Ratimng: Average
The Book Of Burnout blurb excerpt: Burnout happens when we take on too much, when we think we can do the impossible, at the cost of our wellbeing, our health and even our quality of life. Although the term is often casually tossed about, burnout is no joke – it can impact every area of your life and leave you depleted in every way.
Using humour, straightforward language and her signature illustrations, Bev clearly explains what burnout is, who is at risk, how to recognise the danger signs and, finally, how to step back from the brink, providing insight and techniques to ease burnout and stop yourself going up in smoke.
My opinion:
It's an easy read that does a great job of simplifying the message, engaging the reader and providing easy to understand take aways. In my opinion a little more detail and a little less repetition would have helped make this book great.
Lessons from The Book Of Burnout:
Although the term is often casually tossed around, burnout is no joke. It can impact every area of your life and leave you depleted in almost every sense.
The world health organization defined burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
Christina Maslach's definition took it one step further and addressed three primary areas:
Exhaustion - measures a feeling of being overextended and exhausted by your work.
Cynicism - measure an indifference or distant attitude towards your work.
Professional Efficacy - measures your satisfaction with past and present accomplishments, and assesses your expectations of continued effectiveness at work.
Whilst burnout is most commonly associated with the workplace, it is certainly not limited to it. Anyone taking on extra responsibility and feeling overworked, overbooked, and indispensable may be at risk. A few examples of how burnout may present itself:
Over it - Something that was once pleasurable now holds little joy because of overexposure.
Done to death - Repeating something too often until it becomes a chore.
Unfinished business - Starting one thing then moving on to another before the first one is finished. Too many irons in the fire may lead to stress over uncompleted tasks.
Push push push - This type of burnout can arise from a vicious cycle of feeding off adrenaline. You're dog tired but keep pushing on and can't seem to stop.
Superhero syndrome - You make yourself indispensable and so you become that. You are always "on call" and can never rest.
Plagued by FOMO - This means exhausting yourself by trying to keep up with current trends or fit in with the status quo.
Bored stiff - We often associate burnout with working too much, but it can also happen when you're not challenged.
Taken to the limit - It's all more than you can handle. The demands on you have outweighed the resources you have to deal with them.
There are three main symptoms attributed to burnout:
A feeling of energy depletion or exhaustion.
Negativity or cynicism towards your situation.
Reduced efficacy.
Other symptoms may include - cravings, brain fog, clumsiness, poor decision-making, increased frequency of illness, difficulty sleeping, weight gain or weight loss, loss of libido, headaches/migraines, tinnitus, blurred vision, skin irritation, neck and shoulder tightness, digestive problems, increased irritability, loss of motivation, mood swings, frequent and unrelated crying, relationship strain, increased use or dependency on alcohol or medications
Burnout vs Depression - Burnout tends to be focused on a specific situation, whereas depression tends to impact or be associated with all elements of your life. Depression also presents in low self-esteem, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts.
The stages of burnout:
Stage 1: Honeymoon Phase - You feel up to the task and determined to see it through.
Stage 2: Justification - You start straying from your original job description or goal as your "to-do" list grows. You convince yourself that you can manage with a few adjustments.
Stage 3: Martyrdom - Whatever you have committed to do is starting to take over, and you begin to make sacrifices for the sake of seeing it through. These may include family time, social activities, rest, sleep, health, self-care, and personal pleasures.
Stage 4: Creeping Dissatisfaction - You start to dread having to put in an appearance. Something that was once stimulating now feels like a chore. You feel unmotivated and distracted.
Stage 5: Blame - Resentment is beginning to build, you feel burdened and overwhelmed. This is not what you signed up for. You blame outside factors for how you are feeling.
Stage 6: Envy - You look around and nobody else seems to be having a hard time. You may also be accommodating someone else's enjoyment while you're suffering. By this stage, you are starting to make mistakes, you're less efficient, clumsier, and more forgetful.
Stage 7: Consciously unconscious - You're aware you're not doing well but you find ways to block the exhaustion, irritability, and unwellness from your consciousness. You figure you can't rest anyway, so you may as well keep going till you drop.
Stage 8: Toast - When you have reached this point you can no longer kid yourself that you can go on. Your body and mind will be sending you signals - illness, panic attacks, anxiety, depression.
Careers that involve any of the following may increase your risk of burnout;
Critical decision making
Extensive travel
Having to be on-call
Caring for others
Heavy caseload
Variable roster
Dealing with the general public
High workload and low wages
Excessive responsibility
Excessive overtime
High investment in the business
Role confusion
Unrealistic expectations
Lack of resources
Working from home - this can blur the lines between your personal and professional life
Extensive screen time
The perceived proximity of faces on Zoom calls can cause confusion as it negates standard social distancing
Some things you can do to limit the risk of burnout:
Take regular breaks
Stay social
Pay attention to your own needs
Eat well
Get enough rest
Talk to others about your experiences and emotions
Clearly define working hours and announce them
Limit work calls and emails to working hours
Be fully present for after-hours pleasures
Indulge in things you like doing
Do an online "Watercooler Chat" if you are part of a distributed team
Reduce meeting times
Isolate your workspace
You may want to delay seeking help from a community support agency, but the sooner your reach out, the better.
Stress:
Stress is a normal human reaction and the human body is designed to experience and react to stress. There are degrees of stress as well as types of stress. Interestingly, not all stress is bad.
Not enough stress and you will find yourself flat, bored, and unproductive. Too much stress and you will find yourself approaching burnout.
Commonly, people think that a situation causes stress but the real issue is actually how you respond to the situation. Each person will respond differently.
Type A personalities are most prone to stress-inducing lifestyles. Type A individuals have more difficulty switching off. So you may need to make relaxing a task for them. Try taking a walk and:
Look at the trees, and notice how the leaves move
Feel the breeze on your face, what does it feel like
Notice the sound of your feet on the footpath
Focus on what you can smell
Can you taste anything right now?
Why do people take on too much:
You have financial demands
Your job is on the line
You feel obligated or duty-bound
Your situation involves a high level of pressure
Low self-esteem
Being overly accommodating
No clear boundaries
Inflated sense of responsibility
Inability to say No
Fear of letting others down
Fear is a driving emotion when it comes to burnout:
Fear of not having or being enough
Fear of being overlooked
Fear of speaking up
Fear of conflict
Fear of disappointment in yourself
Fear of letting others down
Fear of judgment or criticism
Fear of failure
FEAR OF STOPPING - driving yourself this way is as much an addiction as it is a stimulant.
People who don't become burned out know how to:
Detach
Debrief
Deliberate
Decompress
There are several techniques that can help you respond better to stress:
Stop feeding your stress
Pace yourself
Be positive
It's not long hours, challenges, or complexities of a situation that can cause you to feel burned out, it is the resistance you feel towards these things.
People who go home to security, safety, support, and sanctuary are less likely to drive themselves into the ground.
The Book Of Burnout Quotes:
"You're too WIRED to sleep and too TIRED to function"
"Overwork and stress aren't badges of honor, they're signs that you're doing too much."
"When you look for meaning in adversity, it can enrich your life"
"One guaranteed way to keep yourself stressed is to always be busy"
"Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are productive"
"Burnout is the result, not the cause"
"Can you find fulfillment in doing, rather than achieving"
"The only person who can save you is you"
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