Ciente's Conversations Part 2: Burnout

When the rhythm and routine of life intertwine with each other, two things can happen. Either we find consistency in our being, or we lose our footing.

This is our general perspective on mental health.

The demands of our jobs reel in numerous reactions from us - some are voluntary, and some are involuntary. It's the involuntary ones we tend to ignore that have the maximum impact on our lives.

Ignoring the smallest block can have long-term effects on our well-being.

Consistently showing up requires tenacity beyond one's imagination, but disregarding the distress signals of one's internal being can have adverse effects.

This is how burnout affects us, leaving behind a dense emptiness that has no escape.

Burnout is masked as a phony concept or an imaginary condition. But it's the real deal. World Health Organization (WHO) termed burnout an occupational phenomenon caused when chronic stress is stifled instead of regulated. It is regarded as a disease to make its impact sound more consequential than one would expect it to be.

For those who have undergone their fair share of burnout, dealing with it is no child's play. It requires long periods of rest, rejuvenation, and patience. Most often, burnout is linked to our job – how it impacts our physical as well as emotional health.

When efficiency is the need of the hour, burnout can make you feel useless and drained, like being stuck in a constant loop of meaninglessness. There are numerous behavioral shifts that often go unnoticed here – from lack of control to irritability.

In simpler words, burnout feels like being faced with a tall wall of indecisiveness. It's not something people often foresee but a disease that slowly creeps in on you.

How often have we argued about maintaining a delicate work-life balance?

So much so that the debate has lost its essence on why it was the topic of interest in the first place. Very little has actually shifted in the conversations surrounding mental health.

This is one of the crucial reasons why mental health continues to be perceived with a critical eye. The majority of us dislike acknowledging our burnout.

Yes, avoiding it is easy and may not seem like a big in theory. But in reality? It holds us in tight clutches. If not managed successfully, it becomes an endless loop of indirection and obscurity in the workplace.

Taking small steps towards betterment has become a necessity. Irrespective of where you sit in the corporate hierarchy, being mindful of your internal ongoings should be a priority.

Starting from scratch may sound daunting, but gradually becoming aware of the tiniest facets contributing to your growth can work infinite miracles.