If you are feeling burned out from your job or from your life, know that you are not alone. In a world that is focused on achieving more, doing it faster, always striving for better than the day before, it’s easy to get exhausted and to feel like you can’t measure up or keep up. Burnout seems to be everywhere these days but what does it really mean? 

Burnout is made up of two parts: the situation and our response to the situation. Burnout typically develops in work environments where stress continues for long periods without adequate recovery—this is why burnout is particularly prevalent amongst healthcare workers, teachers, nurses, first responders, and other helping professionals. Burnout can appear in any type of work (paid or unpaid) that demands a great deal from us mentally and physically, especially when the work is meaningful to us or closely tied to our values, and when external stressors are outside our control. Women may be at higher risk for burnout because they are more likely to work in roles centred on caring for or serving others—jobs that can be deeply meaningful but also emotionally demanding and stressful. At the same time, women still tend to carry a larger share of household labour and caregiving responsibilities. 

Researchers have identified the following core features of burnout:

• Exhaustion – emotional and physical 
• Cynicism – a negative feeling toward your work, clients, and/or colleagues
• Reduced feelings of effectiveness in your role
• Apathy in work and activities outside of work
• Increased irritability and anger
• Physical symptoms – headaches, sleep disturbances 

So, this is the downside of burnout. But there is also an upside—yes, an upside. Burnout is your body and mind telling you that something isn’t okay and needs to change. It is a warning, but more importantly, it is an opportunity to reset, reclaim and re-envision. 

RESET:

When you experience burnout, your nervous system has been chronically activated to respond to the repetitive and cumulative stress you have been experiencing. It needs support to return to a healthy baseline again. Additionally, your habits that support good stress management—movement, diet, sleep, relaxation, and social connection—likely have fallen by the wayside. Finally, your mindset may be overly negative or worried, or your internal dialogue may have become too harsh and rigid. 

RECLAIM: 

The stress of your work has likely taken a toll on your motivation, self-confidence, enjoyment, and sense of purpose in what you do. Refocusing on your strengths, your values, and what matters most to you, while also setting boundaries with others and with yourself, can help. Looking at where you can enact meaningful change for yourself, even within an imperfect occupational system, can help you reclaim your place in it in a way that feels healthier for you. Or you may find that, in reconnecting with what matters most to you, an entirely new direction is needed. 

RE-ENVISION: 

Whether you decide to stay the course in your current role or move on to a new path, your experience of burnout is an opportunity to write the next chapter of your life and create a future that feels more balanced and satisfying. 

Recovery from burnout is possible but it requires taking a hard look at the stressful situation and your response to it. Without proper care, untreated burnout can become depression with significant anxiety, mood changes, sleep concerns, and impaired daily functioning. Having a skilled and knowledgeable therapist who can compassionately support you and help you through the burnout can make all the difference. 

To get help with your burnout, book a session with BRIA expert therapist Heather here.