Understanding Job Burnout: Help for the Caring Professional Cara O’Connell-Edwards, PhD Licensed Clinical Psychologist & Assistant Clinical Professor Department.

Understanding Job Burnout:Help for the Caring Professional

Cara O’Connell-Edwards, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist &Assistant Clinical Professor

Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Understanding Job Burnout:Help for the Caring Professional

Cara O’Connell-Edwards, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist &Assistant Clinical Professor

Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives• At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant should

be able to:

• 1. Recognize the common physical, emotional, and behavioral warning signs of job burnout

• 2. Identify both individual vulnerabilities and job-specific risks that increase the likelihood of developing job burnout

• 3. Gain practical tips for stress-management and preventing burnout

• At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant should be able to:

• 1. Recognize the common physical, emotional, and behavioral warning signs of job burnout

• 2. Identify both individual vulnerabilities and job-specific risks that increase the likelihood of developing job burnout

• 3. Gain practical tips for stress-management and preventing burnout

Stress at WorkStress at Work• More than half of all American workers describe frequent stress at work

• In the US, workers have fewer vacation days per year than any other developed country

• Over 30% of workers stay ‘connected’ to the office when they are on vacation

• Working parents report feeling “preoccupied” by work and regularly bring work projects home

Source: CareerBuilder.Com; CNN.com, “Five warning signs of job burnout”

• More than half of all American workers describe frequent stress at work

• In the US, workers have fewer vacation days per year than any other developed country

• Over 30% of workers stay ‘connected’ to the office when they are on vacation

• Working parents report feeling “preoccupied” by work and regularly bring work projects home

Source: CareerBuilder.Com; CNN.com, “Five warning signs of job burnout”

• Work STRESS is often confused with CHALLENGE

• Challenges motivate us to perform, while chronic stress makes it difficult to carryout routine work duties…

• Left unchecked, chronic stress can lead to BURNOUT

• Work STRESS is often confused with CHALLENGE

• Challenges motivate us to perform, while chronic stress makes it difficult to carryout routine work duties…

• Left unchecked, chronic stress can lead to BURNOUT

Defining the problemDefining the problem

STRESSSTRESS

• Stress can result from any situation where we feel that the demands we are facing exceed our resources

• Resources include Time, Money, Energy, Thought, Patience, Creativity, Compassion, etc…

• Because life is full of Demands, and all us of have a limited amount of Resources to meet these demands, STRESS becomes a ‘fact of life’

• Stress can result from any situation where we feel that the demands we are facing exceed our resources

• Resources include Time, Money, Energy, Thought, Patience, Creativity, Compassion, etc…

• Because life is full of Demands, and all us of have a limited amount of Resources to meet these demands, STRESS becomes a ‘fact of life’

BurnoutBurnout

“Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by long-term exposure to demanding work situations. Burnout is the cumulative result of stress.”

Source: Mayo Clinic, Mayoclinic.com

“Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by long-term exposure to demanding work situations. Burnout is the cumulative result of stress.”

Source: Mayo Clinic, Mayoclinic.com

Chronic Stress & Burnout impacts our health, mood states, and even our thinking….

Chronic Stress & Burnout impacts our health, mood states, and even our thinking….

Common ‘signs and symptoms’ of chronic stress and burnout

Common ‘signs and symptoms’ of chronic stress and burnout

Signs of Burnout: Health Signs of Burnout: Health

• Your sleep is changing

• You feel exhausted

• You’re always getting sick and/or you take more sick days

• You have frequent aches and pains

• You are using alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, food, or shopping to feel better about work

• Your sleep is changing

• You feel exhausted

• You’re always getting sick and/or you take more sick days

• You have frequent aches and pains

• You are using alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, food, or shopping to feel better about work

Emotional Signs of burnoutEmotional Signs of burnout• You’re frequently bored at work

• Work feels meaningless, there is no purpose in your work

• You are often irritable or lose your temper with coworkers, family, and friends

• You feel preoccupied by fears of losing your job

• You are more cynical about your work (the “so what” factor)

• You’re frequently bored at work

• Work feels meaningless, there is no purpose in your work

• You are often irritable or lose your temper with coworkers, family, and friends

• You feel preoccupied by fears of losing your job

• You are more cynical about your work (the “so what” factor)

Cognitive Signs of BurnoutCognitive Signs of Burnout

• You can’t concentrate

• You have trouble making decisions

• Your mind goes blank

• You make more mistakes

• You work hard but seem to accomplish very little

• You ‘zone out’ or stay on automatic pilot

• You can’t concentrate

• You have trouble making decisions

• Your mind goes blank

• You make more mistakes

• You work hard but seem to accomplish very little

• You ‘zone out’ or stay on automatic pilot

NIOSH Model of Job StressNIOSH Model of Job Stress

Stressful Risk of Injury or Illness

JobConditions

Individual andSituational Factors

available at www.cdc.gov/niosh

Reviewing common environmental and individual ‘traps’ that lead to burnout

Reviewing common environmental and individual ‘traps’ that lead to burnout

Looking around…The work environments that create burnoutLooking around…The work environments that create burnout

