From Resilience to Burnout

Have you ever spent so much time focusing on being resilient that before you know it, you’re burnt out? Can barely rise at the sound of your alarm, with no energy for the activities you usually enjoy? Exhausted by the ongoing habit patterns of pushing through, rising above, expanding into the overwhelm, taking a deep breath and moving forward or spending time in the third space to help us pivot?  Phew! I’m exhausted just writing that.

The skills I mentioned are important and I practice all of them regularly. The problem arises when you practice them so often they become habit and you forget how to recharge.

Practice makes for progress and it’s the things you practice that you become good at. How often do you practice being, pausing, breathing, connecting? How often do you practice triggering your parasympathetic nervous system?

By watching animals in nature you will realise how much time they spend in this state. Spending time in sympathetic nervous system arousing is exhausting (& let’s be honest, addicting) – that surge of adrenalin feels great!

Legislation like the Right to Disconnect and Worplace Health and Safety focusing on psychosocial safety are steps in the right direction, but without support at the gound level of every workplace, people continue to be at risk of burnout from perpetual resilience. I’m hopeful programs like B Corp and Mental Health First Aid will have a positive influence on workplace culture to the extent that prioritising employees wellbeing becomes normalised.

The problem is, at first glance you can appear to be productive. Somehow the typical type A personality, rushing from place to place, late to every meeting, feeling of self importance ( George Costanza anyone?) is still revered in some places. If you doubt this, try sitting in silence and stillness at your workspace & time how long it takes for someone to question what you’re doing. If your meditative moment is respected, celebrate that you work for an organisation who understands the importance of the important things, like contemplation, reflection and pausing before taking action.