As people in a busy, demanding world, we all experience stress; it is a normal part of our lives. Stress is actually a positive thing as it produces adrenalin in our bodies which helps us to respond quickly and keep on going as required.

Having some stress in our lives is actually stimulating and energising; we need it for excitement, challenge, enthusiasm, to make us draw on our skills and knowledge. Problems only arise when we experience too much stress for too long, until it has more serious negative effects, or even results in burnout.

What is Burnout?

Burnout can be defined as a developmental process that results from excessive and prolonged levels of stress, which produces physical and emotional exhaustion, feelings of tension and irritability, negative self-concepts and job attitudes, and a loss of concern for those we are working with (Cherniss,1980; Kadushin 1985).

Most people who are involved in leadership situations will at some time experience at least the early stages of burnout. Leadership is emotionally demanding; requires giving to and being sensitive to others; often involves work overload; utilises enormous amounts of time and energy, and may be not often viewed very positively by others.

On top of all this we continue to juggle our personal lives, homes, families, etc. So it is not your ‘fault’ if burnout occurs - you are not a failure. We just need to be able to recognise the warning signs in ourselves or others and do something about it quickly, and see it in others and support them however we can.

So what are the symptoms of burnout? They can include:

• Physical problems such as tiredness, disturbed sleep, increased aches and pains and general infections, appetite and/or weight changes, increased use or abuse of alcohol or drugs.

• Feelings of being overloaded and out of control, hopeless and helpless, no longer able to cope.

• Loss of motivation and energy, loss in decision making and problem solving abilities.

• Not caring about work, seeing other people as problems, depersonalising everything, loss of ideals.

• Feelings of depression, anger, cynicism, withdrawal, poor self image, failure, etc.

• Isolation and withdrawal from family, friends and colleagues (Branco et al (1981).

What to do About Burnout?

Having one or more of the above symptoms may indicate the presence of burnout, which if not dealt with effectively, could become more serious. As there is no one cause of burnout there is not a single cure, but we can follow some basic strategies to try and prevent it from occurring. These include:

• Being aware of and monitoring our own responses to stress and stress overload, and taking care of ourselves and our bodies.

• Having realistic workloads, timetables and job descriptions that recognise our skills and our limits.

• Having safe, comfortable and positive working environments.

• Not always accepting all the responsibility for everything (easier said than done for women!!).

• Being able to say no, and not taking problems home.

• Ensuring we have good support.

• Ensuring clear and positive communication occurs.

• Being involved in a support network of your own, and using it when you need to.

• Enjoying other activities and interests, particularly good fun ones, seeking new experiences when you can, and generally being less serious.

• Having realistic expectations of ourselves and accepting that we have the same personal rights and needs as others - such as the right to enough sleep and food, to comfortable working environments, to pleasurable recreational and physical activities, to nurturing relationships and someone to talk to when we need to, and time to be crazy when we really need to break out (Branco et al (1981)).

We all have different needs, so different strategies will suit different people. We must work out what best suits us, and build support and prevention in to our daily routines. If you do burnout, here are some ideas for recharging yourself and dealing with it:

• recognise and own the symptoms and the causes

• talk with someone about your feelings

• cut down or re-schedule your workload, or even take a holiday if possible

• lower your expectations on yourself and others, and on your job or program

• allow yourself to enjoy life, relax, laugh, participate in social or fun physical activities, draw on your religious or belief systems, be carefree for a while

• use positive self-talk, and nurture yourself and your body

• take time off and seek support and counselling if required (Geldard (1989)).

It will take some time to recover, but recover you will, as many of us can vouch for. And often you come out of it re-energised, having regained your old enthusiasm and excitement, with a whole new perspective on life and a wealth of experience to offer to others. Burnout is something we can learn from, although you wouldn't seek it just for the learning experience.

Overall, don't worry about stress or early burnout; however do be aware that it can happen to you - even to wonder woman! - and take care of yourself as you take care of others. Take some time now to think about your life, your personal warning signs, and some ways to support yourself and achieve more balance in all that you do, to prevent burnout from occurring. It can only help us all in the long run.

References and Further Reading:

Branco, E. et al (1981) "Management of Burnout in the Helping Professions" Australian Social Work Vol.34(3), September 1981, pages 27-31

Cherniss, C. (1980) Professional Burnout in Human Service Organisations Praeger, New York

Geldard, D. (1989) Basic Personal Counselling Prentice Hall, Australia

Kadushin, A. (1985) Supervision in Social Work Colombia University Press, New York

Robbins, S. (1989) Training in Interpersonal Skills Prentice-Hall, New Jersey