Normalising Self-Care and Avoiding Burnout

It's November - and in years past it's around this time of year that I'd find myself and those around me saying "let's just push through 'til the end of the year". December 24th would arrive and I'd set my out of office, look around at weary-eyed colleagues doing the same, and wonder why I felt so tired and ready for a couple of weeks of downtime that I'd rather was a month.

In recent years, however, I've tried to challenge that working practise and introduce more self-care breaks into my life. This weekend, for example, I've taken Friday and Monday off work and am having a four-day recharge with good friends, good food, and a great deal of love from my cat (not pictured above).

But why take a break so close to the usually quiter Christmas period? Isn't it just a waste of holiday?

Since 2016, evidence suggests that more and more workers in the UK are experiencing professional 'burnout'. Searches for “burnout symptoms” on Google in the UK rose from 1,000 in August 2016 to 3,600 in August 2020 (a 290% increase), while searches for “recovering from burnout” rose from 320 to 880 over the same period (175% increase).

It's not a new pheonomemon - in fact Psychology Today wrote about it back in 2011 - but it's clear we're a changing workforce of folk who care more about workplace comfort, equity, and happiness in our jobs. In higher education, the concept of 'faculty burnout' is becoming more of a discussion point, especially as we continue to struggle with the ongoing disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

While there's a lot that employers and institutions can do to help, there's a lot I think we can do as individuals at all levels within an organisation to normalise and encourage preventitive wellness, and support one another to not push ourselves beyond our limits.

And on that note, I'm closing my laptop and not looking at LinkedIn again until Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend!