Burnout creeps up on you. It’s gradual.

Dr Jess Morgan shares her personal story with me, you can listen to us chat here:

But let me share some of the wisdom from Jess on how to tackle it…

1. You are not a superhero.

Being a people pleaser, seeking validation, striving to be successful, feeling pressure to achieve, doing extra, staying late, not saying no to anything. You are human, it builds up and eventually, you’ll start to struggle to keep up

2. You start to experience more negative emotions.

Empathy and compassion fades, resentment and frustration builds up. Exhaustion destroys you, it’s mental and physical. Anxiety mounts up, your mind is on overdrive. You start to feel purposeless & helpless

3. You start to neglect your basic needs.

Anxiety means you arrive to work early because you know you can’t park later. You’re in an hour before shift & working Skipping lunch – there’s always things to do, you are not eating /drinking – productivity & decision making weakens

4. Burnout is not always visible.

People might not notice. You can smile & appear competent but inside you’re struggling. You need to ask for help but it’s hard when you rotate or shift patterns mean you don’t know people well. You can feel ashamed to ask or raise it

5. Labels are damaging & “other” people.

Jess was labelled as “a trainee in difficulty” a cold, uncaring boxing of a fragile situation. Doctor training is hierarchical, linear in expectations and progression. The system shamed her – no one labelled it as illness/burnout

6. Recognising burnout.

Sometimes it takes getting to breaking point before you realise it’s not ok. Spot the signs sooner, help yourself from spiralling down. Have a good mentor, speak to your supervisor & see your own doctor.

7. Refocus on you.

Take a step back. Start with you. Find your headspace. What do you like to do?

Take ownership for self care – get to know yourself and what helps you.

Set boundaries
Take leave
Use your voice

“NO” is a sentence – you don’t need to justify or apologise

8. Find your advocate.

Find your cheerleaders, the people who care about you, a strong advocate to support you. Confide in them, open up & let them in. It helps give perspective. Surround yourself with the right people. If you’re struggling, there’s always someone who wants to help

9. Get Basic Needs right,

Managers & leaders, if you are serious about tackling burnout from the roots (basic needs first) this might help you: Basic Needs at Work guide

Along side this, there is a presentation format to help you discuss basic needs as as a wider team, you can access it here – Basic Needs at Work: Presentation