5 Tips - Burnout Is 'Better' Than Burned Up

Here is the situation. You are at work 45 minutes before your usual start time because you are inundated with clients back to back during the day and it makes notes and follow up emails impossible to complete. Your usual lunch break goes out the window, yet again, because you are catching up on yesterday’s previous admin work. You stay late to further catch up on things. And tomorrow is Saturday where you are lucky not to be working this weekend but you have a two day course. This coming week...you are working Saturday. This looks like it is going to be a 13 day work week.

This is your average week and has been for the last month due to things out of your control, such as, a colleague falling ill or, unfortunately, for some, this is the usual work week... because that is the ‘just way it is’.

The scenario above describes a situation that can lead to burnout and if this becomes chronic, one will be burned up.

Burnout is better than burned up because when you are burned out, you and in conjunction with your employer, have more capacity to get out of the situation.

You can still experience periods of time out and renewing moments at work that increase satisfaction. Burned up is when chronic burnout is not addressed - you have been in at state of long term burnout to the point where you have zero resources and capacity to address the issue at all and a shift out would take colossal steps.

The scenario is also one with extraordinary work pressure and a huge workload with very little to no time to unwind from work. We know that engagement at work is also crucial to how burnt out someone is feeling. And with such a work scenario there is no time to detach from work to refuel re-engagement the next day. If you do not have time to disengage from work then you may not be able to re-engage with the same vigor as ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’.

If you find yourself in such a situation, what can you do?

Here are some strategies:

1. Ask yourself, how temporary is this situation?

Is this the norm for you or is this temporary because a few people have been sick recently. If it is the former you have some questions to ask yourself and your supervisor to ameliorate your high workload. If it is the latter then you see it as temporary but remember to not push too far because this will not work in your favour. Both situations, however, are not sustainable.

2. Plan a long weekend

Schedule in a short week soon to get yourself back on track so you have a longer period of recovery from the endurance run you have experienced recently. If you know you have a few weekend professional development courses coming up in a few months, then schedule in a short week close to those dates to balance out your week.

3. No, is okay!

Saying no to extra stuff in the interim can help restore and save up your energy. This does not necessarily have to be work related. There are personal matters that can be equally demanding or taxing on you, which has an impact on your energy levels at work. For example, your friends have asked you out for a late night party or your parents have asked you to help them reinstall their crashed computer and see aunty Joy with her two sets of energetic twins and grandma will also be over...she needs to learn how to use her phone. Remember, you can politely say no to these things and reschedule to a more suitable date. At work, it might be setting boundaries with clients who end up overusing their time with you...making you then run late and feel rushed for the rest of the day.

4. Know what fills your teacup!

This is a reference to an earlier blog. This one is about knowing exactly what restores you. For some, it is sitting down with a good book and drinking some hot tea or gardening. For others, it might be having a chat with a non-demanding friend over a footy game or taking a walk in a local nature reserve. You have to know what works well for you and engage with these things to restore you.

5. Have a chat with your supervisor

Plan a time to talk to your supervisor about the workload and come to the table with some of your own ways to address the situation. Maybe it is that as a team you all hold each other accountable for taking lunch breaks.

These are some strategies you can use to get out of burnout. The important thing to remember is that it is definitely not all just your problem because the factors associated with burnout are occupational related. Burnout prevention is about an equal partnership between an employer and employee where both are aware of how work can impact their satisfaction, energy and engagement and both work together to ensure the conditions are set for fostering flourishing workers - one's that grow and learn and never wilt!

Feeling burned out? Don’t wait to be burned up. Start a discussion - be courageous for yourself, for your colleagues and for your professional community.