I can’t take it anymore, I’m burned out - I’m leaving!
Burnout (or near-burnout) is one of the most common reasons people give for wanting to leave their role or change career.
Surveys show that the prevalence of burnout can reach up to 88% depending on the setting It’s especially high in healthcare, with burned out staff being 3 times more likely to want to leave.
But changing role without changing mindset creates a risk of reproducing the same pattern in another place.
5 STEPS
It’s important to have sound energy protection, anti-burnout personal hygiene.
You can vaccinate yourself against burnout with your own natural, innate wisdom and a little help.
But you might be tired of hearing about taking breaks, managing your boundaries and spending time in nature. I work with high achievers and independent thinkers who don’t like being told what to do (hey, we all like our freedom). So let’s use a little reverse psychology to understand how burnout is created so you can make adjustments where needed and take care of your energy.
Here are 5 ways you might accidentally increase the chances of burnout:
[Read on or watch the video]
#1: Keep ignoring your body signals when you need rest, suppress your emotions and eliminate simple joys. Say ‘yes’ when your body or intuition says ‘no’. Drop the yoga or pottery class and give up on writing that novel.
#2: Blame everything on others (people, situations, the economy) and reinforce a sense of powerlessness (caveat: this is not to ignore the terrible things happening in the world but to stop focusing on things you can’t control).
#3: Let your inner-critic take over your thinking and listen to it all day. Stop taking action on your bigger vision (whether that’s going for the role you really want, moving onto something else or creating a business) because you need ‘confidence’ or to be ‘good enough’ before you do.
#4: Hide what’s going on for you from other people and show them how strong and independent you are. Have zero human needs. Prove you’re an invincible heroine!
# 5: Keep overwhelming yourself with information and tasks that don’t matter. Have an ever-expanding to-do list. Use stimulants and distractions – keep the dopamine and sugar hits coming - and avoid taking time and space to listen to your inner-self (see point 1).
These represent the top 5 widely recognised criteria for burnout (emotional exhaustion; depersonalisation/cynicism; reduced (perceived) performance; insularity and cognitive dysfunction).
But what is the cause of burnout in the first place? Most people think it’s overwork. But that’s just a symptom.
We’ll explore burnout’s nature and remedies in upcoming Wise Wednesdays.
In the meantime, would you be willing to share your experience of what can push you into a feeling of burnout?
Have a great week,
Amina
p.s. Ready to go from trapped and tired to thoroughly thriving in life? Reach out by completing the coaching questionnaire and booking your 1:1 exploratory coaching conversation with me here >>