Written by: Leah Tomlin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Burnout is a medical condition officially recognised, as of 2020, by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Statistics on burnout reveal a worrying post-pandemic increase globally. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) reveals that 10-15% of workers are mentally and physically burnt out. 50% of employees are exhausted, ineffective, and/or disengaged with their work. The latter group is at higher risk of complete burnout.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” ‒ Dalai Lama
Studies reveal the alarming impact that prolonged workplace stress has on individuals, leading to lower productivity, poor efficiency and total burnout (Dubale et al., 2019). People who experience harmful levels of workplace stress over an extended period of time have raised levels of the stress hormone cortisol. They are more likely to be exhausted, think irrationally, lose creativity, think negatively, overreact, be overly emotional, experience cardiovascular pathology, and die prematurely. This poses enormous questions about the responsibility of organisations for individuals as humans beyond their specific work duties.
Burnout damages the brain
Neuroscience shows us that chronic stress causes physical damage to the brain, which creates foggy thinking, exhaustion and lack of emotion regulation that characterises burnout. When brain scans are compared people who are subjected to uncontrollable workplace stress with those who are not in overly stressful situations, it shows that there are very clear neurobiological repercussions of such stress (Savic et al., 2018). Chronic stress causes enlargement of the amygdala, an area of the brain that is old in evolutionary terms. It sits relatively central in the brain and is responsible for emotion, including fear, sadness and anger. It may explain the overly-emotional and reactive responses that characterise people in burnout states.
Sufferers of burnout have also been shown to experience other damaging changes to brain anatomy. The impact of accumulative workplace stress is similar to that seen in examples of extreme trauma. The connections between the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex (PFC) are weakened (Arnsten and Shanafelt, 2021). The latter region is responsible for logical thought, executive function and also, crucially, for modulation of the emotional response. It figures that, with damage to the PFC, a person is less likely to be able to modulate their negative emotions, think logically or strategically.
Further studies reveal the impact of workplace stress on the hippocampus (Blix et al., 2013), an area of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Reduction in the size of hippocampal regions, with neuronal cell death marking such a change in the burnt-out brain, explains the difficulty in learning new concepts and being resilient to change during burnout.
Is there any hope for stressed-out brains?
The plethora of neuroscientific evidence paints a bleak picture for those suffering from accumulative workplace stress and for those leaders and managers who have a responsibility and duty of care to their employees. But there is some good news for burnout sufferers and leaders of teams. The brain is a highly plastic organ that is able to change in response to environmental factors, meaning that through preventative and curative steps, the cerebral damage caused by chronic stress can eventually be reversed (Savic et al., 2018). However, this recovery or prevention doesn’t occur unless active steps are taken to avoid self-induced and societal pressures to power on through the tough times, always work hard and never give up. Burnout is a common medical condition that should be treated with the respect that it is long overdue.
Recognise the early signs of burnout
Returning from the total mental and physical collapse that characterises burnout is extremely difficult. Understanding the stages of burnout is the key to its prevention:
A strong desire to prove oneself
Working harder and harder to succeed
Finding less time for enjoyable activities in life, claiming to be ‘too busy’
Neglecting health and well-being
Exhaustion creeping in but plowing on regardless
Conflict occurring at work or in personal lives
Withdrawing from social interactions
Isolation leads to feelings of losing touch with previous selves
Overwhelm lowering productivity
Feelings of emptiness and numbness creeping in
Depression and/ or anxiety taking hold
Burnout: complete mental and physical collapse
Steps to prevent burnout
To stop burnout in its tracks, we must recognise early exhaustion/ overwhelm states such as tiredness, distraction, lack of direction or focus, negativity, cynicism, insomnia, anxiety, over-reliance on food/ alcohol, or loss of interest in activities. Taking steps to actively prevent burnout should be considered a priority in organisations:
1. Take breaks to manage stress
Breaks are crucial to the working day. Neuroscience studies show us that we learn more profoundly when we take a break directly following a significant learning period. Studies show that a micro-break of as little as 60 seconds can benefit our working memory, mood, and concentration capabilities (Heiland, 2021). Leaders should encourage employees to take regular breaks, as the more prone we are to burnout, ironically, the less likely we are to take the all-important break.
