Me Time Episode 4 - Preventing Burnout

Burnout happens really slowly, and then really quickly, following a long period of chronic stress. But is it possible to prevent it? How can we watch out for the warning signs and take action to take care of ourselves? In this episode, Hazel and Jane update us on their co-delivery of a fun and interesting away day for a group of NHS health professionals about burnout prevention, inspiring a fascinating discussion about the nature of burnout. Hazel shares her own story of burnout, following the birth of her daughter, feeling as if she had something to prove and putting immense pressure on herself to hold everything together.  Often when we burn out, we have been ‘pushing through’ for a long period of time - and if we don’t listen to the warning signs our body can take the decision to stop out of our hands.  For Hazel this looked like getting criticised for something at work and crying in the toilet, then she wasn’t able to stop. When you’re on the road to burnout, you often close out things that are actually helpful, such as exercise, seeing friends, eating well. Work becomes more important than anything else. For Hazel her recovery was about remembering what she needed to do to be well.  Hazel shares some of the warning signs of burnout and how to tune into them - for example disrupted sleep over a long period of time is a common initial indicator of burnout! She then shares how she moved on from her own burnout experience, trained as a coach and started her own business.  Jane and Hazel discuss how burnout can occur due to stress in our personal lives as well as work and at all levels of responsibility.  They also discuss the importance of recharging at the end of the day - particularly if you are in a role where you are giving a lot of yourself - and how this can manifest as ‘compassion fatigue’. Finally, they discuss some ideas of how you can commit to one small change or healthy habit to increase your energy, every day.