How to Manage Burnout

Takeaways

While burnout may feel like a result of overwork, it is more often a result of how we are experiencing our work.

Burnout.

The dreaded phrase marries “burned up” with “worn out” and strikes fear in many of our hearts - fear because so many of us don’t know what to do to resolve it other than change jobs. And that never solves it for long, as it tends to follow us around like a lost puppy. The truth is that the source of our burnout often has less to do with our job and more about our lack of tools to cope with stress.

I’ve wrestled with the burnout trifecta of cynicism, fatigue, and detachment throughout my career. It is nearly impossible to not feel burnout nipping at your heels occasionally in any senior leadership post. And it seems to be more prevalent in the non-profit arena than in other sectors. Over the years, I found several tools that helped me, or those close to me, to productively combat burnout and I’ll share them here in hopes that they may help you too.

Therapy – The benefits of talking to a therapist, psychologist, or spiritual director are profound, giving you the benefit of a skilled outside perspective to help you clarify issues and your blind spots, pointing you back to health. Notice that this is not your organization’s responsibility to provide this for you. It is great if they do, but take charge of your health and provide it for yourself if your organization does not.  And if you are a manager who is trying to be a therapist, just stop. Send your teammate to a real therapist.

 Medicine – As our bodies change, our doctors can prescribe medicine, exercise, or other things to help us. I can think of at least two pivotal conversations with my doctor during seasons of high stress, where he recommended solutions that proved incredibly helpful.

Genuine Relationships – When we are stressed or anxious we tend to pull inward and this is the opposite of what we should do. Cultivate a few friendships outside of your work so that you can talk openly about how you are doing and grant them permission to speak candidly and most importantly – accept their help if they offer.

 Nature and Exercise – This is the big one for me. Nature has always been the place where I feel most whole and alive. Carving out time weekly, if not daily, to be outside in nature is the best stress reliever. It could be a walk around the block for 10 minutes, but those 10 minutes ground and recenter me.

 Rest and Time Off – I found that when burnout had really set in, I needed time away from work. When I had burned the candle at both ends, three weeks away was the sweet spot for me to truly disconnect and experience deep rest. For some, a sabbatical is a very healing and restoring exercise but needs to be managed well to maximize the benefit. I have seen a lot of people come back from a sabbatical and resign which usually means the benefit was poorly managed. Keep in mind that burnout is the result of cumulative stress that hasn’t been managed, and this can’t be cured by time away alone. What time off will do is help get you to a place where you can step back into your role with enough energy and perspective to tackle the next step.

 Boundaries – While burnout may feel like a result of overwork, it is more often a result of how we are experiencing our work. If you have an abusive boss, you may need to skip to the next step, but if you are a leader, take time while you are fresh to examine your role and define carefully where the “energy vampires” are lurking. Ask yourself, “Which clients, employees, or tasks are contributing to my burnout and can I control my engagement with them?”. Setting appropriate boundaries after you have had some time off and are thinking clearly is critical. I’ve often come back from time away with clarity on repositioning or transitioning employees, or ending partnerships or projects that were killing me and that gave me a whole new life cycle at the organization.

 Change - On two occasions, I worked through my burnout playbook and came to the conclusion that changing roles was the only viable pathway to health. It is important that this is the last step on the list.  Too many start with this option, change jobs, and within a few months feel burnout creeping back in because they need some of the tools above to help them deal with stress and fatigue in a way that is healthy instead of running from it.

 As many as 43% of workers reported experiencing burnout this past year (Forbes). It is vital we learn some tools to manage this before sending out resumes or the burnout may simply follow us to our new post. This is in no way an exhaustive list. What did I miss? What has been helpful to you? Please let me know what tips and tools you have learned to keep burnout at bay at del@flannel-solutions.com. I’d love to hear from you.