BURNOUT BASICS- PART ONE: What is burnout?
Welcome to the burnout basics series. This is a series of posts that is here to help you understand the essentials of exactly what you need to know about burnout in order to effectively prevent it, and recover successfully if you’re already there.
When you’re stressed, overwhelmed or burnt out then the last thing you need is to waste your time and limited energy on advice that just isn’t going to move the needle for your burnout. This is particularly relevant for working mums. This is because you have so many responsibilities and balls to juggle, and it’s very difficult to find the time to look after yourself.
Burnout is a huge hot topic at the moment. Despite this, there is so much misinformation out there about what burnout really is, and how it is different from stress. As a result, too many mums with burnout waste precious time and energy inadvertently doing things that just don’t help. This is not your fault, because this was my personal experience with burnout too. With this blog, you are going to learn exactly what you need to do to deal with burnout effectively.
Written by a doctor and mum of 2 with a background in neuroscience, and lived experience of burnout, everything that is shared here is evidence based and draws on scientific literature…but explained in a super accessible way!
Most importantly, the advice given works. This blog will never tell you that you need to eat more nutritiously, get up at 5am, or take ice baths (or, whatever the latest wellness trend is). As lovely as those things are for wellbeing, for burnout they just don’t cut the mustard. As a working mum, frankly, who has the time for any of this? You’re exhausted and time poor. So, you are going to have to concentrate on the things that will really help.
Burnout is so much more than the experience of stress. So much more, in fact, that most people that experience burnout need a considerable amount of time off work. The average time needed for sick leave in burnout is 3.5 months. Some people need up to a year off sick. Full recovery takes on average 1-3 years. This is because what burnout does to the brain and the body is significant.
This series of posts is for you if:
You’re not burnt out yet, but you work a stressful job and are looking for ways to manage the juggle a bit better
You think you might be burnt out, but you’re not sure and are looking for guidance and advice about the next steps
You know you’re burnt out, and you’re looking for advice about how best to recover
You’re worried about a friend, colleague or loved one who might be burnt out
You are under a lot of life stress as a working mum. Maybe you’re going through a difficult time for other reasons as well. In fact, anyone that is experiencing ongoing stress will benefit from reading this blog!
To begin, let’s dive into the definition of burnout.
This is so you can start to understand how and why burnout is such a difficult thing to go through, and how it is different from stress.
Burnout syndrome was first described in the 1970s by a psychologist who worked with stressed healthcare workers in a free HIV/AIDs clinic in New York. What they saw was different to other stress-related problems that had previously been defined. It was a very stressful experience to work in this type of clinic, at this particular point of history. But what was unique about what was happening to these workers was that their stress was causing them to become unwell for a long period of time. Worse, their recovery was more complex and difficult than expected.
Although burnout was first recognised back in the 1970s, the World Health Organisation didn’t officially recognise it, or define it, until 2019 (just 5 years ago!).
They describe burnout as, ‘an occupational syndrome that arises as a result of prolonged workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.’
They identify three parts to burnout:
- Depersonalisation: The cynicism, apathy or lack of caring that develops with burnout.
- Emotional exhaustion: The very real physical and emotional fatigue of caring for too much for too long.
- Reduced performance at work.
You must have all three of the above components to officially have burnout syndrome.
The definition does a pretty good job of explaining what burnout is, and why it’s more than simple stress.
Some points to note about burnout development:
- The first component of burnout to develop is usually emotional exhaustion. This is when you feel completely depleted, regardless of how much rest or downtime you are getting. Most mums will feel this hard already!
- The second component of burnout to develop is usually depersonalisation. This is when you start to become detached from your work, and you start to care less.
- Not everyone who experiences emotional exhaustion will progress to full blown burnout. Burnout starts off as being reactive to your work pressures, but eventually it will affect every single aspect of your life. If you feel stressed at work but you don’t yet identify with all three components, this is the perfect time to act. You can make changes now to prevent things from progressing further. If that’s you, I’m so pleased you’re reading this blog – you’re in the right place!
What the definition of burnout misses:
The definition is not perfect, because there are some groups of people that are at high risk that are missed.
First, you’ll notice that the definition only recognises burnout as occurring within the workplace. This excludes the huge groups of people that carry out unpaid labour who are also under chronic stress. Groups such as working mums (like yourself) and other caregivers. Burnout is a problem that often occurs when your capacity for managing stress at work is reduced by things going on outside of it. Having to work as a mum means having to work like you don’t have children, but simultaneously parenting like you don’t work. It is very stressful having to manage this. There will be lots more about how to handle this better in future blogs, but for now let’s crack on with the basics of burnout.
Second, the definition does not recognise that those that are neurodiverse are also at increased risk of burnout. ADHD, in particular, causes rapid cycles of burnout that are directly caused by the pressures of living in a neurotypical world. Whilst work forms part of the reason why these burnout episodes occur, it’s not the sole reason.
Is burnout a medical problem?
You’ll notice from the definition that burnout is not considered to be a medical or mental health problem. The WHO believes that burnout develops as part of the body’s normal reaction to prolonged and unsuccessfully managed stress. This might feel a bit difficult to get your head around, because burnout definitely feels like it is a mental health problem when you’re in the middle of it. About 60% of people with burnout also have a mental health problem, such as depression or anxiety, alongside it. But for 40% (that’s nearly half!) burnout is a stand alone problem that is entirely reactive to workplace pressure. If you’re not sure for yourself, please speak to your doctor.
You now have knowledge about what burnout is, why it is different to stress, and why it’s not considered to be a medical or a mental health problem.
Stayed tuned for part 2 of the burnout basics series, which covers what burnout feels like to experience.
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I LOVE to hear from my readers. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Did you learn anything new reading this blog? What are the biggest challenges you face as a working mum at the moment?