Episode #60 - Avoiding Burnout While Achieving Career Success
So Rebels, I've talked a lot about advancing and promoting in your career, figuring out where you are and what you want in your life and career, defining success on your own terms, what organizations need to do to create spaces for you to thrive, managing your mindset, and how to take control of your career. But I haven't really talked about burnout, and in this episode, I want to break down what burnout is, how it can manifest and impact every area of your life, and what to do about it. So let's dive in.
Burnout is a prevalent issue among successful professional women, although it's challenging to determine the exact prevalence since burnout can be subjective and is often not reported. After all, the one thing that's true about women, particularly high-achieving ones, is that they're good at overcommitting, pushing through the pain, sucking it up, and suffering through. Women just accept that's what has to happen to get through and make it to the other side. Also, according to McKinsey, women in leadership roles are 1.5 times more likely to experience burnout due to the gender pay gap, a lack of career-life alignment, and structural barriers in the workplace.
Now, it's essential to know that burnout and stress are not the same; they're related but not the same. So that's why I wanted to talk about this because women will constantly say they're stressed when they're actually experiencing burnout.
Stress is a normal physiological and psychological response to a perceived threat or challenge. It can be a motivating factor that helps individuals adapt to new situations and achieve their goals. However, when stress becomes chronic or overwhelming, it can lead to burnout.
On the other hand, burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion typically caused by prolonged or chronic stress. It's characterized by feelings of exhaustion, cynicism or detachment from work, and a sense of reduced effectiveness or accomplishment. Burnout is a more severe and long-lasting form of stress that can have significant consequences for individuals and organizations. It causes "mental incapacitation."
While stress can be a motivating factor, burnout is generally associated with feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and emotional exhaustion. Burnout is often a result of chronic stress that has not been adequately managed. It can lead to various physical and mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and chronic illness. In fact, in 2022, the World Health Organization officially recognized burnout as a mental health concern and an "occupational phenomenon."
So what are the signs you should look for? Typically you should look for the following:
Emotional exhaustion like feeling drained, overwhelmed, and unable to cope with work or personal demands.
Physical symptoms like chronic fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, and stomach problems.
Depersonalization or feeling detached or disconnected from work or personal relationships, becoming more cynical or critical, and losing empathy.
Reduced performance and decreased productivity, motivation, and creativity at work.
Lack of satisfaction or feeling unfulfilled and demotivated by work, and losing a sense of purpose.
Cognitive difficulties like trouble concentrating, forgetfulness, and difficulty making decisions.
Sleep disturbances like either insomnia or oversleeping.
These symptoms will impact how you work, your relationships, and even your family. When you're irritable, quick-tempered, or just don't want to be around your family, that can have a lasting damaging effect.
Today organizations are trying to be more attentive to the well-being of their employees because of the impact the pandemic has had on their mental health, particularly women. And the result to an organization's bottom line has caused them to take more proactive measures. For example, in a previous podcast episode, I shared that 27% of women are leaving the workplace because of mental health issues. In addition, a Harvard Business Review study estimated that the cost of burnout to companies in the U.S. could be as high as $125 billion to $190 billion a year in healthcare spending, absenteeism, and decreased productivity. And a study by the World Economic Forum estimated that mental health conditions, including burnout, could cost the global economy up to $16 trillion by 2030.
Overall, burnout among professional women can have significant costs for organizations, including decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, high staff turnover, increased healthcare costs, reduced morale, and decreased employee engagement. In addition, and on a personal note, burnout can cause a loss of wages, increased medical costs when seeking out the help of physics and mental health professionals, and negatively impact your home life.
So why do women risk burnout? Knowing this information, why do women still feel a need to overcommit to the point of burnout? Well, much of it comes from your thoughts and beliefs. Believing that you have to sacrifice to get ahead. Listen to some of my past episodes about that point.
But the desire to succeed, pressure to prove yourself, fear of missing out, perceived unrealistic expectations, societal expectations, and limited role models and support all contribute to overcommitting and overdelivering. Still, it starts with the belief that that's the only way to find success. Knowing the cost, we have to stop trying to deliver at unrealistic levels, and frankly, organizations need to stop passive-aggressively allowing it to happen.
