Oct. 24, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by Avera Health.

Overbooked calendars. Constant pings on your cellphone. Added responsibilities. Changing technology. Add all that to the internal pressure you feel to appear like you’ve got it all together. While some people thrive on a high level of busyness, others begin to suffer from what’s generally called burnout.

According to surveys by the American Psychological Association, burnout among American workers is on the rise. In 2021, nearly three in five employees reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including lack of energy, interest and motivation; mental and emotional weariness; and physical fatigue.

“It’s tempting to think it wouldn’t happen to me – that I’m a resilient person. Yet the environment we live in and the stressors that create pressure for us impact the strongest among us,” said Dr. Matthew Stanley, Avera psychiatrist and vice president of Avera’s Behavioral Health Service Line.

“Leaders may see the need for work-life balance for our employees, but we don’t follow it ourselves,” Stanley said. “Rather, we just keep adding more to our shoulders.”

Why? Maybe it’s our competitive culture – a feeling that there’s always someone out there, just waiting, who can perform better.

It could be a belief that I’m striving to be stronger at work so I can provide better for my family. Or worries about shifting economics.

Or maybe it’s a sense of pride in my community presence, reputation and employability.

If there’s a silver lining to COVID, it is raised awareness about mental health. “We see the conversations changing to be more open and honest,” Stanley said.

How to know if you might have burnout

Burnout signs and symptoms can include the following:

• Inability to relax and poor sleep. “Sleep is paramount for your body and mind to restore and recover and be ready for whatever you’ll face the next day,” Stanley said.
• Feelings of cynicism– that what you’re doing doesn’t matter.
• Emotional numbing – you don’t feel excited, enthused, happy or even sad.
• Irritability and anger.
• Loss of enjoyment. “You feel like all you do is to go to work, go home, try to sleep and then go back to work,” Stanley said. “Life doesn’t have any balance to it.”

What can you do to ease burnout?

Stanley suggests these tips:

Make self-care a priority.

Set aside time for restorative sleep and rest. Eat healthy, unprocessed and whole foods. “Exercise is an absolutely great way to get in your own head and give yourself the gift of physical renewal,” Stanley said.

Separate work life from home life.

One great technique is the “Mister Rogers procedure.” The fictional TV character came in the door of his neighborhood home, took off his suit jacket and dress shoes, and put on his sweater and sneakers. “These rituals were moving him from his work environment to his home environment. This can include any pattern or habit that tells yourself, ‘I’m relaxed now,’” Stanley said.

The majority of professionals carry their work responsibility with them 24/7 through their cellphones, laptops, tablets or in their minds. “Even when you’re not in the office, you’re thinking about the problems of the day or waiting for a call,” he said.

And your being on call 24/7 isn’t good for your employees either. “Our increased ability to be contacted has reduced the critical thinking skills of those who work under us. Rather than solving an issue, they just call for a solution. It means there is no downtime for those with responsibility.”

Change your internal dialogue.

Statistics show that 70 percent of the time, when remembering an event, people remember the negative aspects rather than the positive.

Keeping a gratitude journal can help you reframe your thinking.

So can mindfulness. “That’s the ability to just be present, to just feel and without judgment evaluate where you’re at in the moment,” Stanley said.

Our internal dialogue is too often critical of ourselves. “A good place to start is to try and not say anything to yourself internally that you wouldn’t say to a stranger on the street,” he said. “At least be as kind to yourself as you’d be to a stranger.”

Grant yourself time to think.

“We’re so often skipping over the surface – we rarely get into deep thinking,” Stanley said. He recommends setting aside time at work when you can focus on the problems you’re trying to solve.

“If you’re always jumping from one thing to the next, you can never delve into that solution-oriented deep thought that gives us a sense of completion and closure.”

If these steps don’t help to resolve your burnout, help is available. Check into your company’s Employee Assistance Program, which may include free counseling sessions or learning sessions as part of your benefits. Or learn more at Avera.org/BehavioralHealth.