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Many people are recently being introduced to a new normal in different aspects of their lives, especially work. Whether an individual is self- employed, partly or fully employed, work still remains an important aspect of people’s lives. There have been reports from people who have to take countless virtual meetings a day or those who are still required to go into the office that there is a bit more pressure which tends to affect performance. Burnout, a condition in which one becomes physically, mentally and emotionally tired of doing a job for a long time can be quite a common occurrence amongst workers, especially among professionals, could cause serious immediate and long term effects. Could COVID-19 affect the global rate of burnout? Time would tell.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, burnout was an issue among health workers and there are many worries that with increased pressure on the already stretched health system, the levels of burnout may rise creating a pool of demotivated persons. It is no doubt that motivation is a very important factor in improving performance, productivity as well as achieving career success, hence the need to continuously assess one’s level of motivation to stay on a job. Health and burnout can affect each other, with improvement in one leading to the better outcome of the other.
Strong emotional stress is often experienced in professions with high pressure and expectations, from persistent stress, mostly random or unexpected. For instance, burnout was observed among physicians who are subject to prolonged and unpredictable stresses of medical emergencies and overwhelming situations in general. Workers these days more than ever before are expected to adapt to a wide range of stressors and influencing factors, for example, physicians are still expected to meet patient health needs and at the same time get used to advancing technology irrespective of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on current practice. Burnout is experienced by both sexes, however, there are certain factors that increases a person’s risk of getting burned out such as working long hours, overwhelming conflict at work with poor conflict resolution techniques, personality traits ( always having the need to be perfect, being a Type A worker), low self-esteem, increasing workload with poor coping skills, neglect to care for self, having unhealthy habits like cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor sleep and relaxation, certain medical conditions among many others. Many times, people know the underlying cause of burnout in them however some people ignore or suppress the identified issues or concerns instead of seeking meaningful ways of managing those concerns. It is a dynamic process, with levels varying from time to time and effects accumulating over the period. Uncertainty or unclear career path is a major factor that can cause burnout especially among younger workers.
Burnout, though initially experienced by an individual, has far reaching effects to the family, workplace and overall environment of the people affected. Its effects could be immediate or long term and vary among individuals. Becoming burned out negatively affect productivity, lead to depression and suicidal thoughts, decrease job satisfaction, increase absenteeism, depersonalization, diminished sense of accomplishment, substance abuse among many other effects. Some people have reported that they experienced burnout from prolonged work-related stress without adequate time away from professional duties for rest and recreation.
Getting burned out is not about disliking one’s job as even some people who loved the work they did were found to experience burnout at some point of their career or life stage. It becomes important therefore to identify certain factors that can protect an individual from burnout such as having meaningful core values, developing a good sense of humour, keeping healthy relationships at work and at home, having healthy boundaries (knowing when to say NO!), maintaining healthy work and life balance, seeking support from family and friends as well getting a good career mentor and choosing healthy lifestyle habits like proper diet, regular exercise and effective stress management techniques.
Preventing burnout will ultimately keep you safe from its effects, provide job satisfaction, lead to innovation and higher productivity at work as well as improve quality of life. Being open to discuss common stressful events at home or work with someone trusted, making healthy lifestyle choices (like getting regular exercises- about 150 minutes/week or 75minutes/week of moderate or high intensity exercise following physician advice, including adequate amounts nutrients as required in your diet, getting sufficient sleep and engaging in recreational activities, avoiding tobacco and excess alcohol consumption as well as other healthy habits available to you.
Before changing careers, a close examination of the reasons behind the decision is essential so as to rule out burnout as the major cause as it can be carried on to the new job or situation if not properly dealt with. The COVID-19 pandemic may bring about a lot of career change as reports have shown that there are currently many job losses around the globe. Also, a lot of workplaces are adopting newer technology or different methods in the provision of their services which may further put pressure on their workers and be a source of stress and eventual burnout if not managed effectively. Burnout is an occupational hazard and a healthy workplace should have measures put in place to protect workers. It is recommended to discuss any concerns you may have with your primary care provider or a specialist.
Health quote of the week:
“To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit one’s self to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. The frenzy neutralizes our work for peace. It destroys our own inner capacity for peace because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful”
– Dr Joann Schaefer
