Your physician colleague is struggling with burnout. How can you offer them the support they need?

Recognizing the signs of burnout in others can sometimes be difficult. The number one symptom that shows up early and often when humans are on the path to burnout is cynicism. If you notice yourself or others demonstrating more cynicism as time goes on, there is a high likelihood they could be burning out or already burnt out. Talking to people you care about in regards to them being burnt out can be hard. Understanding how burnout is diagnosed and how it truly shows up is critical as you don't want to make assumptions about another persons well being. Take some time to do your own research on burnout to better understand it before you approach those you care about with the conversation.

Start with empathetic listening. Most physicians find little time and opportunity to be seen and heard. Let them know there is nothing wrong with them and they are not alone in this.

People don’t always recognize the impact that serving the health needs of our society has on our health practitioners. It takes a big heart and a genuine desire to help others (among many other admirable traits) to choose to immerse themselves in this field, and that is often lost on most of us. Thank you for this article—and for what you do for those who are most committed to helping us when we need it most. Footnote: Personally speaking, I’d be hesitant to ask any practitioner to help me if I thought for one second that they could not understand where I was at. Take a bow, health practitioners, and thank you for taking care of us. If it's time for you to be taken care of, I, for one, support you!"

Offer support to a physician colleague struggling with burnout by listening empathetically, encouraging them to share their feelings, and suggesting they take breaks or seek professional help if needed. Help lighten their workload if possible and remind them of the importance of self-care and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

The first step is to identify signs of burnout and realise it can happen to anyone. * Lack of interest * Tiredness * Apathy * Irritability * Lack of concentration It may vary with person to person and it may affect the quality of work done. Learn to identify early on the signs of burnout in yourself and your colleagues and help them. It is essential to spot it early on and prevent yourselves and others from going into burnout.

Be empathetic and be ready to listen. Often you need not give solutions to their problems. Just be there to listen to them. Be an active listener first rather than a problem solver. Talking to someone for some time in private itself can do wonders and help in relieving a lot of stress. Be polite and do not intrude into others personal matters if they do not wish to divulge. Respect personal boundaries and let them open up to you in their due course of time.

Know you team, start to build a support network. Allow yourself to learn from others, and then lend support when you see others who may be struggling. There is so much to be gained from knowing what you can contribute towards a unified approach

Be cautious about advice giving. Explore what they have tried and what they have thought about doing but haven't done yet. What's in the way of taking the next step? How can you support them in taking the steps that make sense for them.

Most people design their personal lives around their professional lives. But you should design your personal life first and model your professional life around it. It should be a life-work balance. You and your family comes first and the work is there to provide fuel for your journey. We often have grave misconceptions about work life balance and it leads to burnout. * Time block * Prepare a to do list * Dictate time for each task * Delegate * Reflect and reevaluate