Breaks and consistent 7-8 hours of high-quality sleep are fundamental to productivity, brain functioning, learning, and longevity. Neurons create new connections more readily during the sleep that follows intense learning than during the learning activity itself. The brain never actually rests, being increasingly active during sleeping hours: consolidating memories and new learning, keeping us breathing, maintaining our heart rates, and more.
2. Get in touch with happiness
Happiness, arguably, should be the one life goal we strive for over all else. It’s up to individuals to know what makes them happy and take an active leadership role in their own happiness. Crafting our own happiness means first asking the question of what precisely makes us happy. A positive, happy life is one where we are able to expand the experiences that give us pleasure. We can broaden our horizons by experiencing pleasurable activities, places, and relationships. Conversely, addiction is a situation where a complete narrowing occurs of the elements of life that give us pleasure. Many people in modern societies are addicted to their smartphones, thereby narrowing their experience of pleasurable activities. Taking control of smartphone use and using time wisely for pleasure should be a priority for us all.
True happiness isn’t passively served to us on a plate but requires effort to achieve. Start crafting a pathway to happiness. It’s helpful to start with your happiness goal and reframe your identity by telling yourself, “I am the kind of person who is happy because I…” From here, decide precisely what you need more of in your life if you are to be truly happy. This will be personal to you and your life but might involve making more time for neglected friendships, reconnecting with a creative hobby that you let slip, or allowing yourself complete immersion in nature or a great book. Remember, the main goal here is to expand the plethora of things in your life that give you pleasure. Leaders should lead by example and demonstrate nourishing lifestyle choices, both within the working day and beyond.
3. Raise importance of wellbeing
Well-being is frequently the element people let slip when life becomes too busy. Health and well-being are too important to take a back seat in our lives. We should, therefore, assess different areas of our well-being and consider them in terms of the full array of physical, emotional, social, creative, intellectual, spiritual and domestic requirements, as well as workplace needs. Ask yourself which areas of your well-being are being neglected and determine how you will address this in your strategic pursuit of happiness and fulfillment.
Within an organisation, leaders should be strategic in their approach to employee well-being and happiness by creating a well-being strategy that allows time to support individuals to raise their self-awareness, as well as to encourage and support their teams to understand burnout, prioritise well-being and broaden their scope to live meaningful lives.
4. Master your mindset
A positive mindset is a one-way road to success. Equipped with such a mindset, setbacks are not allowed to take an enormous toll. Our mindset will determine how, as individuals, we will approach, process and resolve issues and problems. Developing a growth mindset requires us to be forgiving and patient with ourselves and others. Focussing on the effort and enjoying the journey is more beneficial than being overwhelmed by the required outcome.
A growth mindset is one that can recognise a crisis, put it into perspective and understand that there are better times ahead. A learning mindset allows a person to happily accept that they can learn anything and adapt to all eventualities. People with positive mindsets are, therefore, more resilient and can bounce back brightly from the brink of adversity. Learning the art of emotion regulation and developing a strong mindset can lead to significant increases in resilience within the workplace. Coaching across an organisation can provide a highly powerful solution to helping individuals master a growth mindset.
5. Build in boundaries
It’s crucial to set healthy boundaries in expectations of yourself and others. Defining boundaries is necessary within our work and across work/ life transitions. To maximise productivity, we need non-negotiable times set aside for deep, focused work. We also need to learn to say no to excessive expectations from others and to clearly define boundaries between our work and the rest of our lives. A great way to define the boundary between work and the rest of your life is to write your actions at the end of your work day for the next day. This will allow you to switch off more easily, knowing that your actions for tomorrow are already determined. Use this free 90-Day Planner to simplify life and work and to get clearer on relevant goals and targeted daily actions. Leaders can help teams to become more focused and have boundaries with their work by using this planning system with their teams.
6. Hone your habits
It’s tough to change habits, and in neurobiological terms, it is true that we are creatures of habit. Our brains are wired to keep us in our comfort zones, where we feel safe and at ease. However, stepping out of our comfort zones and honing new habits is where our true success and happiness lie. When overwhelm sneaks in, reset your expectations. Instead of looking up to the heavens and focusing on the top rung of the ladder, focus on the first step. Taking the first small step is the greatest leap you can take to transform your life and reshape your happiness and success identity. Grant yourself permission to fully focus on the first step, and concern yourself with the next step only when the first is complete.
