Is Your Role Leading to Burnout?

Have you ever felt pressure to act in a way that wasn't true to how you were feeling? In this episode, we explore the impact of societal role expectations in our lives and what happens when we don't always meet them. We discuss the consequences for mental health and relationships when we can't keep up with the demands placed on us, how to cope with and embrace imperfection and how burnout and stress affect individuals who are trying to meet these expectations.   Quote of the Week:  "We are not our role. We are human beings. We are wired for connection." Sarah McVanel    Greatness Together Podcast Highlights: Are There Consequences of Not Always Acting in Your Role? 0:00 Unrealistic expectations. 1:00 Challenges can create burnout. 5:00 Finding balance is essential. 8:00 You have to ask for what you need. 11:00 Depend on your support team. 13:00 You deserve your downtime. 16:00 You can't be your role all of the time. 19:30 Next time…Disappointment. 21:53   Creating Balance Listen in as we discuss constructing a sustainable balance between our many life roles and the need to relax. Notice we didn't say balance! We don't believe that's a realistic goal. Nor is burning the candle at both ends. Upon Simonne's prompting, Sarah shares her experience of expecting herself to be a motivational speaker and engaged mother all the time. The result? She is left burnt out and frustrated when she feels she's falling short, and, as a result, can judge herself harshly as 'inauthentic.' Perhaps ridiculously high expectations are at play.   Do our roles define us? Whether you're a parent, motivational speaker, doctor, actor, psychologist, or any other person with a defined role, society places certain expectations on you. Yes, we put it on ourselves, but society sends us signals of what performance looks like. Anything less, and we know it. So what happens when you, as an individual, fall short of these expectations? For example, mothers are expected to be loving, happy, and nurturing all the time, but what about those moments when they're tired, frustrated, or just 'done'? Do these conflicting expectations cause harm? Should society continue to place these demands on individuals? What are the potential internal and external consequences of failing to live up to these ideals?   Protecting Our Self-Concept When we feel we are supposed to live up to our roles, the damage is caused to our self-identity when we do not feel good enough. Damage is additionally caused to others when we get angry at them for expecting us to behave so highly all the time.  Sometimes, we must reflect on what is possible, reasonable, and enough. It might align, and it might not, with what external expectations are. And it might be different than what we're used to expecting of ourselves. Sometimes, that is the essential journey we must be on: rediscovering and defining 'reasonable' expectations and letting this shape who we see and know ourselves to be.   Join us as we dive into the psychological, social, and emotional ramifications of not always fulfilling the roles society expects of us and explore how breaking free from rigid role expectations might lead to a healthier, more authentic you.   Links: EP13: What is Role Conflict? EP: 26: Does Smiling Do a Body Good? EP 5: Do you have high expectations?