How to Manage Burnout
Hi there!
Welcome back to the MoodiNews. Every Thursday, we discuss all things mental health and self-improvement.
I’m so glad you’re here.
Today’s topic is: AVOIDING BURNOUT!
Lots of people struggle with burnout. And there are lots of resources already out there on how to manage it. But most of that information is trash.
So, today we will focus on dealing with burnout effectively, from a science-informed perspective. Let’s start first with some history.
The term burnout was initially coined by researcher Herbert Freudenberger in 1975, who studied the occupational health of helping professionals and defined burnout as “failure or exhaustion because of excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources.” Shortly after Freudenberger first published his research, Christina Maslach, another burnout researcher, also helped popularize the idea of burnout, ultimately defining burnout as a prolonged response to chronic stress.
So, here's what we know to be true—burnout is a symptom, not a diagnosable issue. Burnout is a stress response.
Unfortunately, this is where most current self-help articles seem to go wrong. It is common for online experts to advise people to moderate their burnout by alleviating their symptoms (i.e. “practice self-care” or “take a deep breath!”). However, in doing so, they fail to recognize the actual problem. Burnout is never the problem. It is simply the byproduct of too much stress.
Therefore, the way to achieve long-term, sustained freedom from burnout is not to “resolve” your burnout. Instead, the way to reduce your burnout is to resolve your stress.
Below is a simple set of instructions for how to do this.
1) Stop for a minute.
2) Take a look around you.
3) Identify 1 small issue in your environment that is within your control to change.
4) Fix it.
5) Repeat.
(Optional tip: Ask for help. You don’t live in a vacuum.)
While this might seem like an overly simplistic strategy for managing a major issue like burnout, the thinking behind it is sound. Remember—burnout is a byproduct of chronic stress. Therefore, effective stress relief will reverse your burnout.
In case you’re not convinced, let’s discuss the two most obvious reasons why ‘managing stress through problem-solving’ is a useful strategy for resolving burnout:
First, it’s both a reactive and a proactive approach. Problem-solving is all about making small, incremental improvements over time, which can serve as both a remedy and preventative measure against burnout. We know from habits research that the act of making small improvements over time can illicit powerful results. (That is—over time, big change can happen.) As a result, by addressing prior issues while simultaneously preventing new problems from popping up (or growing), we can keep our stress levels stable, and ultimately prevent burnout from taking root.
The second reason why problem-solving helps stifle burnout is because it generates an internal locus of control for people. (That is the psychological benefit of this approach.) We know from research that people function better when they feel like they are in control—over both their surrounding environment and over themselves. So, encouraging people to start slow, regain control, and accumulate small victories over time helps people experience a greater sense of agency over their circumstances. This, in turn, helps people feel more capable, hopeful, and confident—which not only reverses the mental impact of burnout, but also increases people’s motivation to progress ever farther forward.
We’re almost done here—but, sadly, there is a catch! :(
The unpleasant reality is that burnout is notoriously difficult to overcome. Resolving stress is rarely easy, even if problem-solving for burnout is, as a strategy, simple enough.
As a result, remember to be patient. I like to tell my clients to anticipate resistance anytime they’re changing their behavior—and it only gets harder to take responsibility for ourselves if we’re decidedly miserable.
So, whenever I’m feeling stuck, I just start small. It is totally possible to improve our lives this way. The change will happen eventually.
In closing: If you’re feeling burned out right now, that’s okay—burnout a normal response to stress! The best way to turn things around is to identify the smallest issues in your environment that need fixing (i.e. the dirty dishes in the sink, the unmade bed, the unopened mail on your kitchen counter), and address them one at a time. Eventually, you will work your way up to larger problems. Also—ask for help as you go. You are not alone, and bringing other people along for the ride only makes the journey sweeter!