• Low control• Lack of reward• Unclear expectations• Unrealistic expectations• Too little or too much

work• Lack of feedback• Critical boss

• Low control• Lack of reward• Unclear expectations• Unrealistic expectations• Too little or too much

work• Lack of feedback• Critical boss

• Frequent Deadlines• Too little pay• Competing demands• Office politics• Bureaucracy• Unhealthy coworkers• Helping/caregiving

profession

• Frequent Deadlines• Too little pay• Competing demands• Office politics• Bureaucracy• Unhealthy coworkers• Helping/caregiving

profession

Looking within…. Individual variables that increase risk for burnout:Looking within…. Individual variables that increase risk for burnout:

• Your expectations don’t match reality

• You have rigid ideas about how things “should” be

• You’re a perfectionist• Can’t say no• You ruminate (replay)

conversations with coworkers, managers

• You are experiencing a personal or family crisis

• Your expectations don’t match reality

• You have rigid ideas about how things “should” be

• You’re a perfectionist• Can’t say no• You ruminate (replay)

conversations with coworkers, managers

• You are experiencing a personal or family crisis

• You have ‘dysfunctional’ relationships with coworkers

• You are juggling several roles

• You habitually take work home with you

• You have trouble organizing/managing time

• You have ‘dysfunctional’ relationships with coworkers

• You are juggling several roles

• You habitually take work home with you

• You have trouble organizing/managing time

• Every workplace offers challenges, stressors, and opportunities

• We are all vulnerable and may experience several of these common symptoms at some point during our work lives

• The helping professions have some of the highest risk for job burnout

• Every workplace offers challenges, stressors, and opportunities

• We are all vulnerable and may experience several of these common symptoms at some point during our work lives

• The helping professions have some of the highest risk for job burnout

What can be done?What can be done?

• Fact:• Our ability to cope with stress has an impact on our health

and happiness.• Fact:

We all have strategies to cope with stress that we use on a daily basis.

• Fact:Our Coping Strategies have the potential to either Help or Hinder (make worse) us in dealing with any given situation.

• Fact:It is never too late to learn new Coping Strategies to improve our health and happiness.

• Fact:• Our ability to cope with stress has an impact on our health

and happiness.• Fact:

We all have strategies to cope with stress that we use on a daily basis.

• Fact:Our Coping Strategies have the potential to either Help or Hinder (make worse) us in dealing with any given situation.

• Fact:It is never too late to learn new Coping Strategies to improve our health and happiness.

Strategies for preventing and coping with stress and burnoutStrategies for preventing and coping with stress and burnout

• The first step to managing stress at work is increasing awareness of the individual and environmental triggers that make us vulnerable to the stress response

• The first step to managing stress at work is increasing awareness of the individual and environmental triggers that make us vulnerable to the stress response

Emotional ‘habits’ are hard to breakEmotional ‘habits’ are hard to break

• Habits/patterns of responding to stressful situations become automatic, and may be difficult to recognize at first

• Habits/patterns of responding to stressful situations become automatic, and may be difficult to recognize at first

A Mindful Approach to Reducing Stress A Mindful Approach to Reducing Stress

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments” (Wherever you go, There you are. page 4).

-Jon Kabat-Zinn

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments” (Wherever you go, There you are. page 4).

-Jon Kabat-Zinn

• Mindfulness is routed in eastern philosophy but has been applied to western medicine

• Mind-body medicine recognizes the link between what is going on in the ‘mind’ (stress, negative emotions) and the body (disease states, healing)

• Mindfulness has been applied to stress management and is a useful approach to combating the impact of chronic stress on psychological and physical health

• Mindfulness is routed in eastern philosophy but has been applied to western medicine

• Mind-body medicine recognizes the link between what is going on in the ‘mind’ (stress, negative emotions) and the body (disease states, healing)

• Mindfulness has been applied to stress management and is a useful approach to combating the impact of chronic stress on psychological and physical health

Origins of MindfulnessOrigins of Mindfulness

MindfulnessMindfulness• Focused awareness on the present moment

• Paying attention to what is happening internally or externally while it is happening

• Can be practiced formally or applied in moment-by-moment experiences

• Focused awareness on the present moment

• Paying attention to what is happening internally or externally while it is happening

• Can be practiced formally or applied in moment-by-moment experiences

What can mindfulness do for me?What can mindfulness do for me?

• “Some of the worst things in my life never actually happened.” (Mark Twain)

• “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” (John Lennon)

• “Some of the worst things in my life never actually happened.” (Mark Twain)

• “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” (John Lennon)

• How am I feeling right now?

• What is going on with me at this moment?

• How am I feeling right now?

• What is going on with me at this moment?

How am I right Now?

Stressed!Stressed!

Thoughts of the Past

What is happeningIn this moment?

Thoughts about theFuture

Some ‘mindful’ approaches to stressSome ‘mindful’ approaches to stress

• All that we have is the present moment

• Thoughts are not facts

• We are more than our thoughts

• Enhanced awareness adds more joy to life

• All that we have is the present moment

• Thoughts are not facts

• We are more than our thoughts

• Enhanced awareness adds more joy to life

Tips for enjoying “more moments”Tips for enjoying “more moments”

1. Keep Breathing 1. Keep Breathing

2. Move more 2. Move more

3. Stay Connected3. Stay Connected

4. Plan your day 4. Plan your day

5. Do one thing at a time

5. Do one thing at a time

6. Just Say ‘no’6. Just Say ‘no’

7. Reward yourself7. Reward yourself

8. Change your thinking

8. Change your thinking

9. Turn down the noise

9. Turn down the noise

10. Build your social support network

10. Build your social support network

Wrapping Up…Wrapping Up…

• Questions and Discussion• Questions and Discussion