I burned out.
Many others across every industry, including healthcare, are in the same boat.
No doubt, the suffering, uncertainty, loneliness, lack of safety, and economic losses we all faced from the pandemic played a role. What I saw in my corner of the healthcare system left scars on my heart.
It also made it that much harder to bear any stress from other equally important factors, including family and friends.
Burnout is insidious. It took me a year to identify it.
It started with fatigue. Difficulty sleeping. Not eating well. Not exercising. Emotional exhaustion. Disinterest in, well, everything.
At first, I chalked it up to the pandemic. Being a busy mom. A hard job. Stresses facing my extended family.
But I knew I was in trouble when all I could think about was quitting. That’s when I reached for help.
This is not a plea for sympathy. It is a call to pay attention.
Listen when that voice inside tells you how you really feel. Don’t rationalize the emotional exhaustion, the lack of interest in the things you once loved doing, the feeling that nothing you do matters anymore. Don’t look away if your coping mechanisms are failing and everything feels like a massive effort of will.
Ask yourself, am I really okay? And if you hesitate, seek help.
Untreated, burnout leads to loss of identity, detachment from what makes us whole, lack of compassion for the people we care for, and, at its worst, death by suicide.
For those who are in positions of power and authority, you are not exempt from dealing with your staff’s burnout. It is your job to create a work environment that promotes wellness, teamwork, safety, recognition, autonomy, and purpose. Happy, healthy people are far more able, effective and productive at their jobs.
Expecting an individual to “fix” their burnout alone is like expecting a tree to survive in contaminated soil. If you see burnout in your staff, know that something bigger needs fixing.
This is not a you problem. This is an us issue. We survived a pandemic together. We can survive this together too.