Then we start to string it all together and a pattern begins to emerge. These signs of burnout start to make some sense to us.

There are four major things that stress can seriously diminish. They’re not burnout causes. They point to the need to find causes. Burnout symptoms just tell us something else is going on. And when you think about these signs or symptoms they make perfect sense. These four items, signal us that there is something that we would do well to attend to now before serious problems develop.

Remember any one or two of these things by themselves doesn’t necessarily mean you have burnout. It just means you need to start asking yourself what the causes of burnout may be for you. Nor do these represent stages of burnout. That’s the thing about burnout. All sorts of things happen in any order that don’t make much sense until you start stringing it all together.

Four Burnout Symptoms

1   A Loss of Energy - we may sense a loss of physical, emotional or spiritual energy. We just don’t have the get up and go that normally characterizes us. We are physically, emotionally or spiritually tired. I remember saying for a period of time that I just had a tired soul. And the sense of physical tiredness goes beyond just having a hard days work. It’s something more pervasive. One day off or a holiday doesn’t bring that sense of reinvigoration.

2   A Loss of Involvement - we start to withdraw from things we would normally be involved in. We may withdraw from people or from daily work. We almost express an indifference to projects, programs and causes that normally would engage our interests and passions. We may even find ourselves becoming cynical, irritated or seeing people as interruptions when it’s not the case at all.

3 A Loss of Effectiveness - our ability to perform as effectively as we once did is compromised. Our performance suffers. The quality of our work goes down. We’re not a sharp as we normally are. Our decision-making isn’t as crisp and decisive. Our communications are unclear and quality leadership is lacking. Others around us may be more frustrated by our behaviors. It’s not only that you lack these things in general, but you can’t seem to summon them when you need them.

4   A Loss of Health and/or Sense of Well-being - stress weakens the immune system and our ability to fight off disease or minor health problems. You may have a sense of not just feeling as well as you normally do. That general feeling of malaise hangs on. We may experience any number of things happening to our body, which don’t seem to tie together and don’t seem to have an explanation. Remember the effects of adrenaline: poor sleeping, aches and pains, stomach problems, unable to relax and a host of others. We just don’t feel as well as we know we should be feeling.

If you have been experiencing these four things more or less all together at one time and over an extended period of time … pay attention. Now is the time to do something about it. That’s what stress management means, doing something about it now. Burnout symptoms are giving you a message that you need to pay attention to.

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1. Using the SMART Goal Setting acronym, analyze goals you have made in the past and how effective they have been.  

2. Then develop a new set of goals based on the same SMART Goal Setting criteria.    

Working through a goal setting activity like this will make you much more aware of just how you have done in the past and what you need to make the best goals possible for the future.   

Goal Setting Activity - R - Realistic  

There are people, resources, information and time to make this happen. It can be a reality. ‘Realistic’ is not a substitute word for ‘simple’ or ‘easy’ and you may have to stretch to make it happen, but it is within the realm of reality to accomplish. Keep in mind that to one person this may be totally unrealistic, while to another, the thrill of knowing that it just might be possible moves them forward. (I love seeing that light come on with a client.) Many scientific breakthroughs and new product developments have been made in this way. It required a steep learning curve but the end result was achieved. Witness the US program to put a man on the moon in the 1970’s.  

Be sure in your own mind that this goal is possible, even if people have to push the barriers of what is now known in order to get there. It was Henry Ford who said, “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”  

The key is that you believe it can be accomplished and you are ready, willing and able to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Keep in mind that a whole series of smaller goals can add up to a spectacular result over time. It’s all in the strategic approach you take.  

R – Relevant   The goal must somehow relate to who you are or who your organization is and where it is going. Will it contribute to furthering your mission and the vision you have of the future? 

Goal Setting Activity - T – Time Framed; Time Bound; Time Structured  Enough – You have allowed enough time to achieve the objective and not so much time that the goal drifts off into lack of momentum and obscurity. 

Set the time – There is nothing like a good due-date or deadline. They are specific, clear and totally capture your focus. Have a starting point, ending point and fixed ‘reporting’ times along the way. Reporting or ‘checking in’ overcomes the tendency to just let life happen and get caught up in the daily ‘stuff’ of life, business or ministry. Example: First painting to be done by Aug 15. Second to be done by Oct 31. Submit both to the Art Show by Nov. 10th.  

Break larger goals down into more manageable chunks. As in the example above, two paintings represent two projects. 

What have you noticed as you went through this exercise? Maybe you thought your implementation of goals was poor but you discovered your action was off because your goals were ill-defined. That’s a very important point to note.  

