How to mitigate the risk of burnout

If you've ever experienced burnout, or feel stretched so thin that you may be inching closer to burnout, you're not alone. McKinsey's Women in the Workplace research in 2023 revealed that 43% of women in corporate America said they were burned out.

Burnout is more than feeling stressed and tired. Burnout is a mental, physical and emotional exhaustion caused by a prolonged and unrelenting stress that exceeds your ability to cope. When I experienced burnout in the past, my cognitive functioning suffered. I had brain fog, panic attacks and every single day felt impossible.

A lot has changed since then. I had to relearn and refresh my own self-care practices to ensure that would never, ever happen again. Just as we evolve as professionals, parents and humans, so too must the way we take care of ourselves. We have to pay attention to our identify shifts, career accelerations and all the responsibilities we take on, so their total weight doesn't crush us.

Burnout is not inevitable for women, especially mothers, first generation and women of color leaders (which adds complex layers of cultural expectations and systemic challenges that we must navigate).

One of the most impactful actions you can take today to prevent burnout later is to get insanely clear about and live your priorities -- the most important things and people to you at this time in your life. To do that, you have to let go of the unhelpful stories you tell yourself about needing to be a certain way, and shed the perceived expectations of you that have dictated your priorities to date and what you want, mostly by default.

Since childhood (at home and in school) through today at work, you've been told implicitly and explicitly how and who you're supposed to be. You've spent so much energy concerned about doing things the way they "should" be done, due to how you've been conditioned and socialized --thank you, patriarchy and corporate, cultural and societal "norms".

You've subconsciously internalized messages about what it means to be a "good" mother, partner, or fill in the blank, that it gets harder to ground yourself in who you really are, what is actually most important to you, and how you really want to live and work.

So how do you start to figure out what's most important to you at this stage of your life and career to set your priorities?

You start by identifying your core values. Yes, your core values. Core values reflect your beliefs and what matters most to you.?

Think of them as the principles that guide how you make decisions, how you interact with others, and how you live your life - like honesty, fairness, family, learning, growth, wellbeing, love, justice, equity, etc.

Research studies show that identifying and understanding your core values helps to prevent burnout and improve your well-being. Studies show that:

• Being more aware of your personal values and actively seeking to live in accordance with them result in higher levels of resilience when faced with stress and adversity. When you're grounded in your core values, you're better able to maintain your well-being and bounce back.
• Identifying and owning your core values requires introspection and self-reflection, which can lead to a deeper understanding of one's needs, desires, and boundaries. With increased self-awareness, studies show you make more informed decisions about how to obtain work-life harmony, set realistic goals, and establish boundaries to protect your well-being.
• When you're guided by your core values, you're better equipped to make decisions that align with your authentic, true self. Studies show that this ability to make choices that are in line with your values can reduce feelings of internal conflict and increase overall satisfaction and well-being.

When you're clear about your core values, you make better decisions. You’ll be able to prioritize the things and people that bring you joy and fulfillment—the things that lead to more sanity and less chaos—in this season.

You become more confident that you’re living life authentically and with integrity, even when you’re navigating difficult life decisions, challenges, and coping with stress.

Now, how do you get clear on your core values? How do you narrow your potential list of values from more than 10, to 5, then to 3 core values that truly serve as your anchor, allow you to improve your wellbeing, and help you feel great (instead of meh/ok/fine) about how you're choosing to live your life?

This three-step guided exercise will help you do that. This exercise helps you identify your 3-5 core values. Take the time to sit down and do this exercise. Consider also doing it with your partner, your bestie, colleagues and/or your team.

I walk you through this very exercise in the most recent episode of the Humble Rising Podcast here or listen on your favorite podcast platform.

Championing work-life harmony always,

Arivee

[Note: if you believe you may be experiencing burnout, please seek support from a licensed therapist or physician.]