Understanding why you’re burning out (+ steps to feel better again)
Feeling burnout goes beyond tiredness. It’s as if your brain has been fried and you can’t seem to get it to work in the way it usually does. People experience burnout differently and there are serious knock on effects that can take a long time to recover from but the overarching symptom is a physical and / or emotional state of exhaustion.
Burnout isn’t something which goes away on its own. Rather, it can worsen unless you address the underlying issues causing it. If you ignore the signs of burnout, it could cause further harm to your physical and mental health in the future.
‘As prevalent as it is, burnout is often misunderstood, stigmatised, and costly both to employees’ health and wellbeing, and employers’ productivity. 46% of UK workers feel ‘more prone to extreme levels of stress’ compared with a year ago (March 2020), while only 15% feel ‘less prone to extreme levels of stress’. - Mental Health UK
Mental Health UK also report that gender and age play a role in this prevalence, with women and young people reported feeling more prone to extreme stress and pressure at work.
Whilst there have been many changes over recent years to the ways in which a large portion of the work force do their work, it appears the tactics to support employees has not. Mental Health UK’s research found that just 23% of people knew what plans their employers had in place to help spot signs of chronic stress and burnout in employees. They also report that a staggering 1 in 5 told say they feel unable to manage stress and pressure in the workplace.
A recent Mental Health UK study explored eighteen factors which could significantly contribute towards burnout in the UK over the lockdown period and whilst that time has ended, we've moved onto a cost of living crisis which has meant there are continued pressures which are overwhelming people so we'd argue their findings are still extremely relevant. Below, you can read about what these factors were and get expert advice on what you can do to help combat them if you're experiencing them currently.
Interestingly, despite WHO’s definition of burnout being an 'occupational hazard', not all of these factors were explicitly work-related, indicating that its often the combination of many pressures that are having a big impact on our wellbeing.
Money worries
We know that money and mental health go hand in hand, 81% of people agreed that money worries contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas of how you can manage your money and budget:
Plan your budget: If you are experiencing money worries it can help to make a budget to help you see clearly what money you have coming in and going out. You can this Mental Health and Money Advice’s free online budgeting tool.
Get debt advice: If you can’t pay your bills you can get free expert debt advice on the Mental Health and Money Advice website or by contacting National Debt Line or StepChange.
Welfare benefits: If you are out of work, have a low income, are too ill to work or have a disability you might be able to claim welfare benefits. You can find out about your benefit entitlements by using an online benefits calculator. You can also contact your local Citizen’s Advice or search for benefits advisers on the Turn2us website.
Working from home
Nearly half (46%) of people felt that working from home could contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas on how to best work from home:
Structure your day: It can help to think of your workday in the same way as if you were going to an office. Try to have a dedicated workspace, ideally a quiet place away from others and distractions. Try to get up in plenty of time to get ready for work. Make sure you have everything you need there for your working day. Plan your start, break, lunch, and end times. Sticking to an end time can be as important as a start time. We all need to recharge our batteries so even if you're going to be relaxing at the end of the day in the same room you've been working in, be sure to mark the closing of your working period by putting your work things out of sight and if you can go for a walk or have a bath to signal to yourself that you're no longer working, you'll likely find it easier to wind down.
Make sure to have a break: Breaks are important to refresh yourself and they can help you be more productive and give you perspective. Don’t feel that you have to be at your screen all the time to prove you’re working. If you were in the office you would go for regular breaks, and it’s no different when you’re working from home.
Set boundaries: If you live with others it might be difficult to separate home and work life. It’s important to set boundaries about when and where you do and don’t work. You can have a discussion and agree on things together. You could write down your work schedule for the week and put it up in a place where all household members can see it. It is important to have clear home and work time.
Stay in contact: Working from home doesn’t mean you should silently concentrate on your work all day. You can still talk to colleagues by audio or video call. It’s good for everyone’s wellbeing and it is good to check in with others. Book in regular contact with your manager and other colleagues. Talk about any challenges you have working from home.
Manage your time: Time management in your job can influence your wellbeing and mental health. If you manage your time well, you can feel more relaxed and in control and achieve the goals you want. It is easier to get stressed and be less productive if your time schedule goes out the window (which happens to all of us at times). When you have a lot of things to do at work, it can be hard to decide what to do and when to do it. Things to think about are:
- Decide what you want to achieve
- Assess each task
- Make a plan
- Be flexible
- Think about the 4 D’s when managing your workload: Ditch (does this task need to be done?), defer (could it be done at a later date?), delegate (could someone else complete it?), and do
Worries about job security
Approximately 11.4 million people have were furloughed for at least one three-week period since the start of the pandemic, which understandably left people worried about their future careers. Now the cost of living crisis is only making people more concerned about what is to come. 77% of people agreed that worries about job security and fear of redundancy could contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas on how to ease those worries.
Talk to your employer: If you are worried about your job security, you can speak to your manager. You can ask them if your job is at risk. And you can ask them to be honest with you. You can ask your manager what the next steps are and when you will know more information.
Get advice: It can help you to get expert advice on the situation to know more about what your rights and options are. You can contact ACAS for free confidential advice. You don’t have to give any personal details if you don’t want to.
Look for another job: If your job is at risk you could prepare to look for another job by updating your CV. Check out our recommendations for exciting jobs boards here.
You can contact the National Careers Service for careers advice. They provide information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities.
