Five Myths About Burnout

Do you think you may be in the midst of a burnout?

Lawyer turned burnout prevention expert, Paula Davis-Laack shares 5 common myths about burnout that can be creating confusion or preventing you from taking proper action.

MYTH #1: Burnout means you are weak and can’t handle stress

It is not the stress itself that makes you burn out, but when stress is combined with the feeling that you are not making an impact.

Paula notes:

“…job stress is only linked to higher burnout rates when people feel like they aren’t making a difference”

There are 2 effective buffers for stress. One is in relation to above, recognize the impact you are making and the other is helping others.

MYTH #2: Burnout requires a major work or life change

Burnout can be overcome by a process called “job crafting,” without making a major change to your work or life.

Paula says:

Many of the people I work with actually like their jobs – they just need to make some tweaks to incorporate more boundaries around their time and energy and build their stress resilience.

MYTH #3: You have to keep burnout a secret

Most likely, people around you are already noticing your burnout. You should start having a conversation with someone you trust about your condition.

MYTH #4: A vacation or a day off will “cure” your burnout

Vacations will not cure a burnout, as it requires a completely different approach.

Paula notes that:

While burnout levels do decrease during vacation, they often return to pre-vacation levels within a week or two after returning to work.

MYTH #5: Burnout means you’re also depressed

About 20% of burnout conditions can be explained by depression, and vice versa. This means that 80% of the time, other factors are causing the burnout.

Burnout can also become a gateway to other illnesses and issues.

Read the entire article at Huffington Post.