We cover much more detail of this goal setting activity in the courses, programs and coaching that we assist our clients with. Those who pay attention move further in a shorter period of time.   Stress Management and Burnout

http://www.BeatBurnoutWhereToStart.com

http://www.BeatBurnoutResources.com  Executive and Personal Effectiveness Coaching

http://www.gewood.com  

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I was interested in exploring exactly what people think a running on full professional or leaders would look like. Here’s part of what I said,

I know it’s more than that they just show up at work. If they are Running On Full, they must be reasonably happy about something. Wouldn’t they have a sense of making a contribution? Of working on something that is significant? Of being valued for what they bring to the table? Lots of questions. I’d love to hear your responses.

Are they adding new skills?
Are they pursuing personal development and professional development?
Are they concerned about personal effectiveness and doing better.
Do they have a particular attitude that they bring to the workplace?
Do they want to reach their God-given potential?
How do they relate to people?
If they are a leader, do they move others forward or lead in a certain way?
Have they arrived or are they on the journey?
Are they fullfiled in what they do?
How do they avoid overload and burnout?
How do they deal with normal everyday stresses and those more intense stressful situations?

Maybe you have some thoughts here as well.

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1. Using the SMART Goal Setting acronym, analyze goals you have made in the past and how effective they have been.  

2. Then develop a new set of goals based on the same SMART Goal Setting criteria.

Working through a goal setting activity like this will make you much more aware of just how you have done in the past and what you need to make the best goals possible for the future.

A lot of us are goal deprived, preferring, more by default than anything else, to just let life happen to us. This is one of the sure roads to stress and burnout. I once read that less than 3% of people put pen to paper and write down their goals. I am sure much the same could be said for many of our organizations. Interestingly, it is the same 3% who accomplish more than all the 97% combined. 

Let’s get started with this goal setting activity. Using the acronym SMART, here are the things to aim for when you write down your goals. Check yourself against them. 

Goal Setting Activity - S

Specific Well defined Specific goals define the desired outcome, objective or benefit to be delivered. It defines the specific target you are aiming at. This allows you to focus your thinking and efforts. 

No ambiguity– Goals are clear to anyone who has some understanding of the organization. 

Clear. Clarity in goal setting is critical. Specific goals let everyone know what, when and how much. Specific goals allow you to measure progress toward completion.  What – What do you really want the result to be? 

Where – Define a location if this is important to the goal. 

When – A specific date on the calendar  

Who – Who is involved? 

Why – This is the motivating factor. Why are you doing this? What are the benefits of accomplishing this goal? 

Example: An ambiguous goal would be: “I want to begin painting again.” A specific goal would be “I will submit two paintings to the art show on November 10th”. 

Goal Setting Activity - M

Measurable A measurement lets you know when you have attained of accomplished your desired end result. For example, numbers are easily understandable measurements – 8 months, 4 days per week, $100,000 dollars, 60 pounds, 2 paintings. 

Progress – When you can measure, you know how much is completed and how much farther there is to go. 

Celebration – You have a measurement that allows you to celebrate important milestones on the way to your goal. 

Benchmark – Here’s where I started and what I measure against. Here’s how far I have come.  

Deadline – November 10th is a deadline. You can’t be much clearer than that. Target dates assist you to stay on track. It has been said that a goal without a deadline is just a dream. Because you have recorded the goal, you can point to your completion of it as a success. It builds confidence and locks in proof that you can accomplish what you set out to accomplish. 

Goal Setting Activity - A

Action-Oriented Action words are clear. “I will submit “ is a whole lot clearer than, “I should submit”; “If I get two paintings done, I’ll submit” or “I would like to submit”. Many organizations I have worked for, have mamby pampy goals (no, make that wishes!) that will likely get them no where. Action verbs get you somewhere. That’s why we call this a goal setting activity.

Measuring something that is being done is easier than trying to measure nothing being done. 

A - Attainable   Some people set goals that are unattainable. I have nothing against big goals. But if there is no way you can accomplish ‘world peace’ in your lifetime, that is unattainable. Making a brief to a UN forum on world peace to be held next year is attainable. 

A goal should be a stretch, just beyond our immediate grasp, or just beyond employees and volunteers immediate reach enough to pull us forward and challenges our comfort zones to accomplish. It provides a sense of excitement, anticipation and desire to reach the goal.  

Set right – A goal set too high or too low (less than the normal standard performance) doesn’t hold any relevance. It will be dismissed and ignored. A goal that is set right will start you thinking on how you can make it happen. You begin to increase your capacity for reaching the goal by adding skills, attitudes, experiences and resources (both human and physical) that can assist you to get there.  

A – Agreed Upon - All stakeholders agree what this goal should be. 

