, Organizational Leadership, International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach, Society of Human Resource Management, “Senior Certified Professional. Graduate Certificate in Executive and Professional Career Coaching, University of Texas at Dallas.
Member, Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Honor Society.
Advanced Studies in Education from Montclair University, SUNY Oswego and Syracuse University.
Mary is also a certified Six Sigma Specialist, Contract Specialist, IPT Leader and holds a Certificate in Essentials of Human Resource Management from SHRM.
Connect with Mary:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marytosullivan/