Breaking the Burnout Cycle

The term burnout is evocative. One might imagine a once lush and green forest burned to the ground, a candle melted to its wick, burnt matches, or a number of other mental pictures. I wonder what you think of when you hear the word burnout... Perhaps something like this:

Burnout is the mental, emotional, and physical cost of chronic workplace stress. It manifests as symptoms like exhaustion, fatigue, emotional detachment, withdrawal, irritability, reduced productivity, difficulty coping, and a loss of idealism, morale, and/or hope. These symptoms are an alarm signaling that there is something going wrong in our lives. For many people, burnout may also complicate pre-existing mental health challenges (e.g., anxiety, depression, PTSD) or unhelpful coping mechanisms (e.g., substance abuse, social withdrawal, risk-taking behaviours).

In order to prevent, treat, or overcome burnout we must understand how burnout happens. Decades of research have now demonstrated that certain top-down organizational factors, such as workplace operations, policies, and cultures are the root causes of burnout, not individual characteristics.

High rates of burnout have been observed in workplaces where:

Excessive workloads are coupled with insufficient resources and/or support.
Employees don’t have appropriate levels of autonomy and decision making power.
Compensation and appreciation are poor or lacking.
There is no sense of community among workers.
Policies are unjust or inequitable.
Company values go against workers’ values.

The high rates of burnout found in organizations have little to do with individual employees’ personal characteristics (i.e., self-awareness, boundary setting ability) and everything to do with the environments employers and organizations create for their workers.

So, how does one prevent or recover from burnout when the underlying causes are outside of our control? Especially when many organizations evade responsibility for worker burnout and place the burden back on workers by pushing superficial “self-care” initiatives while maintaining policies and practices that do not support employee well-being..?

We must empower ourselves by focusing on what we actually can change or control.

I want to start by acknowledging that individuals’ life circumstances show substantial diversity. There will always be circumstances beyond our control, and some individuals will face greater barriers and challenges than others. What is helpful to one person will not be helpful to everyone. What feels possible to one person may not feel possible to another. For example, some may find it empowering to actively advocate for changes to workplace policies while others may be exhausted beyond the point of asking for change, for very good reasons.

With this in mind, there is only ever really one thing we can effectively and ethically control, and that is ourselves. Fortunately, each one of us is layered, with our own unique strengths and resources that can be tapped into during recovery. The following information is based on research and shaped by my perspective and the perspectives of many others. It is important that you decide what information applies to you within the context of your own life, strengths, and resources.

Recovery can start with small, sustainable changes towards improving our wellbeing. Many people spend years ignoring and minimizing their symptoms in order to push through or tough it out. This means spending life in survival mode, slowly becoming more injured by chronic stress over time. Burnout can blaze through all aspects of our lives, harming our mental health, our relationships, our careers, and our bodies. The first step in recovering from burnout is recognizing and acknowledging that something is wrong in the first place.

Many find that naming burnout allows for a shift in perspective from self-criticism (e.g., everyone else seems fine, what’s wrong with me?) to self-compassion (e.g., everyone needs and deserves support, it is human nature to struggle at times). It is validating to know that what is happening to you is not your fault, that you are legitimately suffering, and that it’s okay that you need time and support to recover.

Here are some further steps you can take to work towards recovery:

Decide what recovery means to you within the context of your life story. Realistically, recovery is not a rewind button, it's a shift towards a different, better personal future. Start really thinking about what kind of future you want for yourself--getting a better idea of this can help you set realistic and achievable goals to direct your efforts.
Prioritize actual self-care where you can. This may look like learning about sleep hygiene, improving your nutrition, spending time in nature, engaging in body movement, or doing enjoyable activities. It may also look like developing a greater awareness of and respect for your own needs, and learning how to set and assert boundaries that protect your wellbeing, quality of life, and work/life balance (e.g., saying no to additional responsibilities at or outside of work, not taking on extra shifts or hours). While self-care can help improve your quality of life and overall well-being, it will usually not be enough to heal burnout if nothing changes at work.
Seek social support. Although you may feel that your suffering is obvious and those who care for you should notice and offer support, the best course of action is to reach out yourself. There are many reasons why others may not realize the extent of your suffering, know how to talk to you about it, or what to do to help you. When you reach out, you are giving yourself the opportunity to be supported, and your friends, loved ones, community members, or colleagues the opportunity to help you. If you don’t feel like you have a social network you can rely on, consider joining a community support group. Social support is an incredibly powerful resource. Research has demonstrated a clear link between social support and personal wellbeing. It is a particularly valuable resource for protecting from burnout and helping with burnout recovery. Read more here.
Seek support from mental health professionals. Mental health professionals can support your recovery journey in a number of ways, whether it be through supportive listening, helping you identify burnout and recognize your symptoms, or providing perspective, resources, information, and tools that will help you work towards recovery on your own terms.
Seek medical support. Talking to your family doctor about how you’re feeling might be beneficial. They may be able to support you with further resources, options, information, and medication.
Taking a break from work. If possible, reducing the amount of time spent in the burnout environment (e.g., switching to part time hours, taking a stress leave) may help give you time and space to recharge and recover from burnout and decide how you want to proceed.
Remove yourself from the situation. If all else fails, you may need a change of environment. Developing a plan to leave your current situation can help you gain more control over your daily life and well-being. This may involve contemplating, looking at, or applying for other jobs, changing work locations, taking courses, or exploring a new career path altogether. When it comes to this aspect of burnout recovery, beware of the sunk costs fallacy (our tendency to remain invested in something based on how much we have already invested in it, not on how it is actually benefiting or harming us in the present).

Burnout can have serious negative impacts on our mental, physical, and social well-being. By recognizing the signs, prioritizing self-care, seeking support, and being open to change, you can reclaim your mental health and work towards finding a new sense of balance and fulfillment in your life. Remember, you are not alone, and there is hope for a brighter, healthier future ahead.

A forest burned to the ground is indeed a loss, but one that may be followed by incredible new growth.

Sources:

Arkes, H. R., & Blumer, C. (1985). The psychology of sunk cost. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 35(1), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(85)90049-4

Leamy, M., Bird, V., Boutillier, C. L., Williams, J., & Slade, M. (2011, December). Conceptual framework for personal recovery in mental health: systematic review and narrative synthesis. British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(6), 445–452. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.110.083733

Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981, April). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030020205

Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016, June). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311

Mental Health Commission of Canada. (2015). Guidelines for Recovery-Oriented Practice. Mental Health Commission of Canada. https://mentalhealthcommission.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2021/05/MHCC_Recovery_Guidelines_2016_ENG.pdf

Moss, J. (2021). The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It. Harvard Business Review Press.

Nagoski, E. & Nagoski, A. (2020). Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle. Ballantine Books.

Posluns, K., & Gall, T. L. (2019, May). Dear Mental Health Practitioners, Take Care of Yourselves: a Literature Review on Self-Care. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 42(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-019-09382-w