Burnout Sucks!

Burnout sucks your confidence, your self-worth, your relationships, your clarity, your decision-making ability, your trust, your energy, your health, your sleep, your life.

Every part of your life is impacted when Burnout knocks on your door.

The World Health Organisation when they categorised Burnout in 2019 called it a workplace syndrome and said it could only be related to the workplace.

A three-year research project conducted at KU Leuven proved that Burnout is not just limited to work and the workplace.

And for anyone that has experienced Burnout, you'll know it's a lot more than workplace stress.

And yet when it does relate to the workplace, our addiction to work is what becomes the most overwhelming part. It's the most obvious sign, and the one we often ignore.

You panic at the thought of taking time away from work.

You can't think about anything other than work.

You eat, sleep, and breathe work.

You're checking your emails and your phone every five seconds.

You panic about work all of the time.

You overdeliver at work.

You overperform.

You become fixated on perfection - because the thought of failing or making an error is so overwhelming that you start to worry about every single detail and every single thing.

Each time the phone rings your inner critic tells you that this is the call that will end your career.

Unexpected meetings and conversations with your boss create instant panic as you convince yourself they're going to fire you.

You work longer, afraid to close your laptop or even take a bathroom break because you feel like you need to be seen to be working every minute of every day.

You're working over dinner, or at least thinking about it.

You've given up on your hobbies.

You're neglecting your relationships.

You don't have time or energy for anything that isn't work.

You're fuelled by caffeine and stress and probably alcohol.

You're reaching for sugar - you need the energy boost.

You're running around like Flash Gordon on speed.

Everything is urgent.

Everything is important.

You stomp around.

You push harder.

And you convince yourself that as long as you look good, nobody will be able to tell that there's anything wrong.

But the signs are there aren't they?

The headaches.

The digestion issues.

The panic.

The anxiety.

The uncontrollable heightened emotions.

Your anger.

The brain fog.

The withdrawal.

The feelings of emptiness.

The wondering how you ended up here.

The "Is this really all life has to offer from here on in?"

The "Is this really what you want from the rest of your life?"

The moments of sheer exhaustion, when eating, drinking, and showering take every bit of effort that you possibly have.

The masking.

The avoidance.

The inability to ask for help, because you don't know what you need or why.

And, at the same time, the inner screaming as to why nobody is picking you up, telling you stop, paying for a luxury holiday somewhere nice, and offering to do the dishes makes you angry, and hurt, and like you don't matter, every single day. But even if they did, you'd say no, because you'd see it as a sign of weakness and a sign of failure.

Burnout Sucks.

But you still think you're immune.

You still think that Burnout won't happen to you.

You still think you're unstoppable.

You still think you can keep on going, at least for a few more weeks.

You're not like everyone else. You're not like me. You're different. You've got this. It will all be ok.

Until it's not.

11 years and four months ago, I thought what I was experiencing was normal for the level of role I was working at and the salary I was being paid.

I was wrong.

The more you think what you are experiencing is normal, the longer you'll excuse it and brush it off and not get the help and support you need.

The more you see and hear about others experiencing the same signs and symptoms, the more you'll convince yourself even more that this is normal.

The more you see these signs in your symptoms, the more you'll think it's normal.

And the more the world convinces you that this is the #NewNormal, the more you'll believe it's normal.

Burnout, whilst becoming more common, is not normal.

It's not normal that our workplaces and careers are making us ill.

It's not normal to receive phone calls to say your colleagues have died as a result of stress and disease that could have been prevented.

It's not normal to be running on empty and only focusing on work.

And it's not normal to accept that this is the new world of work.

It's time for change.

It's time to call toxic workplaces toxic.

And it's time to put people first.

FYI - you're a people in the organisation too.

Burnout sucks. And just because it's becoming normal, it doesn't mean that we need to accept it.

Banishing Burnout starts with you. Are you ready?

Kelly

P.S If you want to know the Burnout risk to you, your people and your organisation, download your FREE copy of the Burnout Assessment and take the first step to Banishing Burnout In A Changing World Of Work

Hi, I'm Kelly ...

... I'm a leading voice and expert in the world of work, a Burnout Expert, and the Executive Coach for Senior Leaders who are done with running on empty

Clients hire me to help them do things differently, so they can regain control of their busy lives and have more time and energy for the things that matter

My first Burnout made me seriously ill and my second almost killed me.

When I left my in-house corporate career my replacement died in her sleep whilst away on a leadership residential.

My work at Kelly Swingler Ltd exists because no other Leader will experience Burnout or jeopardise their health for their career, and no other Leader will die.