Burnout: The importance of self-compassion- By Karen Craddock

Do you feel like the initial fire of enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to success has faded, leaving you feeling exhausted, cynical and inadequate? You may be suffering from what is known as “burnout”.

Burnout is a term commonly coined to describe the personal agony of job stress. In the busy world that we live in today, many of us are faced with major responsibilities at home as well as the rising expectations and demands of work. It can be easy to be absorbed in serving or caring for others and, while this makes us feel good, the risk of burnout is high. How do you know you’re experiencing burnout? Well, there are three key symptoms: exhaustion, cynicism and ineffectiveness.

The exhaustion component refers to feeling over-worked and drained while the cynicism component refers to feelings of callousness and the tendency to detach oneself from their job. As the cynicism develops, one who was once doing their very best, may shift to doing the bare minimum. This can be likened to thoughts such as “How do I get through, still get my paycheque, and get out of here?” Thirdly, the inefficacy dimension represents fears of incompetence and lack of achievement and productivity in the workplace. It is important to handle burnout effectively, as its impact can be contagious. It can perpetuate through informal interactions within your workplace, home, and social life.

To put the impact of burnout into perspective, a systematic review exploring the consequences of burnout indicate a significant association with prolonged fatigue, headaches, and musculoskeletal pain. The associated psychological effects of burnout include insomnia, depressive symptoms and the use of psychotropic and antidepressant medications, while the occupational consequences include absenteeism and job dissatisfaction. So, how can we cope with burnout?

One way is through self-compassion – that is, being gentle and kind with oneself when faced with a perceived sense of inadequacy or failure. Self-compassion is a self-reflective process that involves the awareness of one’s own suffering, the offering of warmth and care for one’s well-being and the adoption of a nonjudgmental attitude toward shortcomings. It means being able to recognise the difference between making a bad decision and being a bad person.

Research suggests that practicing self-compassion has the ability improve optimism and overall happiness while serving as a strategic buffer against depression and anxiety. It is an excellent tactic to regulate the negative emotions associated with burnout since self-compassion encompasses the possession of a non-judgemental attitude, the desire for health and well-being and the motivation to make changes where necessary. Here, pain and distress are not avoided but are approached with kindness and understanding thereby transforming negative emotions into a more positive state allowing one to make a clearer judgement of one’s situation, thus making room for the effective problem solving.

Here are a few ways you can practice self-compassion when feeling burnt out:

• Treat yourself like you would treat your friend: Think of a time one of your friends were struggling. How did you respond? Now, think about a time when you were struggling and how you responded. Did you notice a difference? If so, what factors cause you to treat others differently to yourself? Think about how things will change if you respond to your own troubles the same way you do to a close friend.

• Curbing the urge to over-work: When feeling pressured in the workplace, it can be tempting to work extra hours to “get on top of things.” This can often be a trap and not a solution. Doing more can make things worse and essentially create more stress. So, instead of putting in more hours when you’re already stressed, use the time to renew yourself by doing such things as exercise, practising mindfulness, spending time with loved ones and even catching up on some sleep!

• Exploring self-compassion through writing: We all have things about ourselves we don’t like, causing us to feel insecure or “not good enough.” Try writing about an issue that makes you feel inadequate from the perspective of an unconditionally loving friend. What would this friend say to you about your “inadequacy” from the perspective of unlimited compassion? What would this friend write to remind you that you are only human? And, if you think this friend would suggest changes you should make; how would these suggestions embody feelings of compassion?

• Keeping a self-compassion journal: During the evening when you have a few spare moments, review the day’s events. Write down anything you felt frustrated about during the day. Perhaps you had a challenging day at work where nothing went right. As you write about it, try to be accepting and non-judgemental about your experience. It can be helpful to incorporate kind and understanding words of comfort like “It’s okay. You had a hard day today, but it wasn’t the end of the world. I know how frustrated you were. Maybe you can be extra patient with yourself this week.”

• Comfort yourself with a physical gesture: Kind physical gestures have an immediate soothing effect on our bodies. Stroking your skin, placing your hand on your heart or gently holding your arm in a comforting way are helpful physical gestures.

• Memorise compassionate phrases: A great phrase to remember is: “This is a moment of suffering; suffering is a part of life; may I be kind to myself and give myself what I need.” On a final note, remember that to feel is to be human, and that whatever we’re going through is also being experienced by many others.

