Myths About Burnout
When one hears “Burnout”, many think “overworked” or “lack of work-life balance”. The truth is, there are a handful of leading causes of burnout. And when it does occur, it usually involves much deeper remedies than simply taking a vacation.
Deloitte, a known consulting firm, performed an external survey exploring the drivers and impact of prolonged, unmanageable stress. Here were some interesting results to note:
1 in 4 professionals says they never or rarely take all of their vacation days. The top driver of burnout cited in the survey is a lack of support or recognition from leadership, indicating the important role leaders play in setting the tone.
91% of respondents say having an unmanageable amount of stress or frustration negatively impacts the quality of their work. 83% of respondents say burnout from work can negatively impact their personal relationships.
87% of professionals surveyed say they have passion for their current job, but 64% say they are frequently stressed, dispelling the myth that passionate employees are immune to stress or burnout.
Now, we work at Webconnex. A pretty amazing company right?! How does someone stress out from being overworked here?? But believe it or not, even amazing companies like Webconnex are not immune to seeing burnout in their employees - me included.
As a recovering workaholic myself, I can say, the roots of burnout and exhaustion rarely came from leadership and usually stemmed from myself. Throughout my experience and much digging into this topic, I’ve usually found five root causes, that when not managed or ignored can lead to increased stress and frustration at work.
Time & Work Load Pressures
Constant demands wear at our desire to perform.
Lack of role clarity
Lack of clarity in our roles can prevent us from knowing where to focus our energies.
Lack of control
Feeling a lack of control can spark a feeling of helplessness.
Lack of support
Not having the support we need, can fuel the feeling of disconnection.
Unfair Treatment
Unfair treatment can be disempowering, diminishing the desire to go above & beyond.
But the root of all of these boils down to one: Mindset. Each one of these stems from either lack of boundaries, a lack of self-worth, or stems from a story about ourselves and others.
“Our mindset shapes how we experience the world around us. Our internal subconscious beliefs direct our actions, and many of these beliefs were shaped by situations in childhood.”
For me, my internal beliefs stem from a desire to be seen, and I have a belief that I can only receive validation based on what I do. Deep down, there is a story that I will only be seen and esteemed if I’m charging hard and ‘achieving’. This belief is what drove me to become a high achiever. And over the years, I’ve found there are Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sides to being an achiever:
Dr. Jekyll's side: We’re proactive and hardworking. We take pride in our work. We get things done. We’re dependable, focused, and determined.
Mr. Hyde's side: We have a fear of failure. We deal with perfectionism whether in our work or ourselves. We struggle with strong self-criticism. We get exhausted or fatigued from pushing ourselves. We are afraid to disappoint others. And we usually have coping tendencies to deal with stress.
Without realizing it, Mr. Hyde was really the one driving me. The extra hours I worked because I “loved it” were really me wanting to prove myself and get validation that fed my ego. In reality, I chose to pour myself into things that fed my ego instead of investing myself in other areas of my life that fueled my soul, like friendships, community, and adventuring. The stress and irritation that came when priorities shifted or unexpected emergencies appeared, were more tied to my perfectionism and need to be in control. If I was frustrated because I felt unclear on my role or felt as if I didn’t have the support I needed, was me not having the crucial conversations needed that brings clarity, change, or perspective-shifting.
When I look at times I’m exhausted or burnt out, it is usually connected to one of the roots listed above, but then can be tied even further to a belief that creates the situation, to begin with.
Burnout is more than just about workload. By recognizing the various causes of burnout, we can put in the proper boundaries and actions to fuel ourselves and prevent it. By understanding the beliefs that drive our behavior or even lack of behavior, we start to find the root and change the story. By doing so, we then empower ourselves to put the proper boundaries in place, have the needed conversations, let go of control, and thrive instead of survive.
