Burnout - Causes & Cures - Page: 2

Carol had been one of the most dedicated and hardworking nurses you'd ever want to meet. With her expert patient care skills and an amazing ability to effectively juggle a dozen duties at once, she rose among her peers to a leadership position as the night shift head nurse of a skilled nursing facility.

In her new role, Carol's responsibilities multiplied. She entered her new job brimming with enthusiasm and creative ideas. And she enjoyed her work immensely - at first.

Over time, however, the stresses of her work and her own perfectionism began to wear her down. She found herself in the impossible position of having responsibility for things that were not within her control.

She found it stressful to be responsible for the work quality of other staff, which was not always up to par. Staffing on the night shift was particularly low, and Carol faced the challenge of meeting patients' needs without sufficient personnel. When a patient or his family was upset, Carol was the one responsible for calming them. When doctors were short-tempered or disgruntled, it was Carol who was on the front line. And to keep the facility running during the night shift, at various times Carol filled in for everyone from nursing assistants to janitors, and even had to figure out how to repair broken medical equipment on a few occasions.

Gradually, Carol began to sense waning enthusiasm for her work. She felt tired, even exhausted. She found herself harboring resentment against her colleagues, and an unexpected feeling of detachment from her patients. She called in sick a few times, then more and more frequently. The quality of her work declined so much that this formerly ideal nurse was finally let go from her job.

Only later, after a period of rest and counseling, did Carol recognize her problem: Burnout.

Burnout is especially prevalent in careers with a "high human-intensity factor". People who work daily with students, patients, clients, or customers may stretch themselves too far. Persons who select human service careers often have very good intentions and may set unrealistic goals for what they can accomplish in their jobs or in the lives of others. When the expected rewards don't materialize, workers may find their energy depleted and their enthusiasm gone.

But human service professionals are not the only ones at risk for burnout. People in business may find their lives seriously out of balance when everything becomes secondary to running the business. Business execs have traditionally had to supress their human side while investing their energies in corporate competitiveness. These people can become emotionally drained and not know how to find balance and support in their lives.

Burnout problems tend to gestate for many years before they actually surface as feelings of physical exhaustion and emotional depletion. Not uncommonly, the over-stressed worker turns to substance abuse or other self-destructive behaviors to numb the pain. And the downward spiral continues.

The key is burnout prevention. Before full-blown burnout ravages you and your career, learn to recognize the warning signs that indicate burnout is close:

• Feelings of physical and emotional exhaustion
• A sense of cynicism, impatience, negativism or detachment from work and the people you work with
• Loss of your sense of humor
• Feeling alienated from yourself and your values

(Note: these symptoms can also indicate depression or other conditions which warrant evaluation and appropriate treatment. Seeking professional help is always a good idea if you become seriously unhappy).

If you do recognize the beginnings of burnout, there are preventative steps you can take:

• Learn how to relax without feeling guilty. A few moments of slow, deep breathing can work wonders.
• Learn how and when to say NO when the load gets too heavy.
• If you've let go of your health, remember you deserve to feel good! Eat healthily and take a regular brisk walk or other enjoyable exercise.
• Live each day in keeping with your values.
• Renew your friendships, and talk to others about your feelings.
• When worry hits, ask yourself "What's the worst thing that could happen?". Then say, "so what?", and move on.
• Learn to delegate responsibility to others. You need the freedom that comes from realizing you're really not indispensable.
• Find your long, lost sense of humor. Do something goofy, fun & light-hearted.
• Make a gratitude list of things - small and large - that enrich your life (people, nature, favorite songs, good coffee, etc).
• Be gentle and kind to yourself.

Carol had a rough time of it. But through the process she was able to rediscover her own individual needs and core values. She decided to use her valuable nursing skills in a consulting capacity, and leave the stressors of patient care and management behind.

The following sites offer further information about burnout - preventing it, recognizing it, or healing from it.

Burnout Inventory Take this quiz and learn whether you're headed for a burnout.

17 Steps to Burnout Prevention from Ben Kubassek The author of Succeed Without Burnout (who's been there and back) offers valuable tips on understanding & preventing burnout.

Stress and Burnout The "Stressdoc", Mark Gorkin, offers insight and experience about burnout. Link to his excellent related page on The Four Stages of Burnout.

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