10.0 Burnout

Burnout is a topic that nearly everyone can relate to after 2020. There is a worldwide exhaustion happening and this can lead to increased stress and people feeling burnt out. Identified in this post are two types of burnout that can affect anyone. They are:

· Collective burnout

· Individual burnout

COLLECTIVE BURNOUT

Every Victorian just wanted to get to Christmas, and we were clinging on to get to this new year. It’s as if 2021 is bringing hope with a vaccine on it’s way around the globe. “If only we can get to next year and see the back side of 2020” a friend said to me the other day. I believe that the world, country and especially Victorians are going through a collective burnout. We are exhausted. Our tanks are running on empty and the replenishments for our tanks are unavailable or severely limited. Holidays – a critical outlet to reduce our stress are currently unavailable, unless you love camping or vacationing regional. Even then, our freedoms are given a reality check as we have to adhere to the ‘rules’ everyday.

This is the first time in my life I have experienced a collective burnout. From friends, family to colleagues and literally everyone. This year has pummelled us. My psychologist told me that everyone in his industry is talking about burnout. We’ve got to recognise this collective burnout and aim for some essential self care in 2021. I may not be at the end of my tether, but I am exhausted from 2020. My hopes, dreams and goals all seem to lie in 2021. The hope of a vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel.

INDIVIDUAL BURNOUT

My first experience of individual burnout came during my first professional job. From my manager’s perspective I was doing well in my peer support role. However, I didn’t think I was doing well enough and believed that I could bring people to full mental health recovery just like I had in my own life. I put my heart and soul into that job. It just wasn’t enough to make the difference I wanted. Only in hindsight could I fully acknowledge the fact that people made their own choices and I could only help so much. For me, being in the caring/soft skill industries, this is what burnout looks like. Giving and giving and not realising my limits until it’s too late.

Burnout can happen from many sources. It may come from unnecessary stress or you might be dissatisfied with your job and your boss’s expectations are leading you into tighter deadlines.

I have worked in the caring industries where soft skills are mostly required, and industries of the built environment where hard skills are strong. I’ve noticed in industries that require predominantly hard skills, I gained a quicker recognition and awareness of burnout occurring than I did working in the soft skills industries. This may be because my energy expenditure was immediately noticeable in my body and my mind.

The type of burnout in the caring professions can be a creeper that flies under the radar. One example as a peer practitioner is that when I have a few days of giving and expending a lot of energy, even if I feel they’ve been solid productive days. I’ve noticed at the end of those few days I was pasted to living room couch trying to get up, not understanding why I felt so exhausted. This is one reason why it’s so difficult to foresee burnout. Because we can feel so productive before it hits. There were no foreseeable signs at work in the days leading up to my realisation on the couch that I needed to self-care.