Research out of AUT suggests 11 per cent of New Zealand workers might be experiencing burnout: physical or mental problems due to stress or overwork. That’s more than one in every ten new Zealanders.
We use the term burnout to describe physical, mental and emotional exhaustion.
The World Health Organisation predict burnout will be a global pandemic in less than a decade and The World Economic Forum estimates an annual burnout cost of GBP 225B to the global economy. We know there’s an organisational cost of burnout too with increased turnover, absenteeism and of course the obvious impact on performance.
The most common indicators burnout is at play are; exhaustion, a feeling of lack of control, disengaging, trouble focusing, a sense of dread about work and frequent feelings of cynicism or irritability.
Burnout is not just about quantity but the quality of what we’re doing not just how much of it we’re doing. According to Psychology today; Burnout is not simply a result of working long hours or juggling too many tasks, though those both play a role.
The cynicism, depression, and lethargy that are characteristic of burnout most often occur when a person is not in control of how a job is carried out, or is asked to complete tasks that conflict with their sense of self.
5 Stage of Burnout with symptoms
In my experience, it’s not poor performers who burnout, we don’t burn out because we’re not capable, in fact it’s the opposite. The more capable we are the more likely we are to burnout, it’s the drive of the high achiever that leads us down this path.
High achievers are given more work because of their competence and track record which puts them at higher risk of overworking , having too much on their plate and ultimately burning out.
And of course we can’t say no, for fear of not been seen as up to the job, for looking weak or like we’re not coping. Our cultures and societal norms around this stuff keep us pushing until we hit a wall, saying yes until we collapse under the weight of all the commitments we’ve just made – then we feel like a failure.
So how do we avoid burnout? What triggers should we look out for?
Well, if you’re tired all the time, despite getting plenty of sleep; if you’re constantly fighting off coughs and colds – always being on the verge of sickness; if you’re struggling to motivate yourself, and not finding joy in the things you used to love or don’t have the motivation to do these things … you’re on notice burnout is close.
In this state, we become less tolerant of those around us. We reach for the wrong food or increase our alcohol intake as a coping mechanism. When we’re exhausted, we tend to choose TV over exercise, or takeaways over cooking, or we skip meals completely because of a loss of appetite – these are all potential burnout signs.
And, of course, the most obvious sign is when we truly hit burnout, and end up in bed, completely devoid of energy and interest in life. This was certainly my experience – but we’re all different.
Most of us know what it’s like to be at our best; we’ve been there before. Likewise, we know what it’s like when we’re about to hit a wall and get sick: when we’ve overdone it, left it too late or burned the candle at both ends.
I like to think of this in terms of a traffic light. We all have green and red zones, and they look different for us all.
The red light stops us completely; it’s our ground zero. The green light is when we’re all go and at our best. The amber light, in between, is important: it’s our warning system. When we slip from green, before we hit red, the amber light gives us an opportunity to act and pre-empt hitting the wall and slipping into that red zone: burnout.
For me, that amber light is a twitch in the corner of my eye, a sore throat and a constant tiredness. It’s noticing I’m less tolerant and a bit snappy with loved ones. This is my amber light; my warning to back off, take a rest and pre-empt the approaching red zone.
Another way to think about this is in terms of the petrol warning light in the car. When you know your tank is nearing empty, stop and refuel, to avoid being left on the side of the road.
So what do these traffic lights look like for you? What do you notice about yourself when you’re at your best, on green? What about when you’re at your worst and close to burnout, on red? And what about that bit in between: what are the early warning signs you get at the amber light? What rating would you give yourself right now and what can you do about it?
Find out more in the brand new book, Burnout to Brilliance out now