From Burnout to Bliss : Unleashing the Power of Practitioner Self Care

Ever feel like a rat on a wheel? Stuck on a repetitive cycle of work, work, work and no play? Ironically, so many health professionals  lead unsustainable lives, working long hours and putting clients first without any regard for their own health. Unsurprisingly, research and anecdotal evidence suggests, client facing health workers are at much higher risk of developing burnout. 

A reported 68.5% of Australian workers claim they feel like they are burning out at work compared to the global average of 48% of employees(1). Leadership roles were more likely to report they felt like they were burnt out than their team members. Banking & Finance workers reported feeling the most burnout (74%). Closely  followed by Healthcare & Medical workers (70.6%), Education (69.7%) 

According to World Health Organisation, burnout is an occupational phenomenon and is characterised by three dimensions:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job
• A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment 

Studies find that how we feel (physically, mentally and socially) and how we perform at work have a mutually reinforcing cycle. And when we feel physically, mentally and socially well, we are able to bring more energy, focus and motivation to work and thus have better outcomes(3).

The stats don’t lie- it would seem as health workers we might be preaching one thing and practising another! 

So how do we achieve better work- life equilibrium and avoid burnout?

Firstly, we need to remind ourselves why we are here and that is to help our clients flourish. I know first hand that we cannot do what we set out to achieve as practitioners if we burn out.  

At age 33, at the peak of physical fitness, I suffered a stroke. Classified medically as a ‘freak occurrence’, I put it down to a severe case of burn out. I was training hard, kicking physical goals as well as work goals with two businesses in full swing. I was a rat on a wheel, living life at an unsustainable pace, putting pressure on my mind and body, applying very little self-care and experiencing a whole range of symptoms which I didn’t address. And then one day boom- my body said ‘no that is enough’! After the stroke, I had to learn to walk again, literally, but I also learnt how to walk through life again and as a result, I have gained great perspective. Seven years on, self-preservation, self-care and work life balance are my absolute priority and I hope this little blueprint can help prevent others from burnout.

  My Burnout Prevention Blueprint 

1. Identify Your Symptoms

Everyone’s symptoms of burnout are different and to identify them, you must stop and reflect on how you are feeling. Some common symptoms and ones that I experienced include:  

1. Increased anxiety symptoms
2. Poor sleep 
3. Increased sickness
4. Low energy 
5. Low motivation 

1. Understand and prepare for your triggers 
1. Identify feelings - What makes you feel deflated? What makes you feel unfulfilled? 
2. Notice physical responses - What are the physical responses to this? What makes you sweat outside of exercise? What makes you angry and react, or sad and cry? Or tight through your shoulders and jaw. 
2. Implement some prevention strategies 
1. Align to your purpose - find that why! 
2. Master your mindset - What are you doing to take care of your thoughts and emotions 
3. Reevaluate who you are surrounding yourself with.   
4. Implement systems and processes to automate what you can do to make your client’s experience. 
5. Implement boundaries to take care of your health 

If we practise what we preach to our young clients, we can work towards developing healthy, holistic children who grow into adults who have steady minds and a balanced approach to life.