A - Acceptable - If you set the goal, your motivation for reaching it is much higher than something dictated from the outside. It is ‘acceptable’ to you, in line with who you are as a person and how you best perform. Tomorrow we will conclude this goal setting activity. 

We cover much more detail in the courses, programs and coaching that we assist our clients with. Those who pay attention move further in a shorter period of time.

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It’s easy to overlook simple things sometimes, isn’t it? As I think about it, maybe it’s significantly more important knowing when to stop and recharge than even knowing how to recharge. Knowing all the how tactics in the world won’t do me much good if I don’t know when to stop and then to actually do it. I encourage you to read the whole article, but consider this keen observation.

“I never really understood the phrase ‘burning the candle at both ends’. I get that this would obviously burn it out quicker, but a candle is a finite source of energy. It doesn’t get topped up or renewed. However slowly or quickly you burn it, it will eventually burn out.

People are not candles. The ones that shine the brightest don’t always fade the quickest, and if I find myself feeling like I hardly shine at all, I’m not conserving energy - I’ve run out.

The good news is that our energy is renewable. We can recover from stress, recharge our energy, renew our passion. The trick is knowing when and how.”

Many of us have experienced pushing through the signals telling us to pay attention. There were little indications present that it was time to stop, time to “recharge and renew”, but we kept pushing.

I’ll submit that the greatest tool we have for avoiding the main causes of stress and burnout isn’t out there somewhere, but right inside of us. It just needs to be allowed to do its thing. It just needs to be developed and paid attention to. And it isn’t some kind of woo woo thing. It’s that ability that the Creator has endowed us with to sense when something should change … to sense that something just isn’t quite right and needs to be adjusted.

That’s what pausing and renewing is about isn’t it? Adjusting. Moving from the fast water to the quite riverbank, pulling off the fast lane into the rest stop, going from pushing through to the next item on the list to taking a walk on a quiet trail and then coming back to the list renewed …

How aware are you of the signals you are getting to take a break, to change pace or to make some other adjustment that you know you need to be your best? 

Grace points out how important it is to ”know when too much is too much for you, to know what your own personal warning signs are - you know, so it doesn’t take waking up in the cardiac ward to realise you’ve gone too far.” Good observation Grace.

Maybe better listening to that little voice within and paying attention to those signals throughout your body could eliminate many of the main causes of stress and burnout that so deplete us. See if you can capture the when of the next few weeks. The how will most likely follow much easier.

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If we are approaching burnout, sometimes we have to have someone tell us to stop. I have told men and women I work with to ‘Stop.’ In the past, I have been told to ‘Stop.” We get in such a state of overload that we almost can’t see how we can get off the treadmill. It seems that everything must be done and done yesterday. And we keep on either allowing others to add more or layering it on ourselves. We often need someone from outside our situation to make that critical observation and intervention.

But you say, “I can’t stop.” Sorry, but yes you can. There are very few occasions when something cannot be done to address the problem of ‘too much’. You may not like the options, and you may choose to ignore the options, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. And it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a choice. You always have a choice.

God brought a Jethro to Moses when he was overloaded, morning till evening, spending long hours involved with people and their daily concerns and needs. Jethro wisely observed “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.” In other words, STOP. See with clarity what you are doing. Understand the consequences of continuing to operate this way. Find another way. This is not God’s agenda for you as important as it all may appear and as pressing as the need may be. It can be done another way. There are options. But it is a matter of choice.

I would like to ask you to pause right now and think about your own situation. Is it possible that you doing way too much for your own physical, mental, emotional and social well being - in short your spiritual wholeness? You have to pause to think about this. Unless you take the time to reflect you will not understand the implications of what you are doing.

Do you need to STOP?

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Burnout causes people to lose their sense of purpose and a vision of what’s possible in their lives. Would you agree?

I’m doing a re-read of John Maxwell’s book, “Be All You Can Be”. There is just so much good content in there. I came across a couple of spots last night that I think are worth passing on.

“Purpose makes the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary. A person with a purpose does things out of the ordinary, above average. Personality doesn’t make a person extraordinary. Neither does intelligence nor education. What makes a person extraordinary is purpose - the consuming desire to accomplish something in life.”

If you are experiencing significant stress, overload or burnout … having a sense of your purpose is probably pretty diminished. This is your reminder that you ARE here for a special purpose. It’s time to let that come up to the surface again and catch a fresh vision of what’s still possible in your life. You have a long way to go yet. Don’t stop now.

To quote John Maxwell, “The value of a vision is that it encourages you to give up at any moment all that you are in order to receive all that you can become. In other words, once you’ve had a glimpse of what God can make of you, you’ll never be satisfied with what you now are. You will be willing to let go of whatever might keep you from actually realizing that vision.”

