To Burnout Or Not To Burnout
Vidushi (name changed) is a gynaecologist. She is very popular in the area and hence people prefer her to treat them. She needs to take care of deliveries in the hospital and also take care of the treatment of the patients. She has a daughter of the age of 3 who longs for her. Though her mother helps her in taking care of the daughter, somewhere she feels guilty of not giving enough time. She has been suffering from lack of sleep which has resulted in both physical and mental fatigue.
Akhil (name changed) is an entrepreneur who is running three companies of his own very successfully. He works till late at night and sleeps for very little time! His wife advises him not to take so much of the burden and take certain things easy. She also says that she can see him extremely stressed. However, he doesn't acknowledge her observation and says that he never feels stressed because he is working on his dream projects.
Amit (name changed) is confused and sees no meaning in continuing in the organization that he works for. He has a boss who is extremely workaholic and expects him to be the same. He is newly married and wants to spend time with his wife. But he is not able to do that! Neither his boss understands the feelings of this young man, nor he is able to convey it to him. One fine day, he breaks down in front of everyone in the office which brings in a new discussion among employees.
The above three narratives show us different facets of the phenomenon called burnout! It may be caused and experienced at individual, systemic and environmental levels. It is also dependent on withstanding capacity at all three levels! However when the threshold is crossed, then it results in a lack of motivation, frustration, disinterestedness, meaninglessness and so on. It is not so difficult to recognize burnout. However, it takes a certain effort to come out of it. Over and above that it is important for us to prevent falling into the situation of burnout so that we can continue to lead a better life.
When we eat more than what we really can, then it results in indigestion. Burnout is something similar. When we overload ourselves with work which reaches a level of unmanageable condition, it results in burnout. Therefore, the primary questions that we need to ask ourselves are "what is my capacity to take up the work?" "Can I define it?". When we have answers to these questions, it becomes easier for us to prevent a burnout situation.
The superiors or managers or the bosses are generally accused of a lot of burnout in the organizations. In the third narrative above, the boss would be seen as the culprit for all the problems in the life of the employees. However, the other way to look at it is, how assertive and convincing the subordinates are to negotiate for the optimum workload. J Krishnamurthy has said it in one of his speeches that we are responsible for whatever happens in our lives. We have the ultimate control of our lives. Therefore it is for us to think and decide how much work to take and how to execute them.
The hierarchy in the organization need not stop somebody from expressing their emotions or opinions. It is for us to have the courage and conviction and at the same time be polite as well as assertive in expressing our thoughts. Over submissiveness to the authority has also been one of the causes of burnout.
Well, apart from these, certain mental hygiene practices will have to be followed. Regular practice of meditation, pranayama (the breathing exercises), relaxation exercise, physical exercise, spending time with ourselves and with the dear ones, eating nutritious food instead of junk, reducing distractions, etc would give great support to cope with the phenomenon of burnout. Only thing is we need to be conscious of that and follow it regularly.
