By Amanda Hipkiss-Torrance
Mental Health Nurse, Master NLP Coach, EFT and MRA Practitioner (July 2024)
What is Burnout?
Ok, so I’m thinking that if you are reading this you already have a good idea of what burnout is. However, if you wanted a bit more insight and maybe a couple of stats you can check out my other blog How changing the way you think can help you avoid burnout where you’ll not only get to grips with what burnout is and some of the causes, I will also let you in on the the real issue behind burnout.
Anyhow, stick to the agenda Amanda! Let’s learn a few practical things you can do yourself, right now to stop burnout in its tracks.
Avoiding burnout?
There really is no secret to avoiding burnout, in fact some of this may feel obvious. However, sometimes we can get so stuck in unhelpful patterns we just can’t see a way out or we can be so overwhelmed we miss the signs until it’s too late. Therefore, it can help to take a step back and check in on yourself and ask yourself…
Am I stressed?
Ok, you might be like ‘duh’ Amanda, I’m reading your bloody blog, isn’t that obvious or you might be powering through missing the subtle signs. We are all different and stress will show up for each of us in different ways; some it’s more physical and others mental or emotional and for us lucky ones, a combination of all three! Here’s some examples of what to look out for.
Emotional:
Feeling anxious, depressed, down, hopeless, tired, irritable, distracted or angry.
Physical:
Aches and pains, tense muscles, headaches, increased or reduced appetite and digestion problems, skin rashes or exasperation of any physical health condition.
Mental:
Poor concentration, confused thinking, indecisiveness, excessive worrying or negative thinking; expecting the worst.
If you’re starting to tick off some of these then it’s time to make some changes. Now, there’s lots of things you can do to manage stress. Check out my other blog Understanding Mental Health Using the Stress Bucket for a few ideas. Ok, so now let’s look at what changes you can make in your workplace.
Take mental health days
I can’t say this enough; if you are noticing these signs then it’s so important to take time out. Taking time out now, even a day will help you avoid needing longer off in the future.
You can give me all the excuses you like, believe me, I have heard them all; we’re already short staffed, I have have so much to do, who will look after my caseload, if I take time off I won’t be taken seriously and miss out on the promotion, And, I have an answer for them all, try me!
The truth is, if you don’t pause now you will at best be ineffective and at worst you will burnout and eventually need more time off with worse physical and mental health.
And before you ask, NO, you do not use your holiday allowance. The amount of times I have heard this from patients. Have your holiday when you are in a place to enjoy it. If you need a mental health day, week or whatever then this is for you to rest, recoup.
And just in case you didn’t know, a mental health day is for you to do whatever is good for your wellbeing, this could be a duvet day, time with friends or heading to the beach and taking the dog for an extra long walk. You DO NOT have to stay in doors hiding away.
However, one important point to add; when you are sick, you are sick. You do not respond to emails, work remotely or do anything work related. This leads nicely on to…
Create firm boundaries
Are you the one in your team who always leaves last? Maybe you eat your lunch at your desk. Or you never delegate as you feel like it’s easier that you just do it yourself. If any of these sound like you then it’s time to put boundaries in!
What are boundaries?
Simply, boundaries are guidelines that you put in place so that you can protect your own wellbeing and can show up as your best self for those in your care. Contrary to what you may believe, having firm boundaries not only positively impacts your own wellbeing, it creates better relationships through respect and by avoiding misunderstanding.
Examples of boundaries are:
- Letting your manager or colleagues know when a request is outside your scope of practice.
- Saying no to overtime.
- Saying no if someone adds something to your workload when you are already full.
- Not working for free – I know within healthcare there can sometimes be emergencies which mean working over to ensure patient safety. And if this happens then you make sure you take the time back as toil.
- Do not take work home – I know since the whole ‘covid’ situation work and home has gotten a little blurred with remote working and this is why it’s even more important to create clear boundaries here.
- Working in alignment with your values (our fundamental beliefs about what is right or wrong and what is truly important to us) – If you aren’t working in alignment with your values or if there are people or things in your workplace that are causing a conflict with what you believe, it’s going to be more stressful and feel much more difficult. Values play an important role in my work with clients too and I’ll be talking much more about values in another blog soon so watch this space.
Make self-care a priority
Self care is so important to create resilience and keep stress at bay. Self-care is in essence anything we do for ourselves to look after our body, mind and soul. Self-care looks different for each of us. For example, my husband’s idea of self-care is spending the night on his decks whereas mine is having a duvet day watching feel good movies.
Self-care doesn’t have to take long either. It’s also pressing pause for 10 minutes to breathe, journal or stretch. Maybe it’s chatting with a friend or having coffee in the park. One of my big self-care things is my morning routine, more on why this is important in my blog: Change Your Morning – Change Your Life! Why You Need a Morning Routine.
What’s next?
Of course, there are lots more things that you can add as you go but these are a few of my key strategies. And like I said there’s often a deeper reason to burnout. So if as you read this list and you can already hear that voice in your head telling you why you can’t do this and why you don’t deserve to put yourself first we should chat. You can book your free discovery call here.