S2 E36: How systems change to prevent burnout starts with asking what can I do from where I stand
with equity and inclusion researcher Dr Kate Murray
Key Takeways
I found that for a lot of the people I was working with, I was helping them to cope better with a really horrible situation and felt pretty handicapped by that in terms of not really being able to create that broader change. We know how hard it is to work when people are not in stable, safe environments or situations. I felt that need to move more into systems to think about how do we prevent people from getting into these circumstances in the first place, and in order to have stable long-term change, we have to address the systems that are creating those problems.
We've gotten into this space in society where the expectation is we can just do more and be more efficient, drink more coffee, get less sleep, push through. And we've all accepted that in some ways implicitly or explicitly, and in what we expect of ourselves and what we expect of other people around us. The sort of speeding up and this pushing through. Holidays don't exist. Time off doesn't exist. Weekends don't exist, we're expected to respond to our email or take on additional roles despite the fact we don't have the energy or the ability to do that. So that comes back to me. It is a systems issue. It is a systemic problem throughout society at the moment. What we expect of ourselves and those around us is pretty unrealistic.
I think I try to inject that in the systems where I have any control or power. I set those expectations with my staff in terms of putting boundaries around work. And if you're being paid for 20 hours, then do 20 hours of work. I really try to make that explicit in any relationship where I have the power to control that. And that would include, when do I send emails or when do I set meetings and how do I reinforce for the people around me that expectation of having your own time and taking care of yourself. And I think when I make that explicit, then it also holds me accountable to that. I guess in the current system, I've really tried to be purposeful in where I set my boundaries and where I don't.
Probably the hardest thing for me to do is to find the space to not just be reactionary, to set that weekly agenda of these are my priority items. These are the things I want to get through. How do I create that agenda for myself rather than open my email inbox and say, oh, someone else has created my agenda. That's something that every day I feel like I'm trying to balance in terms of what is it that I really want to need to be doing each day? Because the world's moving so fast. I feel like it's really easy to just get caught up in spinning your wheels and doing more and more.
So I guess I always come back to that sort of mantra, that these are huge, massive issues, and there's really no shortage of complex, messy stuff that we're facing in the world today. But that question of what can you do? Where you are with whatever skills or resources you have.
As an academic, I can create changes in my classroom, then my research program really focuses on issues of equity and inclusion quite explicitly. And then I guess at my service roles, but teaching is probably where I have the most control. So a huge part of my work has been around revising curriculums and revising what we're teaching. We have a very narrow view in psychology, most intro psych books are from a long list of esteemed white men who have shaped our understanding. But there's a whole host of other people who've done really important, meaningful work women and people of color and people from all over the world. And so a big part for me is that curriculum needs to share that diversity.
I think again, the bigger the systems get the harder and I guess the more difficult change feels. So I keep coming back to what can I do? And I guess I make purposeful choices around who are the students that I am supervising and mentoring and supporting in their career development. To do that. I also hope that through curriculum changes that more students see themselves represented within those professions.
And I think a piece of that is tracking and knowing where you're at. So I think putting issues of representation on the table. So there's something that we're actively thinking about does make a difference, right? If we don't track it, it's like it doesn't exist. And so that's been a piece for me too. It's really trying to push for better understanding of what does our current system look like. And therefore how do we monitor the progress that we're making in those domains?
It is our collective responsibility to identify where we do have power and control and where we can make those incremental changes and it can be about anything, right? We all need to work to identify how we're contributing to that system positively or negatively. And to recognize that each of us making change creates larger movement. And so really trying to encourage all of my students to reflect on where they're positioned within that system and what conscious choices do they want to make about it? Because I do believe that most societal change happens from those small groups of people who are putting that ball in motion. I want to do what I can, where I am. And in whatever way that looks like. And I guess that's how I manage my own anxiety, concern is trying to move into more action to more movements, as opposed to that despondency.
I love being in higher education is that I'm inspired by so many brilliant young people who can think outside the box. And so typically that's how I gain that fuel and momentum is putting that to our next generation, who isn't as indoctrinated into our current systems as we are. And they've got brilliant ideas. And to me, we've developed these systems over generations and decades and centuries, really. And so it's really hard to get outside of the current ways of doing that. But for system change, I think we that's actually, what we need is more creativity, more outside the box and probably more coming back to that local level for local solutions. And working within that context where you are to create a better vocal neighborhood community, or, school or faculty, or how do we create that vision that we want to see?
What is the impact that this can have for people who are grappling with the issues of their everyday lives. And again, trying to come back to what's happening within systems and how do we make those systems more equitable? So how can I be a bridge between the university sector and community that is more authentic that has stronger connections and pipelines, whether that's people from diverse communities wanting to come into the university or the resources and knowledge and information from universities going directly into communities and providing programs and supports and people hours to engage in those community identified issues.
To have those difficult conversations, to recognize that as a white woman, I still am closer on par to the experience of a white male. And to recognize that privilege and to call that out, as gender equity is still not equitable. And to come back to my systems to say, look, these are the barriers to authentically engaging with community. There are so many ways that we expect marginalized communities to show up as an advisor or to be on a steering committee, but we don't pay them. Even though you get your salary paid to come to this place every day. We ask other communities to come and to give their voice without equal compensation.
Taking a step back in what is it that's being thrown at you and how are you responding to that? What choice do you have in that? And sometimes there isn't a choice but how can I use this situation to meet that ultimate goal and an outcome that I'm looking for.
So to me that's been really critical is having some place or time where I can take that step back to think. Here's what I want to accomplish this week, or this is what I want to do. This is my priority. And to make sure that list includes stuff that's actually about the things that matter to me. So it's about having time with my family. It's about filling my cup with something each day that can center and ground me and help me to be in a position where I can live the life that I want to live. I do think we need to get better at setting boundaries or to question and to think about what we're doing and why we're doing it.
And so that's been one of my biggest tools and resources in this pursuit of equity is to try to actively use the voice and position that I've been lucky to find myself in. So think about that. Who are you, what are your skills? What do you bring to the table? And what do you want to do with that?
Bio
Kate Murray researches health equity, which is critical in a world of growing human mobility and multicultural societies. She examines how research, health services and educational systems can be more accessible to everyone, regardless of their background. She works to innovate systems and train health professionals to work effectively in this new world, with the belief that better services for diverse populations translates to better services for everyone. A mom of one, she aspires to foster creativity and hope for an even better future world, through engagement with voices too often dismissed and silenced in current systems. She currently lives and works on the lands of the Turrbul and Yugara Peoples and is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology and Counselling at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia.
