You have 200 things to do by tomorrow. Mounting expectations, stakeholders are unhappy, back to back meetings, red flagged up emails, and the phone won’t stop ringing. Your body is running on adrenaline, trying to do a marathon at a sprint pace all the time. Is this the impact of the VUCA world? You feel persistent fatigue, detachment, resentment and you are gradually losing focus and mental clarity. You do not allow yourself to have a bad day because you have convinced yourself that you have superhuman stamina and resilience. My question is how far are you prepared to go? I am asking this question because the fact is we all have a breaking point!
I have learnt that it is a mistake to assume that burnout is only an emotional response to long hours or a challenging job. Burnout is not just a state of mind, but a condition that leaves its mark on the brain as well as the body. The psychologist Herbert Freudenberger is credited with bringing the term burnout into the research lexicon in 1974, defining it as the loss of motivation, growing sense of emotional depletion (exhaustion), and cynicism (detachment).
A comprehensive report on psychosocial stress in the workplace published by the World Health Organization identified consistent evidence that ‘high job demands, low control, and effort/reward imbalance are risk factors for mental and physical health problems.’ Ultimately, burnout results when the balance of deadlines, demands, working hours, and other stressors outstrips rewards, recognition, and relaxation.
And so they key word is BALANCE. Do you have the balance in your life that you deserve? As an Executive and Organizational coach, I specialize in helping high achieving Executives with their productivity. We may look at powerful questions:
- How do you replenish your physical and emotional energy?
- What do you do to promote your equanimity and wellbeing?
- How do you spend your time?
- How do you boost your energy?
- Which aspects at work are truly fixed and which ones can you change?
- How can you build positive and supportive relationships to counteract the ones that drain you?
- What assistance are you seeking out?
- How does your professional development help you?
- How do you break out of a negative cycle?
I sometimes think that I am a bit like an optician. I can make you see differently! A brutal experience can serve as a turning point. If you want to have a more sustainable career and a happier, healthier life, then contact me at npowrie@nadinepowrie.com