When you think about it, most of the time, when women overcommit and overdeliver, no one actually asks them to do that. Still, when your manager is silent about it and subtly demands more, then organizations are complicit.
So I want to first talk about what organizations can and should be doing to combat burnout and what we, as women, must do on our own behalf to protect ourselves.
One of my past clients shared a post on Linkedin about her pride in working for a company that prioritized the health and wellness of their female employees. In honor of International Women's Day, the company gave all its employees an extra day off to prioritize their health and support the women in their lives.
While some may think that cost the organization money, this company was playing the long game, knowing with that gesture, they positively impacted their retention rates and lowered their absenteeism and probably their healthcare costs.
Similarly, organizations can provide more flexible work hours, including hybrid and remote work (one of the reasons women are leaving the workplace). They can provide mental health support, encourage breaks and vacations, recognize and reward hard work, and provide stress management training and support like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness training. They can also work to create a culture that supports the changing dynamics of the workplace and address the structural barriers and issues of inequity that contribute to burnout, particularly for women and other marginalized populations.
And what do you need to start doing? As the demands of the workplace rise, people respond by putting in ever longer hours. But what most of us take for granted is what fuels our capacity to work is our energy. And more importantly, that fuel is not unlimited. It can and will run out, particularly when it's already in limited supply, or we're not operating at maximum capacity.
So, instead of doing more, start learning how to do less. It doesn't mean not to do your best; it just means do your best for 5 or 6 hours a day and not 10. When you prioritize self-care and clear time for activities that allow you to relax and recharge your energy, those 5 or 6 hours will be more productive than the ten you try to spend now.
Also, I did an entire podcast on boundaries. Check it, but the gist of it is to start saying NO. It's a complete sentence.
Think of what you can delay, delete or delegate. Everything doesn't have to get done NOW, certain things don't have to be done at all, and other things can be done by someone else other than you. So before you overcommit to something, ask yourself what you can delay, delete, or delegate to someone else.
Ask for help. This was one of the myths I talked about in another podcast episode that we have to let go of. Trying to prove to the world that you don't need help and can figure it out all by yourself is just plain wrong, and I'm going to say it, stupid. Who has ever done everything on their own? NO ONE. That myth of I don't need help, and I can figure it out will drive all of us into an early grave.
Finally, prioritize your mental health by taking the time and making the space to reflect on your goals, values, and interests and to create a vision for your future. This isn't some woo-woo feel-good stuff; it's important for your own mental sanity. Practice mindfulness and start listening to yourself and your body and doing what it tells you to do. You'll achieve the success you want in your career when you have the mental health and physical agility to do so.
My near-fatal car accident changed my life in many ways, but one of the critical ways it changed my life is that it gave me the time and space to think, reflect, and listen to what I wanted. The trajectory of my career and life changed significantly because of that.
While I don't have data on this, anecdotal data has convinced me that women must have a significant life event happen to them before they wake up and pay attention. But you can improve your overall well-being and reduce your risk of burnout right now by making self-care a regular part of your daily life, rather than on occasion when you go on vacation or decide to take time off.
While there are several pathways to success, avoiding burnout should be top on the list. Maintaining your physical and mental health will improve your overall well-being and ability to perform at work. Avoiding burning helps to reduce the risk of anxiety, depression, or chronic illness, which can make it difficult for you to be productive and achieve your goals. Avoiding burnout will help you maintain motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction. With a clear mind and energy, you can focus on what you want out of your career and take the necessary steps to achieve it without succumbing to peer pressure or external expectations.
And for organizations, when they take an active approach to prevent employee burnout, they'll improve employee engagement and retention and productivity, and performance because they'll partner with employees to help them achieve their goals. They'll improve their bottom line by decreasing absenteeism and healthcare costs and improving overall profitability. It starts by creating a culture that values the mental health and well-being of its employees, like the way my past client's company demonstrated by giving everyone the day off for International Women's Day.
If you've been struggling in your career, there could be several reasons, but check the signs to ensure burnout isn't one of them. And if it is, take action, get help, and prioritize yourself; it will lead you to the success you seek in your career.
Well, that's it for this episode, and that's a wrap on Season 6 Rebels. So, take care of yourself and incorporate ways to prioritize YOU this year, and watch how it changes your life and career.
See you next time, and have an amazingly rebellious week.
