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Burnout
None of us can have failed to have noticed the growing backlash against setting new years resolutions at the start of this year. The gram was awash with pleas to set intentions instead, or a theme, or even just a word.
Whilst there are many good reasons why resolutions do or don’t serve us, it had me thinking about the fullness we are collectively feeling. And that maybe our whole body ‘NO’ to resolutions was instead a whole body “NO’ to leave me alone, I have enough on my plate.
Understanding Burnout
I read somewhere recently that the whole world is at burnout. A word we are often fearful of.
As recently as 2019 The World Health Organisation described burnout as:
A syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.
It is characterised by three dimensions:
- Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.
- Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of cynicism or negativity
related to one’s job; and - Reduced professional efficacy.
Interesting because it firmly places burnout as a syndrome of the workplace. As working parents, we know that we can suffer burnout at home as well.
Redefining Success and Boundaries
Perhaps we are uncomfortable with the word burnout because it suggests failure or that we haven’t coped, even that there is something wrong with us. We know that there is a strong correlation between burnout and those driven by perfection. And yet there is a wonderful opportunity in that, to become perfect at creating boundaries, knowing, and honouring our limits. And yet there is often a sense of ‘fix me so that I can return to exactly what I was doing before burnout’ present when working in this territory.
I have coached around burnout a zillion times, I have also experienced it for myself, and I think the toughest part is Acceptance. Actually, accepting that we are burnt out is the first most important step. The ‘tasks’ of burnout are then recognition, recovery and regrowth.
Burnout is a clear call for us to realign values and build a new self-concept, if we can see it and accept it as that, it’s a gift!
And one of the parts to that gift is realising that the protective behaviours that prevent burnout are actually the very same behaviours that help us to recover from burnout.
The DRAMMA model
We wanted to share with you the DRAMMA model – which we work with to help our clients recover effectively from burnout. It shows six fundamental elements, both important for prevention and recovery.
D Detachment from the source of stress, do something engaging
R Restful, doing something that doesn’t overexert the mind and body
A Autonomy, do something that puts you back in charge
M Mastery, find something that expands your skills
M Meaning find an activity that gives you meaning and purpose
A Affiliation, engage in activities that involve others to increase you sense of connection
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Feature Image Credit: Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels