THE BURNOUT MYTH

What is burnout caused by? Stress?

It actually comes in many different forms...

Obviously, we can correlate working long hours - but is that a source of stress or a symptom of stress? A lot of the time we work long hours because we don't know what else to do.?

One of the leading causes for this is impostor syndrome. You don't feel fully aligned. You doubt your self-worth, value. Maybe you’re hesitant and constantly second-guessing. Or you feel the need to do it all yourself - all impostorism feelings that ultimately increase stress levels.?

But also a sign of impostor syndrome is when we backtrack unintentionally.?

One of the reasons I focus so much on the idea of 'seasons' as a framework for forward progress in our careers is because when we backtrack it causes stress, anxiety, feelings of failure.

Three seasons - builder, advancer, transitioner. We want to go forwards through them. If we don't it feels wrong, like going from spring back into winter. It just doesn't feel right or aligned.?

I've had so many women come to me after being forced to backtrack in their careers, essentially going backwards through their seasons, and it always amounts to stress and burnout. Stress comes because we don't think we have a choice. Or the choice doesn't seem like a real choice.

If you can really decide that you actually do have a choice. Stress diminishes, even if you choose to stay on the same path. Because you are choosing for this path to be the path you are on.?

This brings me to some quick tips on how to avoid or navigate away from burnout.?

1. Realise you have more choice than you think you do. I know we just talked about this, but it is quite simply the most important tool in your toolkit for navigating away from stress and burnout.?

2. Stop telling yourself that burnout is caused by working hard. I know this one is hard, and I have clients who hang onto this, or just when we think we've ditched this limiting belief it will come up again as a source of anxiety a few months later, when they are scared of what taking on new responsibilities might mean. That doesn't mean that you should agree to work crazy hours, but if you are convinced that that way lies burn out, you will get anxiety just from that. Believe me, I know - as someone who fought anxiety and worry for years, the most debilitating thing was when I was worried about being worried. Sometimes that meta-level of anxiety is the most crippling. So, let go of the idea that burnout is caused by long hours. That's a symptom, not a cause. Correlation, not cause and effect. That's the myth that I am really debunking today.

3. Learn to triage like a medic. Now caveat on this one, a lot of medics, whether they are doctors, nurses or other experts do burnout. The mental health crisis in the medical profession is just that, a crisis. And it breaks my heart. But one thing that they all learn quickly is how to triage. And it is what allows them to do their jobs well and thrive when they can. One of the problems I see so many of us face is when things are stressful, and life is throwing stuff at us, everything is labelled as urgent and important unconsciously. Something lands in your inbox, whether it is a request to give a quote or preparing a review for your team... they all come in with that same red flag waving and we, therefore, feel like everything is urgent and important.?

One of the first things I work on with new 1:1 clients is changing their mindset around fighting fires from 'fires' to matters arising. That simple mindset shift can be what it takes to allow yourself to back up and triage effectively. That and putting time in your calendar every day to deal with these matters arising. Then actually give yourself the opportunity to spend 10 minutes categorising as urgent, not urgent, and important/not important. And by the way, if it is not urgent and not important, get rid of it.?

4. Decide on your #1 professional priority and your #1 personal priority. Ideally, these should be aligned.?

Here's the reality of our lives - you may be going after a promotion, but while you live in a whirlwind of busy and overwhelmed, and with everything being treated as urgent and important, you find you never do the work to get that promotion. That applies to new jobs too. In fact, you end up convincing yourself you shouldn't go after that new opportunity because you aren't coping with the current one.?

And the same applies to professional priorities. You have a big scary project on your to-do list. Or maybe you've just been told you need to focus on making sure your team brings in more revenue, even though your revenue-generating activities are indirect. Whatever it is, you know it needs time, but as you live in the whirlwind of the inbox and its fires you never work on it. This is a leading source of burnout stress. You have this pressure but no time to focus on it.?

So decide what is your #1 priority for you and your team. Then ensure EVERY SINGLE DAY has time set aside for it. Decide what that needs to be. If you know it's going to take 1 week of elapsed effort over the space of 8 weeks, do the math — that's 1/8th of your day or 1/8th of your week. Honestly, I'd recommend doing something on it every day to get your stress under control, because unless you are a pro at deep work, promising yourself Friday's to work on this, is just going to result in you doing everything other than that on a Friday! Build up to that, start with spending an hour each day if you know that's what it is going to take.?

The same applies to personal priority. If you know you have one, make sure you take action every day until you can train yourself in the deep work that means you will take significant action in one sitting a week.?

So choose those priorities and stick to them.?

5. Use positive journaling.?

Take 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening to:

- Write down what you've accomplished.

- What happened in the day.

- What you are grateful for.?

This simple tool is so incredibly powerful for giving you perspective and processing your stress triggers. 5 minutes, that's all. Again it's a habit, which when you are stressed is the first thing to go. But just like exercise, it's a habit well worth developing and that you know will keep you going stronger in the long run.?

So just to recap:

1. Recognise the choices you have and the choices you are making for what they are - choice.?

2. Stop telling yourself that burnout is caused by working hard.

3. Learn to triage like a medic.?

4. Decide on your #1 professional priority and your #1 personal priority. Ideally, these should be aligned.?

5. Use positive journaling.?

I'd love to know if you are using any of these tools and if they are working for you, or if you are resisting them. So drop me a DM in LinkedIn and let me know.

And to hear me dive into this don't miss Episode 66 of the Leading Women in Tech Podcast: https://tonicollis.com/episode66