I was asked recently to speak to a small gathering of students at my alma mater. My presentation was one of three segments, each of which delivered by a different alumnus on a different topic.
My topic was “burnout”.
Now, I didn’t select the topic and I would have preferred to share personal finance wisdom or my favorite research on personal development. Regardless, I eagerly accepted the invitation and dove headfirst into the assignment.
Upon reflection, I realized, I actually had quite a bit of experience and examples to leverage. Crafting a message might not be that difficult after all.
I started with the statistics as a hook. I needed the audience to buy in and I certainly didn’t want to bore them with an uninteresting lecture after their day full of classes.
According to recent studies…
- “75% of workers have experienced burnout, with 40% saying they’ve experienced burnout specifically during the pandemic.
- Prior to the pandemic, just 5% of employed workers and 7% of unemployed workers said their mental health was poor or very poor. Now, 18% of employed and 27% of unemployed workers say they are struggling with mental health issues. (that’s a 3-4x increase!)
- More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents agree that workplace stress affects their mental health and burned-out employees are 23% more likely to visit the emergency room.
- Only 60% of workers can strongly agree that they know what is expected of them at work.”
Talk about a rosy picture…
I then defined burnout, and it was more or less what one would expect it to be – a period of extreme fatigue, the development of apathy, and a resulting decline in various aspects life.
For college students, it might be brought on by any combination of the following:
-Overwhelming work demands and long periods of intense stress (most common)
-Having the wrong friends
-The wrong level of support
-The wrong major
-The wrong goals
Notably, because any one of these can lead to burnout, other functioning may actually remain adequate.
My research unearthed some interesting gems when I discovered the different types of burnout.
Types of Burnout
- Overload Burnout (traditional, what you might think of when you hear “burnout”)
“This happens when you work harder and harder, becoming frantic in your pursuit of success. If you experience this, you may be willing to risk your health and personal life to feel successful in your job.”
- Under-Challenged Burnout
“This happens when you feel underappreciated and bored in your job. Maybe your job doesn’t provide learning opportunities or have room for professional growth. If you feel under-challenged, you may distance yourself from your job, become cynical, and avoid responsibilities.”
- Neglect Burnout
“This happens when you feel helpless at work. If things aren’t going right, you may believe you’re incompetent or unable to keep up with your responsibilities. Such burnout can be closely connected to imposter syndrome, a psychological pattern in which you doubt your skills, talents, or accomplishments.”
My eyes got wide when I got to “under-challenged burnout.” I told the students that this was likely less of an issue in college as it is in the workplace but acknowledged this as the category I most identified with. It never crossed my mind that this was a form of burnout.
For the type-A’s out there, this may ring a bell. The feeling of not being in the right place to fulfill your potential. A dearth of challenge and productive struggle. I believe strongly that one must focus on what they can control and to seize any and every opportunity you can. Beyond that, you must seek out growth. It doesn’t always fall into your lap.
In closing, I discussed preventative measures.
Prevention
What is right for me may not be right for everyone. Count on it.
But there are some of what I will call “foundational” components that are universal.
-Sufficient sleep
-Quality nutrition
-Exercise
Beyond this, I am a huge fan of journaling. The genesis of my journaling was not to mitigate stress or burnout, but I have found it to be the best way of unloading what is on my mind.
I have persuaded some close friends to give it a try and it does wonders. They rave about it.
Even something as simple as conversing with a close confidant can be highly effective.
Ultimately, I told them to “find their thing”. Whatever that may be.