Are You “Burning Out”? A Lesson in Self-Care

By Marly DiFruscio

According to the World Health Organization, “Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (WHO). Why is the WHO classifying something like burnout? As we increase our productivity levels, with the support of all the different tools at our disposal, we may find it hard to disconnect. With recent global events that have made us work even more remotely yet more interconnected, the lines between work and play are fast becoming more blurred. That's why it's more important than ever, as leaders, to set up the right example for those that we lead. Leaders need to ensure that they're looking internally and work to monitor and manage their self-care.

Why is this important?

If leaders don't take a moment to step away from their desks from time to time, not just a 20-minute break once in a blue moon, but a conscious effort to make time to disconnect, step away and focus on themselves, they are likely to burnout and cause harm to their teams. Burnout can damage the trust and psychological safety of a team, and cause a sharp decrease in efficiency, innovation, and good conflict resolution. That’s not even to mention the potential damage to the rest of the org, and more importantly, their own personal health.

Don't think that as a leader you need to be a beacon of never-ending energy. Not taking a break, and not practicing self-care, are not things to aspire to. There's a fear that seeking help or showing vulnerability will be akin to showing weakness. Many leaders feel they cannot be this way or they will lose the faith of those they must manage and lead. Yet the exact opposite is true. Vulnerability is one of the top traits employees look for in a leader, and setting good examples of this and self-care actually builds cohesive and effective work environments.

By leading the charge for self-care, those leaders will foster a workplace for their employees and teams to share their needs when it comes to self-care and avoids employee burnout or other health issues. This will maintain the psychological safety of teams and organizations, and even improve it.

What can we do to address employee burnout?

Understanding that self-care is a holistic approach to mental and physical wellbeing, there are many components related to it. It's not just about taking deep breaths (although that does work well) but about looking at the elements; you're able to adapt and work in your favor.

Discipline to Disconnect

One of the most important things you can do as a part of self-care is instilling the discipline to disconnect, both in yourself and your team. This is about setting the right boundaries to ensure a consistent daily disconnect from the workplace. Working on a self-imposed schedule will also help with team dynamics. It will help them have the confidence to do the same and thus lead to time to rejuvenate and prepare for another work day.

Take the time to work on something else specifically not work-related. Maybe even take the time completely unplug and walk away from electronics altogether. Practice mindfulness, deep breathing techniques, or meditation while you’re disconnected. This will help your mind and body reinvigorate and relax away from racing thoughts around what deadline might be next. Building up this practice will ultimately assist resiliency and lessen the chances of burnout.

If you can’t (or don’t want to) unplug from all electronics or activities, simply stepping away from working and watching something, doing your favorite hobby, or going out and socializing are all enjoyable ways to reduce stressors. All of this is meant as a way to recharge, avoid decision fatigue, and help to bring back that creativity and charisma that leaders are known for. Try to pick things that won’t stress you out!

Nutrition and Exercise

It may seem really obvious, but in stressful situations, we tend to forget this and look anywhere for energy sources — like a LOT of coffee. This will end up actually giving you less energy for both work and relaxation. Leaders need to be able to focus and therefore, need to be mindful about feeding themselves and what their bodies need. While you might love 5 cups of coffee in the morning, that is not a meal and not enough solid calories to get you through a busy day. To complement making sure your body is fed, being active is another way to relax and keep your mind energized. Whether it’s simply taking a step away from the desk to stand up and stretch, or go for a walk, or a full-blown trip to the gym, every little bit helps

Seek Out Support

Sometimes holding yourself accountable to self-care is a challenge all on its own. Being in a leadership position requires you to provide constant attention, accountability, and support to others, so it is only natural to look for all of those same things for yourself. It is also a great step in going from just a “good” leader to a great leader/ That’s where self-care and coaching can actually go hand in hand.

Becoming a great leader is always working on oneself, which is always done better when someone with an outside perspective helps support leaders to push their limits. Working with a coach will help build the type of discipline and accountability needed, explain how important self-care is, and give leaders the tools and techniques to implement self-care properly. Coaches will always provide honest feedback and if they start to notice burnout creeping up in a leader, they will work with them to continue being accountable. A coach helps to develop leaders to not only help themselves but also become better leaders for their employees. By having this impartial partner as a constant beacon of support and training, a leader will always be able to improve themselves.

Build Consistency and Resiliency

Don't go into the deep side of this pool yet, and work on building healthy habits over time. This means often doing these practices and strategies and building up that discipline and mindset. Once this journey begins, it should be done in smaller bites. As time goes on, this periodic and consistent improvement will transform itself into second nature and help only to reinforce all your resiliency. Resiliency has been defined as “the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors (APA). The APA says “Taking care of yourself helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience.” Being resilient is key to being the best people leader you can be, and consistent self-care will lead you there.

In the end

Self-care is not a one-and-done practice. Being a long-term leader means building out long-term routines in self-care and setting a good example for your teams. You people will thank you for taking more time to care for yourself and setting a good example for avoiding burnout and prioritizing your personal health. By leading the charge for self-care, you’ll be making s difference to build resiliency, productivity, and efficiency. Want to know an even bigger secret? Practicing self-care can also reduce attrition in your organization too.

Curious about the big secret around attrition in your organization? Looking to chat with a coach about accountability and self-care? We always look forward to answering your questions, checking in on your current routines, and ultimately, supporting you. Feel free to reach out to us at info@levelupeq.com and chat with us about statistics, keeping you accountable, and doing more with self-care.