A brief Q&A on burnout
1. What caused your burnout? Were there distinct long and short-term factors?
I believe my own need to prove myself was a factor developed in childhood. This is in fact the first stage in Freudenberger & North's 12 stages of burnout. When I became a mother I was over-extended and started to dislike myself because I was parenting in a way that I did not want to but that had been modeled to me. When I moved from leading my own research group to also leading in a cancer center I lost autonomy and had relationship and values conflicts that are also causes of burnout identified by Prof Maslach. I brought in a $10 million grant but was told it wasn't enough by the university; the lack of reward, another cause from Maslach, was apparent. Burnout is defined as exhaustion, cynicism and lack of effectiveness. When I looked at 20 years of research and thought it was a total waste of time I decided to leave. But I did not realize it was burnout till I learned more about it later. I just thought I was a failure and unable to cope in a high demand job.
2. Did it take you a long time to acknowledge your burnout? What were the signs?
I experienced suicide ideation and panic attacks so that was when I took a leave of absence to try to re-set and get help. I was living in a state of fight/flight. I thought I had experienced a midlife crisis or breakdown. When I started reading about burnout and the symptoms and causes I put 2+2 together. But I also discovered there is caregiver and parental burnout. Many moms can be experiencing all of these. You don't get a burnout diagnosis as it is not a medical condition, but it is a risk for illness. Despite being a public health professor, I don't claim I am a burnout expert, but I am a burnout survivor.
3. Can the psychological load of burnout also manifest physically? If so, how?
Absolutely. Most women I interview on my podcast experienced physical symptoms. They describe it as their body shutting them down. Panic attacks, unable to get out of bed, headaches, hair loss, some receive a diagnosis for another illness at the same time. My back teeth were cracked. My cortisol levels were high. Somehow we can fight our thoughts but at some stage our body simply says enough.
4. What would you advise people who feel burnt out, but for whatever reason don't have the freedom or ability to take time off from work?
Asking for what you need at work and home is such an important first step, and not always easy to do, especially in the US where there is such an individualistic culture. Ask for flexible work hours so you can attend to your needs, work on crafting a job that feels more enjoyable - this is related to job satisfaction so many employers support this, ask your employer to subsidize a professional coach and any good one will help with any personal issues too, find out what work should be prioritized. You have to see what you can take off your plate at home or work, letting go of stressors is really important. Burnout is chronic stress so self care helps with the symptoms and even looking for another job can help you feel like you are in control again. It's about putting yourself first.
5. What would you say to people who feel burnt out, but see overwork as a totem of success/legitimacy?
Many people won't rest if their worth is tied up in being a valuable worker. And to be honest I used to think working harder was the solution to all problems. I have realized that my busy badge doesn't help me or anyone else, in fact I can be putting pressure and hurting others with that expectation. But if we love to be needed and feel better when we are a martyr it can be really hard to give that up. You have to put your ego aside. Glennon Doyle said we need to be role models to our daughters not martyrs to motherhood. That struck me. I don't want my daughter to think sacrificing your own health and needs is the right thing to do. In behavior change role models are key, that's why we need CEOs and managers to lead with their own reasonable work hours. Selina Barker, author of burnt out, says it is when your thoughtfulness has gone into over-thinking, your achievement has gone into over-achievement and your drive has gone into over-drive. It's so true! These great traits have become our Achilles heel. Managers need to help their over-achievers by also setting upper limits on what is healthy to achieve.
6. A lot of companies are offering "sticking plaster"-style solutions to burnout culture (no meeting Fridays etc). Are these useful at all? What would you say to bosses that are interested in mitigating burnout among their employees?
No Friday meetings to me is not a band-aid. It's a policy system level change that can help employees do the work that needs no interruptions. This is a great example of what employers can do to help. Telling people to focus on their own self care is the band aid and puts the blame on the individual. Reviews of burnout interventions show we need both individual programs like meditation AND organizational change. Bosses need to make team well being a KPI then everything else will go towards that, they will invest in the right programs, they will measure what is helping, they will hold managers accountable. Focusing on only the most impactful deliverables will reduce unnecessary work. To prevent working mom burnout companies need to subsidize childcare, provide paid leave to all caregivers as a default, use structured interviews and objective criteria in hiring and promotion decisions. Offer flextime, PTO, and be really careful of proximity bias creeping in. Make sure personal check ins happen.
7. You mentioned some of the ways burnout affects women uniquely. Could you expand on those please — I was particularly interested in your comment about the difficulty of leveraging power, if you're exhausted by the time you obtain it.
Covid has overextended many moms but it just exacerbated existing problems. Women, and particularly women of color, face so many barriers to achieving promotions; they have to perform 2.5x as much, then studies show their potential is downplayed compare to men, they suffer if self-evaluations are involved, the bias is built into the system without most people, men and women realizing it. Many people do not believe there is a maternal wall or a motherhood penalty, but the data clearly show there is. Not having your experiences believed is very demoralizing too. Only 8% of women are CEOs in the US but women led companies are 3x more profitable. Female physicians have better surgical outcomes and are more likely to save a life in the ER but are 250% more likely to attempt suicide. It's not that we're not capable. But it's like we are playing on a football field on a hill. We play the first half and stay in the game despite the hill. But then at half time the men on the other side refuse to change ends, refuse to admit there is a hill, or change the game to lacrosse. Deepa Purushothaman in her recent book The First, The Few, The Only describes how so many women leaders are sick by the time they reach the table. And if we are there but not heard or valued. It is just exhausting, you feel ineffective, and you get cynical. There it is - burnout.
