Chaplain-Led Lunch & Learn Series focused on the human domain of leadership, Session #2
Today, focusing on, “Burnout: What Is It, How Do We Prevent It, and How Do We Navigate It?”
Why? Stress is a normal part of human existence. Burnout, however, is a form of chronic distress that impacts not only our job performance but also our physical health, our sense of self, and overall life satisfaction. Burnout is preventable if we are aware of it in ourselves, each other, and our organizations – but it begins with awareness.
Outline
Norms:
Respect (for self, others)
Participation (will ask for takeaway from 3 persons at end)
Willingness to Learn
Defining Terms: Burnout
Discussion: What comes to mind when you hear burnout?
Probs hear this phrase/term a lot à it is common to assume someone is “burnt out” when their energy is low. But there are some specific traits and settings that distinguish someone as burnt out vs. tired or stressed. We want to address these specifics so that way we can accurately and appropriately address what is occurring.
What is burnout?
= Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when you experience long-term stress in your job, or when you have worked in a physically or emotionally draining role for a long time. (Mental Health UK)
Can include sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity (Mayo Clinic)
Chronic tiredness (ie. not acute, like a stressful situation)
What else jumps out at you about this definition?
Term coined in 1970s by psychologist Herbert Freudenberg
= pretty new dialogue
Used for care professionals à but now recognized as can apply to anyone in any profession under chronic stress
Has only gotten more prevalent with COVID and hyperconnectivity (email, phone, apps, etc.)
Recognized by the World Health Organization as an “occupational hazard” (2019)
Signs of burnout: à it is about exhaustion
Discussion: What do you think might be common signs of burnout?
Big three signs:
Chronic exhaustion = fatigue that comes from caring too much for too long
Cynicism = unconquerable sense of futility, feeling that nothing you do makes any difference
Inefficacy/Disengaging from Work = depletion of empathy, caring and compassion, and then decreased sense of accomplishment: the
Others:
Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated
Isolation
Self-doubt
Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done
Feeling overwhelmed
Excessive stress
Sadness, anger or irritability
Physiological/Behavioral manifestations:
Fatigue
Insomnia
Alcohol or substance misuse
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Vulnerability to illnesses
Similarities to other distress and mental health illnesses like anxiety, depression, or acute stress:
Difference: burnout is not a clinical diagnosis à It is an emotional and physical state resulting from long-term stress. Mental health illnesses may contribute to one’s susceptibility to burnout, but they are not the same.
Questions so far?
Preventing Burnout
Discussion: What might contribute to experiencing burnout?
Generally:
Burnout will not just go away on its own à needs to be addressed; else, going to remain and could manifest into mental health illnesses
Part of preventing burnout requires knowing what can contribute to burnout:
Health:
Physical health
Poor sleep
Mental health
Chronic illness/pain
Emotional/Mental:
Persistent heightened state of anxiety/alert
Chronic distress
Results vs. Expectations = Gap between expectations someone as for themselves and the individual’s perception of their results (ie. individual high expectations and never feeling like they can achieve them) (SHRM)
Extremes of activity (ie. having to shift your energy quickly to respond to demands over a period of time)
Discussion: What jumps out at you about the items on this list?
For ourselves
Know yourself
what makes you stressed, what makes you relaxed? Family history? Mental health illnesses?
All factors that might make you more susceptible to burnout
Ponder: Given what you know about yourself, what might make you more susceptible to burnout?
Establish a healthy support network à and have talking with them as a regular scheduled practice
Friends
Family
Professional
Determine stress management techniques/activities
Manage your health
Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, balance
Unplug/Turn off
Set clear boundaries on your time, ways to communicate, what language will be tolerated, and what you can realistically take on (more to come on this next month!)
Screening Criteria to ask ourselves (on following slide)
Any questions or thoughts on these tools for ourselves?
For our organizations
Create learning opportunities
Like this one where you discuss the realities of burnout à need to name in order to create awareness, prevent, and address
Set and manage expectations
Create clear guidance and expectations, and stick to these
Communicate clearly & proactively
Give time:
Appointments
Working out
Eating well
Assignments/Task = Provide teams appropriate amount of time to accomplish a task/mission, as possible
Discern when crisis vs. when discomfort
Manage your own attitude and energy so other are not on edge à be able to recognize when something is a crisis or when something is just uncomfortable
Admit when wrong
Empower with personal agency to accomplish tasks à give control
Reward and affirm positive results, behavior
Conduct stress risk assessments = A stress risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what in a workplace could cause staff to suffer from work-related stress, so that you can weigh up whether you have done enough, or should do more to prevent harm.
Discussion: What of these ideas could you implement or what are some other things you could introduce to or do with your organization to help prevent burnout? What would this look like?
Navigating Burnout
Once you realize that you or others are burnt out, there are a few things we can do to navigate this, recover, and rehabilitate the affected (Mayo Clinic)
(1) Name what is happening & evaluate to what extent you are burnt out.
(2) Identify the source of your burnout.
(3) Evaluate your options. Discuss specific concerns with your supervisor. Maybe you can work together to change expectations or reach compromises or solutions. Try to set goals for what must get done and what can wait.
Take back control where you can
If you are able to eliminate it, do so. Can you delegate? Is it a crisis that demands response? Who else could help you?
(4) Seek support. Whether you reach out to co-workers, friends or loved ones, support and collaboration might help you cope. If you have access to an employee assistance program, take advantage of relevant services.
(5) Reconnect to your values. Why do you do what you do? What makes you feel alive? Where are you wanting to make a difference? What positive impact do you hope to make? (Forbes)
à regain perspective on what is happening and why you do what you do
(6) Pay attention to your needs.
Try a relaxing activity and/or get some exercise. Regular physical activity can help you to better deal with stress. It can also take your mind off work.
Get some sleep. Sleep restores well-being and helps protect your health.
See your doctor
Eat well
Conclusion
Today, we define burnout, identified some signs of burnout, talked about ways to prevent it in ourselves and our organizations, and discussed recovering from burnout. The hope is that you apply this to your own life and the lives of the folks who you lead.