Make a plan: If your job is at risk, it might help you to make a plan of the things you can do if you lose your job. Making a plan can help you to:
- Take control of the situation,
- Know what your options are
- Reduce stress, knowing there are practical things you can do if you lose your job
Relationships
It’s important for our wellbeing to have good relationships so that we can share our hopes, fears, confidence and happiness and, keep us going when we need extra support. 74% of people felt that problems in relationships could contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas on how to improve your relationships.
Your relationship with yourself: Having a healthy relationship with yourself is as important as your relationship with others. A healthy relationship with yourself starts with you prioritising your own self-care. This will look different for everyone but have the same common denominators: it'll need to be practised regularly, it'll be intentional and it'll make you feel like a better version of yourself when you do it.
Your relationships with others: again, The Mental Health Foundation’s Guide on relationships explains in clear and positive ways what you can do to create better relationships with others.
Your relationship with your partner: If you have a partner, it’s important to maintain a healthy relationship with them. Ways to do this can be:
- Give time
- Be present for each other
- Listen to each other
- Share thought and feelings
Physical health
Doing things that help us to relax, make us feel happy or calm such as exercise, eating well and sleep are a normal part of taking care of ourselves and they contribute dramatically towards our mental health. Here are some ways you could improve your physical health:
Eat a balanced diet filled with foods that make you feel good
Keep physically active. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety by increasing the levels of serotonin and endorphins, which are your body’s natural ‘happy’ chemicals.
Drink plenty of water.
Avoid large amounts of alcohol consumption as its a depressant so despite potentially relaxing you, it can make you feel worse afterwards.
Sleep
Problems with sleep can affect how you feel physically and mentally, and how you feel can also affect how you sleep. 83% of people felt that poor sleep could contribute to burnout. Here are some ideas on how to improve your sleep:
Diary: Using a diary can help to see if there is a pattern to your sleep. It may also help to see what may be affecting your sleep. You may find using this 7-day sleep tracker helps you to do this.
Routine: Having a set routine before bed can help with having a better night’s sleep. You may have to try different things before you find the right routine that helps. It can help to do things that help you relax before going to bed. Click here for more information.
Relaxing techniques: Finding the right activity that can help you relax can help you with your sleeping. You may need to try different activities before you find the right one that helps you. Check out our guide here with 10 steps to sleeping better, featuring lots of relaxing technique ideas.
Speak to a specialist if you're struggling: If you are having problems sleeping, going to see your GP or a sleep specialist is a good thing to do as they will be able to suggest some options to help you.
Caring for others
73% of people agreed that increased caring responsibilities, such as looking after elderly parents, could contribute to burnout. If you’re worried about looking after someone with a mental health problem, Rethink Mental Illness, have provided some fantastic advice.
Isolation
Feeling lonely can have a negative impact on our mental health, which is bound to impact our work. If you’re worried about isolation:
Investing in relationships: The Mental Health Foundation’s Guide on relationships explains what you can do to create better relationships with yourself and with the people around you. This can help to reduce isolation.
Support lines: Talking about how you are feeling can have big benefits. People who care about you like friends and family are usually happy to listen and support you. But you can also call the following lines to talk about how you are feeling: Samaritans, Support Line, C.A.L.M, Silverline (for people over 55) and The Mix (for people under 25).
Support groups: Mental health support groups help you connect with others who have mental health issues and their carers. The following organisations provide support groups, so you can see if there’s one in your local area: Rethink Mental Illness, local Minds and Carers Trust (for support groups and services for carers)
Burnout is a gradual process. It doesn't happen overnight, but it can creep up on you. The signs and symptoms can be subtle at first, but become worse as time goes on. Think of the early symptoms as red flags that something is wrong that needs to be addressed. If you pay attention and actively reduce your stress, you can prevent a major breakdown. If constant stress has you feeling helpless, disillusioned, and completely exhausted, you may be on the road to burnout so please do take the time you need to get your health and happiness on track. Regain your balance and feel positive again.
If you’re working in an environment in which you have the ability to support others around you and you want to prevent them from burnout then you could use a Wellbeing Plan. This is a tool to help you identify what good wellbeing looks like for you and your team, and spot when things things aren’t so good. Sharing this resource with those around you could share this with your team so that you can help to look out for each other.
Stress Risk Assessments are another way you can explore stress in yourself and others at work. These work the same way as a regular health and safety risk assessment: you identify a risk, then explore ways of removing or reducing the risk. This could be explored during 1:1s or less formal check-ins.
In the interest of transparency, always, I am writing this feeling on the brink of burn out. I don't always get it right when it comes to self-care, in fact sometimes I get it horribly wrong by giving too much of my energy to work and ignoring signs from my body, telling me to be calmer and rest more. My eye has been twitching non stop for a few weeks and I can feel my jaw clenching often. On top of that, my hormones have been out of balance for a very long time. Here I am on a recent shopping trip, needing a lie down, because I felt overly exhausted - a little bit embarrassing.
I am researching and reading up on what I can do, myself, to prevent burning out and I thought it would be valuable to share what I'm learning here in case anyone feels the same way I do. We won't always feel our best and sometimes, we'll have to touch the fire to realise it's hot and it hurts and we shouldn't do that again, despite everyone around us warning us not to touch it in the first place - plus our common sense telling us its not a smart idea. What matters is being kind to ourselves, especially when we feel we could've done more to prevent a situation from occurring, because all we can do is make decisions about the present and do our best, for ourselves, right now. If you're reading and are feeling burnout, please be kind to yourself and feel free to reach out to me anytime to talk.
You're not alone.
Alex
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Statistics
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2099 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 25th – 26th March 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+). All figures referenced from our ‘October 2020’ study on Burnout, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2045 adults, of which 556 were working women. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd – 23rd September 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK working adults (aged 18+).