Right now the conditions are ripe for burnout. There is plenty of uncertainty within organisations and businesses. Many people – and perhaps yourself too – are unconsciously working harder or longer. This is partly because we all don’t want to fail, lose a business, a position, get fired. In addition to this, our normal patterns of recreation and travel are disrupted which seems to be leading many of us towards just not going anywhere and more significantly, not taking a break at all.
It’s not sustainable.
I can see it already in the faces and actions of people. Sometimes it’s a stern kind of determined look of powering through until it’s all over and we can go back to“normal”. Sometimes it’s a weary sigh saddled with abject apathy and the resignation, “well I can’t go anywhere so I might as well work”.
And I can see how we’ve each ended up in these situations, with these approaches to what is a very confusing time. Our normal work patterns are disrupted and we’re mostly working from home. There goes major boundary number one. Work and home are now operating on the same turf. Even if you have plenty of space, there’s something about living and working in the same place for most of the week that blurs the lines between work and home. Even if you’re like me and you can switch off the laptop when it’s time, I find myself still having many more work conversations at home.
But for many others it’s even more intrusive. The long task list and projects have essentially“moved in” and there seems no way to get rid of them. Except, of course, to finish them. Right? So off you go peddling all day and all night to “just finish this last bit so I can relax”. This is based on the idea of salvation at the end of a project. It can also pop up in any goal setting scenario you find yourself in. I don’t judge this approach at all, after all I did it myself for a very long time.
What I want to point out is that this practice insists that you delay your“reward” until the race is over and in the current circumstances this is now more dangerous than ever.
You will burn out.
And it’s often hardest for people like you to hear this. You are likely very accomplished at what you do. Maybe you’re a business owner, a leader, certainly someone who likes to get things done and to achieve things. These wonderful traits also make it harder for you to listen up when someone talks about burnout because you kind of think it doesn’t apply to you. Not in an arrogant way. You’ve just always been highly productive, so what’s wrong with that. Nothing, of course.
But I bring your attention to the current context we all find ourselves in. It’s the fact that most aspects of our lives are disrupted at the moment. The disruption and uncertainty impacts you more than you think it does. When multiple facets of our lives are moving parts, it creates stress on some level. Just because you have not directly been impacted by the virus by actually catching it, does not mean you have not been affected by COVID-19. But there seems to be a lot of people pretending that they’re not affected… or perhaps they are just unaware.
It’s sneaky, you see. When you can manage the changes on a surface level, you keep functioning. So you assume that you’re okay. But realistically we’re all stressed. We all need some time out and yes, even a getaway (within the current travel restrictions). So when are you booking your break?
For more info on burnout, check out these resources:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/avoiding-burnout.htm
https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/managing-workplace-issues/burnout-response