The topic of burnout is not one that many want to talk about
and often the early signs are not picked up until burnout is in
full swing. What is burnout anyway? According to the Webster's
dictionary definition it is "long-term exhaustion and decreased
interest."
For many this is the norm - so are we all burnt out? Reports
say that a mother of two working out of the home full-time is
actually working the equivalent of two full-time jobs. It is no
wonder many working moms feel exhausted.
Let's not forget the dedicated moms staying at home, 24/7 with
their little ones.
What about the dads who travel or work long hours, keeping with
the demands at work and spending quality time with family? It
is no wonder many feel exhausted.
So the question remains, what is too much that can cause long
term risk for health? According to the Mayo Clinic, prolonged
stress, due to an over-demanding work environment, is the
reason for burnout. Stressors can be emotional, physical or
psychological. Burnout is the result of the cumulative effects
of stress.
What is it that makes one more susceptible to burnout compared
to others? There are certain people who become too absorbed
into their work. They become their work, and therefore have an
unhealthy balance between work and play. There is the person
that never says no, therefore being all things to everyone.
A job that is too monotonous, causing boredom, also increases
the risk of burnout. Working in a job that does not support
personal control is also a hazard. As adults, to encourage
dedication and excitement in the workplace, one must feel
valued and listened to. Without some control, interest and
dedication will be lost. Those in the caring-service industry,
such as medicine and nursing, counseling, teaching and law
enforcement are professions that are at higher risk for
burnout.
Stress in the short-term is OK, and the body is capable of
handling it. The area of concern is when the stress is
constant, causing a continuous stress response, which affects
our physical health. Anxiety issues and the risk of depression
can be the secondary effects, along with high blood pressure,
heart disease and chronic fatigue. Stress can be responsible
for symptoms such as headaches, muscle pain, stomach upset,
weight problems, sleep difficulties, irritability, anger,
relationship difficulties and withdrawal, to name a few.
Stress is a fact of life; it is how you deal with stress that
determines the outcomes. For some it seems like stress is
deflected and therefore does not affect them. For others,
stress controls their lives. To start to make changes, one must
determine what the stressors are and which ones can be changed.
For some, the work environment cannot be changed, but for
others the time may have come to make a change. It is important
to amor yourself with protective weapons against stress to
decrease its affects.
So where can you start? Exercise is a great place to start.
Exercise naturally decreases the amount of cortical (the stress
hormone) and increase serotonin (the feel good hormone), and
therefore decreases the affects of stress. Meditation and other
relaxation techniques are important to decrease constant
focusing on the negative aspects of life and have been proven
medically to decrease risk in certain diseases.
Getting plenty of rest is critical to deal with stress. Eating
well is important also. For many, stress supports the increase
in excessive consumption of non-nutritional foods. It is
important to be aware that the use of alcohol and other
substances is not an appropriate stress relief method, that
usually only adds to other long term problems.
Of course, if you relate to this information, professional
counseling may be required to help you see through the fog.
Take advantage of others to take care of you, it is the least
you can do for yourself.
Karen Hourtovenko RN(EC), is a health and wellness consultant from Sudbury who writes columns about healthy living for Northern Life.