Practicing self-compassion can take some conscious effort, like most worthwhile things in life! If writing or journaling isn’t your thing, there’s no reason why you can’t get creative with your own techniques! Let us know what techniques have helped you!

References:

Neff, K. (2003). The development and validation of a scale to measure self-compassion. Self and Identity 2, 223-250.

Rossi, A. M., Perrewe, P. L, & Sauter, S. L. (2006). Stress and Quality of Working Life: Current Perspective in Occupational Health.

Salvagioni, D. A., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., Gonzalez, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & de Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLoS One, 12(10), 1-29.

Schwartzhoffer, R. V. (2009). Psychology of Burnout: Predictors and Coping Mechanisms.

When is the best time to seek help?

When you are experiencing emotional distress, access to support and guidance can be life changing.

It can be difficult for some to recognise when they are experiencing a ‘downturn’ in their mental health. Often the changes are gradual and subtle. It may begin with feeling slightly disconnected from others, more stressed than usual, or less interested in some aspects of your life. When these changes occur over time it may take months before you realise you have drastically shifted from your ‘normal’. There may be small ‘triggers’, which seem insufficient to warrant such a shift in mood when seen in isolation, however their cumulative effect can be profound.

For some, these changes can occur quickly, following a stressful life event. These events differ for everyone but common stressors include financial stress, losing a job or long term unemployment, relationship breakdowns and loneliness, chronic health problems, role transitions such as becoming a parent or children moving away, stress/pressure at work or home, and grief.

Traumatic events may also lead to mental health problems, such as a natural disaster, being a victim of crime, major car accidents, abuse, and even infidelity. The onset of symptoms is usually sudden and profound. Individuals may experience problems with their mood, anxiety, sleep, appetite, or relationship breakdown.

Recognising you are in need of support can be a challenge. Taking the steps to reach out takes strength and courage. Many people wait till their symptoms are severe to seek help from a psychologist- as they believe they should be able to sort things out on their own, or asking for help means admitting weakness. However seeking help early may provide significant benefits. Often it is easier for individuals to gain treatment benefits when their symptoms are mild or moderate. It is easier to adapt new strategies when your mind feels clear and you feel in control of your actions. Seeking help early may also prevent negative life cycles from taking hold- such as relationship discord or job performance issues.

I like the analogy of an athlete and his coach. An athlete has a coach with him from the very early days of his career. The coach provides him with opportunities to grow and learn. He picks up on performance issues early and helps to rectify them. He gives encouragement at every step. Contrast that to an athlete looking for a coach only when he’s been cut from the team. Yes, it could only help, but will be a steeper hill to climb.

With that being said-it is never too late to seek help. No matter how challenging things have become, having support from a professional may be the catalyst to other positive changes in your life. For many, the first phone call, email or session can be the hardest. There is a lot of uncertainty as to whether this path is right for you, whether the psychologist will be a good fit, or whether you will benefit from treatment at all. Most peoples concerns are quickly alleviated after discussing them with their psychologist. In fact, a study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that 88% of people reported improvements after just 1 session.

So to answer the question ‘when is it best to seek help?’- the answer is most likely, right now. You can always improve from where you are, you can always benefit from insights and strategies, you can always learn something new.

References
Atkins, D. C., Bedics, J. D., Mcglinchey, J. B., & Beauchaine, T. P. (2005). Assessing clinical significance: Does it matter which method we use? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(5), 982-989.

Early maladaptive schema and social and occupational functioning.

Abstract

Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS) are described as long‐held core beliefs which are dysfunctional to a significant degree. However, the supposition that schemas are dysfunctional by nature, while not isomorphic with psychiatric syndromes, is yet to be subjected to empirical review. The current study seeks to investigate the relationship between the Young Schema Questionnaire and the concept of ‘dysfunction’ in a community sample to determine the indirect effects of psychiatric symptomatology and validate current scoring guidelines with a convergent measure of dysfunction. A total of 464 people completed a survey online comprising of the YSQ‐Short Form, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales‐21, the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scales, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale. Multiple regression analyses revealed a moderate relationship between EMS categories and measures of dysfunction, however only six of eighteen EMS categories were significant predictors in this model. Mediation analyses further suggest that the relationship between EMS and dysfunction is partially mediated by psychiatric symptomatology. The current dichotomous clinical scoring guidelines were found to be invalid when measures of functioning were used as convergent measures for twelve of the EMS categories. These findings suggest the YSQ is best conceptualised as a general measure of schema as opposed to a measure of EMS categories.

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