Burnout
“Horses have a unique ability to teach us about leadership and the importance of communication.” -Pat Parelli
Burnout has been acknowledged as part of our work culture since the mid-seventies. It has become more of a hot topic over the last years, in particular since the pandemic hit in 2020.
In a general societal perception, high achievers are most likely to burn out. People in leadership and prominent positions affected by burnout who dare to speak out are fortunately heard, and their experience is validated. Their honesty is seen as an act of bravery. The truth is that people in more insignificant positions are just as burnt out as their managers. Or, even more so, if they find themselves in a toxic work environment where the culture, dictated from the top, is amplified as it trickles down to the lower ranks.
Speaking up here is often met by ridicule and disbelief, and considered as a weakness. Needless to say ̶ from a leadership perspective ̶ behavior like this is highly disruptive to the companies’ work processes.
Employees affected by burnout often have few options other than leaving their position. But where do we draw the line? How much can we really take? How do we determine that our perception is correct, and that the situation is indeed unsavable? And how do we activate the energy to cut ties in a damaging work environment?
Going even one step further – how do we pick ourselves up after cutting these ties to appear attractive to new employers after we have been sucked dry of every ounce of energy and zest? Is it really worth the hassle? Or is it preferable to just continue on in hopes for an ultimate sign – maybe getting seriously ill or being fired?
Our mind is a great trickster on the road to determining what’s healthy for us.
As humans, we are resilient and adaptable, we are setting new standards for ourselves. But we are often not discerning whether these are simply new standards of suffering. We are not created to suffer. We have the capacity to experience joy, kindness, and community for a reason. We are not machines meant to produce all the time, and then collapse upon arriving in our homes.
Society is getting around to acknowledging this – while workaholics and ruthless billionaires are idolized in our most popular TV shows that are often the seemingly easiest way of escapism after a long day.
We are deeply conflicted – you are either a mindful, fair and caring human being or you are a highly competitive, successful professional. In reality it is a rare occurrence to have it both ways. The benchmarks are dictated by industry standards, even in fields like healthcare.
What can we do?
We can examine our situation with the help of a neutral and compassionate observer. We can come to an awareness of what is real, what may be our personal bias, and what are our individual requirements to be truthful with ourselves, in order to get out of survival mode and experience joy.
These distinctions are based on our personal history, on our experiences and our values, no one could possibly determine them on our behalf. The key to finding our own, personal truth is reconnecting with our soul, spirit and body.