Let go of discouragement. Refocus on what’s possible and forward moving. Determine to make a change, whatever it takes. Be encouraged.

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Are You Addicted to Adrenaline and Headed for Burnout?

They call it the hurry disease. Are you addicted to adrenaline? And more importantly, are you setting yourself up for workplace burnout?

It’s everywhere, schools, boardrooms, hospitals, churches, municipal offices, stores and anyplace else you might care to mention. Wherever you have people who are racing to activity and crunched by unreal expectations and timelines you will find adrenaline addiction. That’s why there are so many google searches for nursing burnout, executive burnout and stress management information.

Here is the simple lay version of how adrenaline works. You need to know this because controlling adrenaline is one of the critical factors in reducing stress.

The brain says, “Get ready for action.”

A signal goes to the adrenal gland.

The adrenal gland releases adrenaline to marshal the body for action.

Adrenaline heads for the brain to keep it awake and alert.

Adrenaline causes the heart to pump harder so blood can get to every part that will need to act.

Adrenaline heads for the muscles so they can tense up ready to move.

Adrenaline heads for the stomach so it can more quickly digest food for the increased energy that will be required to act.

Blood is removed from the extremities so it can be reassigned to needed organs.

In brief, vital organs are on high alert so the perceived need can be met. Normally the need is met, high alert is called off, adrenaline levels go down and the body rests.

What are some of the warning signals you might get from sustained adrenaline levels, the kind cause by a hurry, anxiety filled, always-on-call, get it right or get fired lifestyle?

You have trouble sleeping because the brain stays awake and alert.

You are tired and sluggish because the heart is kept working harder.

The head and back ache because the muscles stay tensed for action.

Assorted stomach problems persist because of increased acid production.

Your hands and feet are cold because blood is redirected elsewhere.

It doesn’t take a doctor’s clinical analysis for you get the picture. Elevated adrenaline levels caused by sustained stress can lead to all sorts of nasty repercussions.

Does it make sense to do something about it now? Of course. Letting adrenaline levels return to rest is critical.

The Coach Asks:

• Do you have warning signals that have been ’sustained’?
• Have you ruled out other medical causes?
• What part would reducing adrenaline levels play in achieving better health for you personally?
• What are you willing to do about it?

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That’s not to say burnout didn’t exist, but we just hadn’t heard about it. Alice was excited about nursing. Our perception was that the nursing profession was held in high esteem, not only by the public but by employers and governments. Men and women in the profession were proud of the great work they did in providing care.

What happened? I confess I don’t know all the reasons, but nurse burnout has been in the news over the last several years right across North America. I would love to hear from those in the profession about your experience.

Two respected scholars, Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter have written extensively on burnout. Their 1997 book “The Truth About Burnout” is still required reading. They outline six major factors that contribute to job burnout. I’m curious. Do any of these six speak to your own experience?

1. Work Overload - There is just too much to do with too few resources and too little time. I suppose this means the patient cannot receive the attention staff would like and feel they should give them.

2. Lack of Control - Ability to give input and apply decision making to those things for which you will be held accountable is diminished. Nursing staff need the opportunity to make meaningful and welcomed input to caregiving.

3. Insufficient Rewards - When what we do and the passion we bring to our responsibilities goes mostly unnoticed and unrecognized it brings a demoralizing cloud over everyday work. Nursing burnout may be able to flourish where people feel the sense of pride in making a significant contribution has been squeezed out of them for corporate reasons. Would you agree?

4. Breakdown of Community - People work best where they enjoy community. As Maslach and Leiter put it, “they function best when praise, comfort, happiness, and humor are shared with others they like and respect.” When the measurement is, “what is the minimum to get by”, staff have little time to create much less cultivate community.

5. Absence of Fairness - Respect, fairness, forthrightness, safe and patient centered workloads, resolution procedures etc. All of these things and more form a perception of whether or not the organization is fair. Policies made and imposed from outside can indicate that something else (usually money) is more important than people. Debilitating.

6. Value Conflicts - When what you are being asked to do, how you are asked to do it and under what conditions you actually have to do it are in conflict with your personal principles and values, it is a recipe for stress. The requirements of the job and the internal compass need to be in alignment.

Six potential causes of nurse burnout, six areas of possible mismatch between job and individual. Are any of these characteristic of you? 

Some of you may work in very fine organizations. I’d like to hear about that as well. What about these six factors has your hospital done right? How have they got it when so many others seem to have missed the boat?

Are you aware of the statistics? Has burnout in nursing decreased over the last few years or is it increasing?

Last word - Find someone who is in the nursing profession and give them a big hearty thank you today. At our most vulnerable moments they are there for us. That takes a hero’s heart. Keep up the good work.

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