BURNOUT BABES
Burnout.
The word itself is currently working overtime.
Had a busy week? Burnout.
Opened your emails and immediately wanted to close your laptop and lay face down on your desk? Burnout.
Someone asks, “Have you got five minutes?” and inside you sigh?
BURNOUT!
We joke, but actual burnout is a little more complicated than simply feeling knackered.
WHAT ACTUALLY IS BURNOUT?
Whilst it isn’t classed as a medical condition, the World Health Organisation describes ‘workplace burnout’ as the result of chronic work stress that hasn't been successfully managed, with three main features:
feeling exhausted
becoming increasingly negative, cynical or detached from your work
feeling less effective at what you do.
The word gets used much more widely to describe feeling completely depleted by life too.
Caring responsibilities. Money. Relationships. Health. Work. The never-ending list of things and messages that apparently need replying to.
Whatever we call it, prolonged stress can affect your concentration, sleep, decision-making, mood and behaviour.
1. TAKE SOMETHING OFF THE PLATE
My first tip is deliberately not to give you another five things to do.
Because nothing screams wellbeing quite like an exhausted person being handed a new 12-step morning routine.
Ask instead:
What can I stop, postpone, delegate, reduce or say no to?
Sometimes you don't need to become more productive.
You need less to produce diva.
2. PROTECT SOME ACTUAL RECOVERY
Sleep. Eat. Take breaks. See your friends. Go outside. Read. Watch something silly or familiar. Sit with a coffee without simultaneously answering six WhatsApps.
Recovery doesn't have to be worthy or productive.
And start small.
If you can't magically create an entire relaxing Sunday, find ten minutes.
Something is better than nothing.
3. MOVE (BUT DON'T TURN IT INTO ANOTHER JOB)
Movement can be one useful way to manage stress and the NHS includes exercise and making time for yourself among its suggestions.
But this isn't the moment to decide you MUST train five times a week, hit 10,000 steps every day and finally get a six pack.
You already have enough flippin’ pressure.
Walk.
Stretch.
Dance around your kitchen.
Come to Zumba.
Move because it gives you something back.
And this is genuinely where Zumba can help.
Not because salsa is a clinically proven cure for burnout.
Sadly, even Pitbull does not possess that kind of power.
But for an hour you can walk into a room, hear some music, see familiar faces, move your body, laugh when someone (sometimes me) dramatically goes the wrong way and briefly escape everything else demanding your attention.
There's movement, connection, community and fun.
Sometimes having somewhere you can simply show up and be around other people is incredibly valuable.
You don't need to achieve anything.
You don't need to burn a certain number of calories.
You can just dance.
4. DON'T UNDERESTIMATE CONNECTION
Burnout and prolonged stress can make us withdraw at exactly the time when being around other people might help.
You don't need to have a giant heart-to-heart every time.
Send your friend a message.
Go for the coffee.
Turn up to the class.
Tell someone, “I'm struggling a bit at the moment.”
You don't have to carry everything quietly.
BUT HERE'S THE LIMITATION...
A bubble bath cannot fix an impossible workload.
A scented candle cannot fix a toxic workplace.
And, despite my considerable faith in the healing powers of Britney S. Pears, Zumba cannot fix the underlying cause of serious or prolonged stress.
Self-care can help you recover.
It can give you breathing space.
It can make difficult periods a little easier to navigate.
But sometimes the solution isn't learning to cope better with everything being thrown at you.
Something actually needs to change.
That might mean speaking to your manager, changing your workload, asking people around you for help, setting boundaries or getting professional support.
And if you've been struggling for a while, things aren't improving or your mental health is affecting your everyday life, please don't dismiss it as “just burnout.”
I have put some places to get support at the end of this blog.
THE FINAL 'T'
You don't need to optimise your way out of burnout.
Sometimes you need to do less.
Sometimes you need to ask for help.
Sometimes you need an hour where nobody needs anything from you and you're shaking your hips like Shakira with a room full of people.
Look at what is draining you.
Find what gives something back.
And remember:
Something is always better than nothing.
NEED MORE SUPPORT?
You don't have to wait until things become unbearable before asking for help.
Your GP / NHS Talking Therapies:
A GP can help if you're struggling to cope with stress, and in England you may also be able to self-refer yourself directly to NHS Talking Therapies.
Their Support Line is 0300 102 1234, Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm, for emotional support and help finding the right next steps. They also have an online chat function.
Call 116 123 free, any time, day or night, if you need someone to talk to.
If you need urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to A&E.
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