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Burnout

Burnout

Are you experiencing burnout? Are you feeling tired? Exhausted? Wrung out? Flat?

Or maybe you feel there’s a lack of time, a lack of energy, lack of control, lack of support, lack of fairness, or lack of meaning in your life?

If you are experiencing burnout and you are finding it difficult to cope, we can make a profound difference in your life.

What is Burnout?

  • Burnout is commonly referred to as a reaction to chronic or prolonged stresses from your job or workplace. However, recent research has indicated that people from all walks of life may experience burnout and not just from work. Those in caring roles are also at risk of burnout.
  • Burnout can impact all parts of your life, mind and body. It can have serious consequences including reduced work performance and life satisfaction as well as lead to illnesses such as depression or chronic fatigue.

How do we reach burnout?

Naturally, our workplace can be a major contributing factor in increasing our risk of experiencing burnout, but it is not as simple as having a high-stress job. According to mental health website verywellmind the following workplace conditions can contribute to having a higher risk of burnout:

1. Unreasonable time pressure– do you feel like there’s never enough time in the day? Employees who say they have enough time to do their work are 70 percent less likely to experience high burnout.
2. Lack of communication and support from a manager – do you feel that your ideas are not valued? Do you feel like your efforts aren’t recognised? Your Manager’s support offers a psychological buffer against stress.
3. Lack of role clarity – do you feel as though the goalposts are constantly shifting? When expectations feel like moving targets, employees may become exhausted simply by trying to figure out what they’re supposed to be doing.
4. Unmanageable workload – do you feel as though your head is only just above the water? Do you feel overwhelmed before the day has even begun? When a workload feels unmanageable, even the most optimistic employees will feel hopeless.
5. Unfair treatment – Employees who feel they are treated unfairly at work are 2.3 times more likely to experience a high level of burnout. Unfair treatment may include things such as favouritism, unfair compensation, and mistreatment from a co-worker.
 
Whilst workplace issues often need to be addressed within the workplace, there are some things you can do to support your mental wellbeing and reduce your incidence or risk of burnout.

Symptoms to look out for

  • Feeling disengaged or disconnected 
  • Loss of motivation – at work, with your relationships and life in general.  
  • Feeling anxious before the work week starts (Sunday night blues)  
  • Feeling extremely irritated or resentful towards other people, your job, workplace and colleagues.
  • Headaches 
  • Muscle tension 
  • Stomach aches/digestive issues 
  • Feeling exhausted and drained. Lacking energy to even perform basic tasks.  
  • Change in appetite 
  • Insomnia or disrupted sleep 

Immediate help

  • Call 000 if your life is in danger
  • For crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14
  • Beyondblue website contains many useful forums and resources

Online Course – Beyond Burnout

This self-paced course is based on a wealth of practical experience of working with people living with stress, burnout and some of life’s greatest challenges, and incorporates latest research in neuroscience, epigenetics and evidence-based healthy lifestyle habits.

Facilitators Petrea King and Margie Braunstein, through their personal and professional experience, engage, educate, encourage and support you to develop a personal plan to reduce stress in your life, manage burnout symptoms, create inner peace and incorporate relaxation into everyday life.

The Beyond Burnout course costs $99

  • 4 self-paced Video Modules
  • Integrated workbook with reflective questions
  • Personal Plan template and guide
  • Additional resources – research and links
  • Downloadable meditation MP3s
Learn more about this course

Toolkit

Some of these practices can help you to calm your mind and improve your wellbeing and can be found on our toolkit page:

  • Keys to help you sleep better
  • Meditation practices

You may also find some of Petrea King’s Podcasts useful to listen to.

Wellbeing resources

  • Wellbeing books Including Your Life Matters by Petrea King – a guidebook for life
  • Meditations including Be Calm, Sleep, Learning to Meditate

How Quest for Life can help

It takes strength and resilience to work through burnout, and Quest for Life can help through our 5-day residential program Healing Your Life.

This program provides you with a wealth of practical skills and strategies for overcoming burnout in a confidential and safe environment.

Quest for Life also provides Workplace Wellbeing programs to support mental health and wellbeing of your organisation’s employees.

Quest for Life knows how to help: our internal research results show that participants feel better after attending a program and that this improvement increases over time. On our programs, you’ll be nourished, educated and supported to create an environment for profound healing.

If you are experiencing burnout and finding it difficult to cope, fill in the Contact Form below and one of our Program Advisors will be in touch to answer your questions or to ascertain the most appropriate program for your needs.

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