Not all stress is bad stress and moderate stress can actually make us perform better. It helps us to be more alert when public speaking and in interviews. It provides that exhilaration we get when competing in dangerous sports.
Stress is a survival mechanism when we are faced with dangerous situations. It helps us to respond accordingly. However, when stress is excessive or prolonged, it can lead to illness. It can cause us to become physically and emotionally exhausted and lead to fatigue, anxiety, and burnout.
There are many factors contributing to the excess stress in our life. Stress in our personal lives can impact our work lives and likewise, stress at work can impact our personal lives.
A 2018 survey by Gallup found that the top 5 reasons for burnout in the workplace are:
1. Unfair treatment at work
2. Unmanageable workload
3. Lack of role clarity
4. Lack of communication and support from their manager
5. Unreasonable time pressure
Mental Health UK describes burnout as 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.
The signs of burnout
Common signs of burnout include:
- Feeling tired or drained most of the time
- Feeling helpless, trapped and/or defeated
- Feeling detached/alone in the world
- Having a cynical/negative outlook
- Self-doubt
- Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done
- Feeling overwhelmed
A few years ago, I interviewed a former HR Director who shared her story of burnout with me for my listeners. She talked about how she suffered burnout and that the warning signs were there leading up to it, but at the time she did not think anything of it.
She had a very demanding role and was the type of person who never said no. Taking on more and more responsibilities. One glass of wine in the evening to unwind crept up to 2 glasses, and then when wine no longer hit the spot, it was upgraded to half a bottle of vodka an evening.
There was also the junk that she was attempting to fuel her body with, which of course, gave her no nourishment whatsoever. The result being she found herself one day in a meeting standing up and not being able to move her legs. What happened after that was a bit of a blur, and it ended up with her spending 3 months in a private clinic to recover.
It is reported that women experience burnout at a higher rate than men, and that the age in which burnout is being experienced is getting younger. A 2019 Harris poll found that 3 out of 4 American women are suffering from burnout.
Be aware of introvert burnout
As a leader who is introverted, you may find that many aspects of what is required of you depletes your energy. Back to back meetings, networking and other overly stimulating activities that are external to your mind can create what I call introvert drain.
Be mindful of your energy drainers. Whilst the nature of your role means that you are unable to avoid them, minimise the effect that they have. Practising self-care before and after the energy drainers, enables you to be at your optimal, and get the recharging and re-energising that you need.
Become an advocate for self-care
Some work environments can be a breeding ground for burnout, but if environmental conditions are improved, the pressure that leads to burnout will be eased. As a leader, create the right environmental conditions for you and your teams. Prevention is better than cure, so prevent burnout before it happens.
Become an advocate for self-care. The World Health Organisation defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider”.
Eliminating the toxic environmental conditions and practicing regular self-care (and encouraging others to do so) will reduce the stressors that lead to burnout. Model the behaviour that you want your teams to follow.
Many senior leaders work excessive hours without expecting the people they lead to do the same. But if this is you, remember, even though you may not be expecting them to burn the candle at both ends like you do, for those more junior who want to get ahead in their career, they may think that if they are to succeed, they need to do that too.
Make self-care a regular part of your schedule
Self-care means different things to different people and people practice it in different ways. Find what works best for you and put regular time in your diary for it. You can’t pour from an empty cup and if you are ‘empty’ not only will you not be at your best, but you also won’t be able to ‘pour’ into others.
Put boundaries in place so the lines between work and home are not blurred. You may even need to put boundaries in place in your personal life. Make time for things such as mindfulness, meditation, journaling, walking in nature, listening to music, connecting with your creativity, taking holidays or long weekend breaks, or whatever else gives you the space and self-care that you need.
Do you regularly practice self-care? Or is it something you need to do more of? Please let me know below.
First published on LinkedIn.
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