You cannot self-care your way out of burnout

There is so much chatter about workplace burnout right now but it’s been a problem for a very long time. It is only this year, however, that WHO has included Burnout in the ICD-11 under the parent group of “Problems associated with employment or unemployment.”

It doesn't matter how many hours of sleep you get, or how much you breathe, or *insert your choice of fun/relaxing activity here*, you cannot simply self-care your way out of burnout.

Managing and *ahem* extinguishing workplace burnout is a conscious and uncomfortable process. A process which requires you to notice your discomfort, question it and then take action. Processing and powering through burnout is the only way out. You need to crawl in, have a wriggle, and you will pop out the other end.

Processing your way out of burnout requires three things.

Connection. Community. Compassion

Connection to self and to others

Yes, it starts with you. Having a deep connection to yourself helps with understanding your triggers and warning signs of burnout. Yours will be different to mine and to others so make sure you pay close attention to your thoughts, feelings and intuition. You will also need to recognise which of your personal attributes will help you through the process. Mine are perseverance and adaptability. Which are yours?

Understanding your level of tolerance for discomfort (and for bullshit) is another step to extinguishing burnout. What are you willing to put up with? What are you not?

You will need to create strong connections with your colleagues, friends and family because extinguishing burnout takes a village.

Community building

Once you’ve figured out your tolerance levels and you’ve calibrated your bullshit meter, it’s time to build your community. Having a workplace which encourages you to speak up when you notice your warning signs is vital in extinguishing burnout. Additionally, that same work environment must allow you to work through the process and establish some practical strategies to manage the stressors.

For example, if your stressor is having too many appointments which is stopping you from taking a lunch break, then you need support from your employer to reduce your appointments and extinguish the stressor.

If your workplace is not a safe space to speak up and process through burnout, then you will need to rely exclusively on your social network. Do you have people on speed dial who will just listen to you ramble and vent? Who are the people who hold space for you to process through the discomfort? I have a few and I highly recommend it.

On the flip side, are you a person who holds a safe space for others? Who’s speed dial are you on?

Burnout is an individual’s problem which requires a collective solution. We are all responsible for extinguishing burnout.

A culture of Compassion

We must be kind to ourselves before we can extinguish burnout. Burnout is not an abyss, it’s more like a straw, a tunnel, a subway (…you get it). It has two ends. You will need to crawl in, have a wriggle and you will pop out the other end.

Burnout is a symptom of stressors and extinguishing it requires leaning into the discomfort, going through the process and powering on through.

Being kind and giving ourselves permission to sit in the discomfort is an important step to extinguishing burnout. We do not need to be able to do it all, all of the time. We are humans and sometimes we break. We must also show compassion to others when it’s their turn to crawl into the discomfort and wriggle about so they too can pop out the other end.

Let the fun begin

You've connected with yourself and with others, you're now surrounded by a supportive community and are immersed in an abundance of compassion. It's now time to get some sleep, breathe deeply and have some intentional fun.

Cheers for now, -Rhea. (speed dial #5)