Burnout prevention is a long-term process that involves some planning, reflection and self-care over time. It is essentially social-working yourself to reduce the effects the psychosocial risks of your work will have on you. And the last thing you need when you are burnt out is another client–even if the client is you.
In following articles, I’ll share some insights on how to reduce your overall risk of burnout, but today, let’s focus on how to get well when you are burned out. Here it is:
Do what you want.
Unearth your subjugated personal needs and wants
This doesn’t mean doing anything you see as wrong, because that will lead to internal conflict. I believe that internal conflict is a major ingredient of burnout, so I do not recommend jumping into something you consider desirable but completely immoral.
But do what you want. Set aside the actions you believe you SHOULD take. If you believe you shouldn’t eat carbs, but you want a carb, have a carb. If there’s a movie you want to see or a show you want to binge watch or a modest gift you want to buy yourself, then do it.
Be moderate, short-term and safe about it. It’s probably better not to involve intoxicants or anything habit forming or buy something you can’t afford. This isn’t about changing your lifestyle in a major way at the moment.
This is about throwing a pleasurable experience to your desires, which we as social workers may repress in order to remain for those long hours attentive to the needs of the people we serve.
Even if you want scones and coffee
Once as a burnout, I decided that a walk in woods that I hadn’t yet explored would feel good. I found a spot on the map that was an hour away. I wanted to go there. When I arrived, it was raining hard, so I researched a nearby coffee shop and found one 45 minutes farther. It was lovely. They had fresh-baked scones. I ate one and relished it. I wanted coffee, even though it supposedly boosts stress hormones instead of lowering them. But I wanted it. So I had it. I wanted another scone. And a bagel. And more coffee. I sat there glaring out the window, slowing noticing myself starting to feel again like myself. I held off on writing. Though it’s usually something I enjoy doing in coffee shops, I often get goal-oriented about it. Today wasn’t about working towards anything. It was about feeling good. I resisted the voice in my head telling me I should write. And eventually, I genuinely felt as if I wanted to write. I wrote. And when the sun came out, I went to do my hike.
This isn’t distraction. Distraction meaning avoiding the experience of how we are really feeling inside. On the contrary, my insides were telling me quite clearly: “Scone, yes! Coffee, yes! Writing… not at the moment… and now, yes! Hiking, yes!”
It’s about your relationship with you
Anything can be a distraction and some commonly distracting items or activities can be used to cultivate wellness. Hiking, running, love-making and healthy eating can all be used to distract from what’s really going on inside of you. But if you are checking in with your inner wisdom, and the response you get is “Let’s take a hike” or “Let’s delight in a scone,” then just do it. It is not the thing or the activity that makes you better or creates an addictive habit: it’s your awareness and compassion for your emotional innards.
In the long run, of course, we don’t want to depend on addictive items like fresh-baked scones to get through hard times. But when you’re burnt out, thinking “long run” is too abstract and too based in “should” to serve you well in the moment. But when you’re feeling ok again, and ready to take on a project that will yield long-term benefit, it’s good to set up conditions that will prevent you from getting so burnt out.
Next week’s article will start this long-term planning process so that you can throughout your career remain healthy, optimistic and competent without having to abuse scones.
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