A positive morning routine can set us up for a successful day. Developing new habits takes time, patience and determination. The secret is to do it incrementally and slowly over a period of time and to get support from a coach, friend, accountability partner, or group to help maintain momentum. With patience and support, those thoughts can be transformed into actions, which can be developed into successful habits for life. Leaders can support and coach their teams to implement actions that create the habit of happiness and success amongst their staff.
7. Prioritise for productivity
Productivity should not be about working harder but should be about using focused time wisely for the greatest gain. Using the mathematical Pareto Principle, find the 20% of activities that have the 80% impact, and focus on these as your priorities. Success with productivity is less about how much we get done but more about what we choose to get done. Prioritising our workload and home lives is ever-complex as we are relentlessly bombarded with information, data, news, people and their problems. Mastering the arts of elimination, delegation, outsourcing, goal setting, planning and project management are necessary to manage workload and ensure our time is valuably utilised.
When we are productive and fulfilled in life and work, we achieve more which gives us a sense of accomplishment and increased motivation. This, in turn, fuels further productivity. Ultimately, being productive makes us more positive and empowers us to achieve more ambitious goals. Assess your 7 Core Productivity Areas and receive a personalised report to help you propel your productivity for life and work that is calmer, more focussed, purposeful and rewarding.
Preventing burnout in organisations
Leaders are frequently at risk of burnout because they are often, by nature, prone to being driven and have high expectations of themselves. It’s crucial that leaders address their own happiness, well-being and productivity as well as those of the teams they lead.
Leaders have a responsibility to empower their employees, raise their self-awareness and enhance their understanding of issues around stress, burnout, well-being and productivity. Teams need support to help them to develop resilience and enable them to take time out to strategically focus on wellbeing. Creating time away from specific work duties to focus on helping teams craft a more meaningful work-life balance is key to a happier and more productive organisation.
Leah Tomlin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Leah coaches professional women for transformation in leadership and life. She holds an exceptional range of qualifications and skills as a certified Executive Coach, business owner, published Neuroscientist and qualified Head Teacher. Her understanding of the brain and how people learn ensures she inspires transformational, life-long positive impact for leaders and their organisations. Her scientific background allows her to employ evidence-based brain and coaching methodologies that achieve success. Leah is passionate about gender equality, helping propel more women to the top and seeing them succeed as incredible leaders. She empowers women to understand how their brains can help and hinder them, enabling them to develop greater self-awareness, confidence, and a dare-to-dream vision. Her clients love the way she coaches with emotional intelligence and warmth, focused on improving their leadership competency and helping them develop new and effective professional behaviours and habits. Working with Leah, leaders achieve greater success for themselves and their teams, as well as create supportive cultures of excellence in their workplaces. Leah lives in Bristol, England, as a single mum to her three young children. She is passionate about well-being and takes time to enjoy her hobbies, including music, film, reading, art and design, yoga and dog-walking.
References:
Arnsten, A.F. and Shanafelt, T., (2021). Physician distress and burnout: the neurobiological perspective. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 96, No. 3, pp. 763-769). Elsevier.
Blix, E., Perski, A., Berglund, H. and Savic, I., (2013). Long-term occupational stress is associated with regional reductions in brain tissue volumes. PloS one, 8(6), p.e64065.
Dubale, B.W., Friedman, L.E., Chemali, Z., Denninger, J.W., Mehta, D.H., Alem, A., Fricchione, G.L., Dossett, M.L. and Gelaye, B., (2019). Systematic review of burnout among healthcare providers in sub-Saharan Africa. BMC public health, 19(1), pp.1-20.
Heiland, E.G., Tarassova, O., Fernström, M., English, C., Ekblom, Ö. and Ekblom, M.M., (2021). Frequent, Short Physical Activity Breaks Reduce Prefrontal Cortex Activation but Preserve Working Memory in Middle-Aged Adults: ABBaH Study. Frontiers in human neuroscience, p.533.
Savic, I., Perski, A. and Osika, W., (2018). MRI shows that exhaustion syndrome due to chronic occupational stress is associated with partially reversible cerebral changes. Cerebral Cortex, 28(3), pp.894-906.
