What is Burnout? 🔥

Burnout is a condition that can adversely affect the performance of modern-day healthcare professionals of all genders and all races. 

Prior to the pandemic, one study in 2019 indicated that more than 50% of physicians suffered from at least one symptom of burnout.  Another study showed that 1/3 of nurses fall into the "high burnout" category. 

Rates of burnout are skyrocketing 🚀 as the pandemic endures.  As a consequence, healthcare workers aren't allowed or do not believe they can take time off to recover from burnout. 

We are in a serious crisis and although the end of the pandemic may be near, healthcare professionals need help NOW.  

Do I Have Burnout? 🥵

The 3 Domains of Burnout are:

1. Emotional Exhaustion:  Helping professionals affected feel drained and emotionally exhausted, unable to cope, tired and down, and don't have enough energy.  Physical symptoms may include pain and gastrointestinal (stomach or bowel) problems.
2. Alienation from Activities at Home or Work:  Healthcare professionals with burnout find their jobs increasingly stressful and frustrating.  They may start being cynical and negative about everything: working conditions, colleagues, systems, patients, etc. At the same time, they may increasingly distance themselves emotionally, and start feeling numb about their work.
3. A Sense of Reduced Accomplishment:  Burnout mainly affects everyday tasks at work, at home or when caring for family members. Those with burnout are very negative about their tasks, find it hard to concentrate, are listless and lack creativity.

When you have burnout, you also may be thinking or feeling some of the following...

• I feel overwhelmed, burned out and suffocated by all of my responsibilities. 
• I feel cynical about work, colleagues, patients and my family.
• I can't get anything done at work even though I'm working all the time.
• I am making mistakes and feel scared I will hurt someone because I feel so tired.
• I take care of everyone else, except myself, and I don't even do that well.
• I can't say no to working more when people ask me to, even though I am desperate for time off.
• I feel lost. I lack hope, creativity and initiative in my life.
• I feel lonely.  No one gets what I am seeing or feeling everyday. 
• I've given up doing things I used to love doing.
• I have little to no laughter,  pleasure and joy in my life.
• I have no energy to ask for help - I do it all myself or I don't do anything at all. 
• I have no time to connect with myself or friends.
• I need comfort from loved ones but don't ask for it.
• I feel unhappy with my weight, my eating habits and fitness level.
• I have no time for physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual growth.
• I don’t have control over anything.
• I feel miserable.

You may also be experiencing burnout symptoms in one or all of these areas:

• Personal Symptoms:
  
  • Feelings of reduced energy and motivation
  • Coping by isolating from family, friends and colleagues
  • Relationships with your spouse/partner, children, friends and colleagues are all suffering due to your lack of connection with them.
  • Increased feelings of self-doubt, inefficiency and incompetence
  • Unreasonable expectations for yourself, over achievement
  • Lack of focus and ability to concentrate
  • Problems remembering things
  • Making errors at work
  • Impulsive decision making or taking unnecessary risks in patient care
  • Inability to tolerate feedback or criticism
  • Expressing anger or intense sarcasm towards family, friends or colleagues
  • Inability to feel joy or have fun
  • Irresponsibility with finances - overspending, gambling, avoiding financial obligations or bills, etc.
  • Missing work or coming in late and leaving early
• Physical Symptoms:
  • Physical exhaustion
  • Problems falling asleep or staying asleep
  • More frequent illness such as a cold or flu
  • Headaches, back aches, chest pain or muscle pain
  • Due to increased stress that is not being taken care of, you are at an Increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. that can lead to early death
• Mental Health Symptoms:
  • Alcohol or drug abuse
  • Overeating, sporadic eating or eating junk food regularly
  • Diagnoses of depression, anxiety, etc.
  • Suicidal thoughts or plans
  • Feelings of mistrust, suspiciousness or paranoia
  • Increased risk of needing medication or intensive treatment

These thoughts, feeling and consequences are killing your sense of resilience, self-worth, motivation, joy and satisfaction with career and relationships. 

 Patient and client care are compromised because your sense of empathy is less than what it used to be. 

But seriously - who wants to admit to feeling burnout?

Administrators, colleagues and family may think you are weak for admitting there is something wrong with you.

You may even tell yourself these lies...

• I feel fine.
• I love my job!
• I am happy to take on more work!
• You don't understand - No one else can help patients or clients like I can!
• People are depending on me!
• I'll be fine once I am done or this is over.
• I'll take a vacation later.
• Everything would be fine if I was left alone to do my job.
• People nagging at me is what is making me stressed!
• It's not me! It's everything and everyone else that is the problem!

Yet you know deep inside these are lies. 

Something is wrong. 

You are not yourself. 

You can't go on living like this.

In reality, asking for help is the most courageous

thing you can do for yourself.

So let's get real 💯 and take a deeper look at yourself...

Using the lists of thoughts, feelings, lies or symptoms above, determine your level of burnout:

• 0 to 7 Symptoms: You are well on the road to burnout and could benefit from burnout coaching with a focus on accountability for self-care.
• 7 to 12 Symptoms:  You are far down the road of burnout and could definitely benefit from the burnout course or individual or group burnout coaching.
• 12 or more Symptoms:  It's time to stop counting because you likely have severe burnout.  Schedule a call with Janeen now by clicking the orange button below to discuss options for you. 

Is there any hope?? 

With all these symptoms how will you ever recover?

You crave and yearn for wellbeing... 

to perform your best at work and

to fully participate in your relationships...

BUT you have NO IDEA how to make that happen! 

And there is another part of you that is thinking,

there must be hope. 

There must be something out there that can help you. 

Someone, somewhere must know something! 

Someone must have some tools that could help you recover. 

🎉 THERE IS GREAT NEWS! 🎉

Thank goodness there is HOPE,

there are SOLUTIONS and there are TOOLS!

You can RECOVER!

Your solutions are below! ⬇️