5 Hard Truths About Professional Burnout
Is it possible to avoid burnout? There’s a new conversation starting around that hypothesis.
Just last month the World Health Organization announced the addition of burnout as a recognized medical diagnosis related to employment (or unemployment) however they stop short here. No recommendations on how to avoid / avert or treat.
So what’s this new conversation? Is it possible to see it coming and avoid it? Some say yes, others say no. As someone who has gone through it I’ve got my own thoughts on this topic and I’ll share them here with you now.
My take on the chance of avoiding burnout is slim to none. Mind you I did offer you a ‘slim’. Let’s be honest, how many of you are really ready to make hard decisions about how you are currently living your life or have the difficult conversations with others to make the right amount of change in your life in order to avert burnout? I would venture to guess very, very few of you.
Just to reiterate in case you missed my last blog, according to the ICD-11’s definition, burnout is based on problems related to employment or unemployment. And, according to the handbook, doctors can diagnose someone with burnout if they meet the following symptoms:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
- increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
- reduced professional efficacy
These symptoms are so incredibly vague and lack substance for anyone who may be headed towards burnout to even identify they are at risk. And how the heck are doctors supposed to recognize them? This is one of the reasons why I say burnout can’t be avoided. Let’s dig down a little deeper to these vague symptoms.
They can show up in several ways much easier to recognize than the WHO’s vague description: As the sun sets on a Sunday night and you realize Monday is hours away, you get a pit in your stomach from the knowledge you’ve another five days of the grind. Monday mornings are painful, difficult to get started, you drag to get moving with a constant chatter in your mind “I don’t want to go to work!”
Or, where you were once the first to pitch in to assist moving a colleague through a difficult challenge, you now stand idle by as you watch them struggle with no interest in offering assistance, advice or guidance to get through it. Taking on a “It’s not my job” mentality, turning the other way when management asks for volunteers for special projects or being absolutely ok with not being awarded a new account since “I just work here”.
These are just a few ways that I see burnout creeping up on people and they are completely unaware of where they are headed. This is why I believe it cannot be avoided, but instead must be transcended.
Here’s what I mean by this; regardless of where you are (headed towards or already in burnout) there are specific actions you need to take in order to get through it.
1: Know this will not be easy
Burnout is your body, mind and soul’s way of telling you that you are on the wrong path or you’ve deviated from your path too far and must make a correction. I get that most people don’t like change, which is why so many stay in burnout for way too long. But burnout demands change and you will only come through it if you are willing to make tough decisions and choices which impact how you live your life moving forward.
2: Be willing to let go of what no longer serves you
Marriages, friendships and partnerships end every day because each person’s goal has changed or the purpose of the union has been fulfilled, the same is true for you as an individual. Take a good hard look at your values and be willing to let go of those activities which no longer serve to meet your values. Big secret: most people don’t even know what they value (what is important to you). It’s a good first step to learn what your values are as there’s a really good chance you are living your life way way way far away from what you value most.
3: You will need to make some really tough decisions.
Take a moment to go back up and re-read bullet #1. Burnout demands change and you can only come through it if you are willing to make tough decisions and choices. It will hurt but is necessary.
4: Your life will be very different after transcending burnout
And it isn’t a quick or easy path. You’ll learn much about yourself on this journey – and I promise you the learning and growth you experience in this process will be invaluable to you as you come out the other side.
5: You will be stronger, smarter and better than you were before the experience
You will have learned much about yourself, what is important to you, and the boundaries you need in place professionally in order to maintain your balance and never be at risk of burnout again.
As someone who has first-hand experience with burnout and has spent the last 3 years cracking the code on how to transcend it, I’m ecstatic that the WHO now recognizes it as a legitimate diagnosis. Now let’s take this to the next level and see what can be done on the front end (by corporations, business owners, entrepreneurs) to prevent their employees (and themselves!) from hitting burnout. I think there’s going to be a ton to unpack in that one, wouldn’t you agree?
Share your experience with me in the comments below and join my community of fellow high achievers who have experienced burnout by opting in to my mailing list so you’ll never miss another blog.
About Rachelle
Rachelle Stone is a 25+ year veteran of the Meetings & Convention Industry who, in 2014 left the industry to transition to full time Consulting & Executive Coaching after her own personal implosion. She now guides business owners and stressed out executives through the strategic steps needed to breakthrough plateaus and glass ceilings, accelerate their growth trajectory, increase profits, dominate in their market and reach their goals WITHOUT burning out.
