Empty Cup? Occupational Burnout & What You Can Do About It

These days I hear burnout being spoken about pretty much everywhere. I imagine you know what it is, but “officially,” it’s when we feel exhausted, get really negative about work, and our performance gets worse. It’s also common to feel grumpier and impatient with the people around us, which can lead to more stress as we encounter conflict and forget to nurture our most important relationships.  

So, what does it feel like to approach burnout? Well, it's common to feel like you have an “empty cup” every day for weeks or even months, which means you have little energy to spare for others. Even after a good night’s sleep, your cup might only recuperate a few sips worth of energy, which is barely enough to get you out of bed, let alone through your day.

But don’t worry, burnout is totally reversible; you can fill your cup again. It just takes time to fill it and recover, and you’ll need to let go of being very productive over that time. This emphasises the importance of preventing your cup from getting completely empty in the first place.

Pathways to Burnout

If you identify as being burnt out, or you’re on your way there, it begs the question – how did you end up there in the first place? This is where self-awareness comes in. The options below are common pathways, although you may  relate to a combination of these options. Try to identify which one is at the core of your burnout as this will help you figure out what to do about it.

1. Organisational pressure: This is when management is putting pressure on you, or your imposed workload is simply beyond your capacity. In this case, the issue is at the organisational level, which is where it needs to be addressed.
2. Distraction: Over-working can be like an addiction – a way to “self-medicate” unresolved emotional pain. For example, focusing on your work may have become a way to distract yourself from feeling lonely.
3. Self-expectation: It’s commonly people’s own expectations of themselves that are leading to them over-working. Many people want to be seen as a “good worker” or “successful” - essentially functioning at the highest level. These are great intentions to have, but unfortunately the way you’re going about them may be the very reason why you’re not performing at your best. Remember, it is unrealistic to be productive or high-performing every single day, and sometimes rest is the most productive thing you can do.

What can you do about it

If you get to the point where you cup is completely and utterly empty, you may need to consider a long vacation. if you don't have the means to make that happen, try to remove as many stressors as possible in your life and seek support from others. Sometimes people need 3 months to a year off to be able to completely replenish their cups again. Before returning to work, you need to develop effective ways to relax and have a plan to ensure you will take regular rejuvenating breaks (see below). Otherwise, you’ll end up in the same place again.

1. Organisational pressure

If you think the cause of your burnout is at the organisational level, then this becomes an important conversation to have with HR or your manager. Ensuring employees have well-paced work, which is comfortable and sustainable, is a protective factor for mental health so it’s relevant to health and safety. Basically, this means leaders in your organisation need to take workload issues seriously, so don’t be shy about having the conversation. For more advice on how to navigate this discussion with your manager, have a look at our blog about how to set boundaries at work.

2. Distraction

If your core issue is using work as a distraction from emotional pain, then it’s important that you find a way to treat the emotional pain more directly. Even if you manage to protect yourself from burnout, it’s likely that your emotional pain will find other outlets to be expressed in your life, so nipping it in the bud and allowing yourself to process your feelings is a much more sustainable solution. I recommend booking a therapist on Clearhead, gaining a helping hand to carry the mental load You may even want to talk to your GP about medical support or funding for therapy. Remember that this is a common experience, and many people throw themselves into their work to avoid negative emotions – but investing some time into exploring why you feel this way will help take some weight off your shoulders.

3. Self-Expectation

If self-expectation is the core driver, then it can be helpful to manage your time with boundaries, which I explain below.

It can sometimes be more helpful to address the source of your inner pressure by seeking therapy. For example, it may be caused by pressure you experienced from your parents or an important role model.

Ok, so boundaries. First off, if you’re working 80-hour weeks then you’re going to burnout. It’s as straightforward as that. It’s much healthier to work 40-hour weeks, give or take a little. A helpful boundary is to set start and end times for work and stick to them, even if it means leaving work when there’s still work to finish. Unless it’s critical to finish (and I mean truly critical!), it can be left for your next workday.

The four-day work week is showing great promise for people’s mental wellbeing, and wellbeing-orientated companies are beginning to realise that it’s of great benefit to the productivity of the company too. This could be worth talking about with your organisation.

An effective day-to-day strategy is to mix up your day with activities that both drain and refill your cup. Essentially, this means mixing work with breaks. It’s important that you get into a relaxed state of mind during your breaks. For example, listening to a Clearhead Muscle Relaxation track or going for a walk outside.

This Mix Up strategy also prevents the drain on energy from what’s known as “cognitive switching” - moving your attention from one in depth task to another. The adjustment from one set of mental processes to a totally new set drains your cup considerably. However, moving from a focused task into break where your mind can unwind, and then to a different focused task, reduces the drain from cognitive switching.

It may help you to think of arranging your tasks in terms of “Dopamine Stacking,” which refers to starting your day by doing ‘low dopamine’ tasks (less enjoyable tasks), before moving on to ‘high dopamine’ tasks so you don’t ‘crash’ halfway through the day. Whatever you do, finding a schedule that works for you and allows you to take small breaks often is a great way to prevent burnout from occurring.

Summary

The key to recovering from burnout is to prevent yourself from getting to the point where you pretty much can’t function. If you feel like you’re on your way, then it’s time to do something about it. Boundaries can be great if you’re the one responsible for emptying your cup, but if it’s a deeper issue then therapy may be the way to go. If it’s your organisation causing the pressure, then you’ll need to be courageous and talk to them about it.  

Remember, life is about enjoying amazing relationships and appreciating beauty in the world, so make sure you make time for filling your cup as well as overcoming (and embracing) anything that’s getting in the way.  

You’ve got this.