What is Burn out?

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged or excessive stress, in the workplace and or/outside of work.  If can accumulate of many years and can often be mistaken for depression. Difficulties such as depression and anxiety can be in conjunction with burnout

Symptoms (Physical, Emotional, Behavioural) can include;

• Lack of motivation

• Overwhelm with even the basic tasks

• Negative self talk or cynicism about your job or lack of enthusiasm. I emphasis job specifically because if you are noticing you feel this way about everything it probably isn't Burnout. 

• Constant fatigue despite a good night sleep

• Irritability

• Avoidance of tasks

• Guilt

• Fear and shame speaking up or needing to take out of work

• Headaches, boy pain and constantly feeling rundown. 

• Poor sleep either getting to sleep or frequent waking

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What causes Burnout?

• Feeling unable to say no (People pleasing, no boundaries lack of assertiveness)

• Lack of rest or breaks

• Poor work/life balance

• Too many demands and lack of support

• Perfectionism

• Not be able to communicate your needs

• Moral distress or injury such as having to act in a way that goes against your morals, values job role. 

• Compassion fatigue feeling numb to your job and feeling like you no longer care.

• Neurodivergence such as ADHD or Autism can make symptoms worse​

• An inadequate unsupportive work environment 

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How can Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Help?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help you to understand the patterns that maintain your burnout and how to cope with them. Whilst therapy can help us to cope better and understand what's got us there in the first place, lets not forget that the system you are working in (if work is the cause) is also a contributing factor. Getting support via Occupational Health. your Union, ACAS can be really helpful

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Maslach C, Leiter MP (2016) Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry.  Jun;15(2):103-11. doi: 10.1002/wps.20311. PMID: 27265691; PMCID: PMC4911781.

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