How to Overcome Extreme Burnout

My experience with burnout has been something of a learning experience — one where I learned more about my own mental limits and the expectations on my time. I want to share this experience for a couple of reasons: One is to get it out of my mind and onto “paper” to possibly reveal some clarifying context for myself. And the second is to provide an account that others may relate to or be able to take something away. Where the expectation of a 50+ hour work week is considered normal and when everything is overly fast-paced and time critical; we have to ask: Where is the breaking point? And when are we going to start telling ourselves to slow down?

The Road to Burnout

The curse of overwork or the act of pushing yourself past any reasonable mental or physical limits while disregarding what your body/mind is telling you will lead to burnout. In my case, it was overwork, long hours, and my stubborn and demented execution of a Midwest work ethic that I pushed to the extreme. My thinking was: “you have a job to do, so you get it done; no time — too bad, not enough resources — too bad. No excuses, get it done.” Looking back, it was stupid and narrow-minded. I led myself to that end. I was blind and uncompromising. I identified too strongly with the work that I destroyed any balance between my work and personal lives. The monotony didn’t help either.

There are any number of factors that can lead to burnout. A few I already mentioned: overwork, monotony, or a chaotic workplace all of which negatively impact any sense of a work-life balance. Other causes of burnout can include:

• Lack of control: You may be unable to have any influence regarding decisions about your work, like workload or timelines. You may also lack the resources you need to be effective.
• Unclear job expectations: Details of a project or your job may be unclear. Not understanding what exactly is expected of you can be stress inducing.
• Dysfunctional/negative workplace dynamics: Micromanagement, hostile work environments, etc. (Mayo Clinic, 2020, para. 4)

These causes usually don’t occur individually, rather they can overlap and interact together creating an overwhelming environment and having a compound effect on the emergence of resulting symptoms.

Symptoms of Burnout

Manifested symptoms can be behavioral, psychological, and physiological; each to varying degrees. When I look at the following list, all I can say is “yup, yup, and yup”. Where disillusionment with my job was the starting point, experiences will differ. For me: I put in more effort and time than was warranted and gave the business the benefit of the doubt that the environment would improve. Unfortunately, it did not. Efforts to enact positive change was an exercise in frustration and futility. My inherent cynicism deepened as I went through the whole “what’s the point?” dance. I experienced emotional exhaustion and was increasingly detached from my work (Salvagioni et al., 2017, para. 2). This led to many of these other symptoms:

• Becoming critical at work
• Lacking the energy to be consistently productive or to concentrate
• Becoming irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers, or clients
• Using food, drugs, or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel?
• Change in sleeping habits
• Experiencing unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints (Mayo Clinic, 2020, para. 3)

From my experience, the effects from these symptoms only compounded over time. As I understand it, the effects of burnout can manifest in a myriad of ways even to the point of requiring medical attention. Fortunately, my experience didn’t lead me to this extreme. It could have if I had let continue.

Effects of Burnout

The effects I experienced are hard to describe. It was frightening and surprising that there was such an impact. I couldn’t think. It was difficult to form a thought like my brain was offline and all that was operational was minimal life support. Critical thinking was a major struggle. I was running on auto-pilot just working, dragging myself to get to the next task or milestone. It was like walking around in a fog. I was exhausted and wasn’t sleeping well. It could have been worse. Physical and psychological effects of burnout abound:

We lead ourselves down the path to burnout willingly or not. Straight into the grasp of these possible outcomes. We must be self-aware enough to recognize when we are starting to fall into the trap. It is a trap built partly from our environment and from the fear we have of losing our position or livelihood if we were to address the symptoms and effects that arise. Some coping mechanisms we conjure like emotional detachment are not productive. Ideally, we should remove ourselves from the situations that put us at odds with our well-being. Unfortunately, that isn’t always an option, but there are actions we can take and behaviors we can change.

Coping with Burnout

My coping ended up being counter-productive measures where I was detached to the point of limiting myself from thinking too far beyond immediate tasks or milestones. If I thought any farther ahead, the stress and anxiety would increase. I built a wall around myself to help deal with current stresses and to protect (and be ready for) the future stresses I knew were coming. It wasn’t an effective strategy. It was more of a retreat and surrender.

The experience made me more jaded than anything to give myself so readily to a job because I rarely received anything for the effort other than a headache. There was no return on my investment, so-to-speak. Sometimes we have to operate within a system with clear limits and lack of options. Here are some more productive ways to manage yourself in an environment that can lead to burnout:

• Evaluate your options: Can you discuss specific concerns with your supervisor? Maybe you can work together to change expectations or reach compromises or solutions. Try to set goals for what must get done and what can wait. Maybe it is possible to design a workflow where you engage with one task at a time.
• Seek support: Can you reach out to coworkers, friends, or loved ones? Support and collaboration may help you cope. Take advantage of an employee assistance program if available.
• Try a relaxing activity: Consider yoga, meditation, or tai chi. Schedule down time; giving yourself breathing room is essential.
• Exercise: Regular physical activity can help you to better deal with stress.
• Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the act of focusing on your breath flow and being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every moment. In a job setting, this practice involves facing situations with openness and patience, and without judgment. (Mayo Clinic, 2020, para. 7)

It is difficult to step back and take an objective view of a stressful situation, but it is important to consider doing so. The sad thing is that we live in a society where overwork is the norm and stress is something that we are just expected to deal with. I believe that the wider system of work will evolve to value personal well-being over some outmoded notion of productivity. Take care of yourself and be well.

References

Mayo Clinic Staff. (November, 2020). Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642

Salvagioni, D. A. J., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., Gonzalez, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & Andrade, S. M. d. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLOS One, 12(10): e0185781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185781