Virginia WaltonIf you prefer the video version, click here https://youtu.be/U_n9MJ_9BJQ
Did you know in 2019 the World Health Organization added workplace burnout to it’s International Classification of Diseases?
We have been listening to the World Health Organization and the CDC more than most of us ever have in the last year and a half, yet I admit I missed that news alert two years ago and that is such a significant item!
I totally admit to being a person that struggles with down-time.
I always want to be productive. I am sure many of you can relate to that. I was guilty of taking conference calls while in traffic, while rushing to field hockey practice, checking my email from the church parking lot one more time before I went into teach CCD, because there is no WiFi and cellular service is not existent in the church hall. At home, while the TV is on I am doing food prep, making the shopping list, paying bills or planning my week. Always getting something off the never ending to do list.
The magazine Real Simple recently published an article on Toxic Productivity which talked about the negative impact on our mental health feeding burnout, fatigue, anxiety and depression.
This hit home a little too hard!
In my early twenties, I was diagnosed with depression. I was working in a call center and had a manager who used email as a way to communicate all we needed to know for our roles and expected our email to be a repository of our resources. I followed this instruction well. However, one day something happened and I lost all of it! My email was GONE! I shut down. I couldn’t function.
This triggered an episode for me that sent me to a bad place, thankfully it led me to a wonderful therapist and he helped me deal with this and many issues to arise over the course of my career.
The other painful memory this article triggered was the fact that at what I thought was the
peak of my career I had been put on an anti-anxiety mediation.
This as needed medication was not in my purse, but in my computer bag. Why? The only place I ever had the need for it was at work. Not once did my anxiety take over in the grocery store, or when doing household chores. It was work, it was the environment and it was my reaction. It was the need to always be productive and let others continue to add unrealistic expectations. The cycle was vicious. The reward for good work on short timelines is more of the same.
I would bet that most of those who have been in a corporate setting for any period of time have heard the phrase “do more with less.” We had an offsite retreat that had use learn this point with exercises like holding a glass of water with newspaper and then kept taking pages away trying not to tip the glass.
Let that visual sit in!
It is counterproductive to work non-stop, to try to squeeze every productive minute out of the day. Trust me, this was a hard lesson for me to learn, so I understand, but you need rest. Not just sleep, but mental rest- time away from your email, away from a screen, time in nature.
Now, what was the first thing said here. The World Health Organization added workplace burnout to its International Classification of Diseases. If we have learned anything from the pandemic it is that if you are sick (i.e., have a disease) you should stay home, stay away from others and rest!) Treat your burnout like a you would any other illness. Get help and get rest!
If you are trying to squeeze more hours into your day, not taking time to shut work off, we should chat.
I am here to help.