16 AUGUST 2019

For some, the word “burnout” means “tired” or “exhausted”. The kind of tired you get after a hard week’s work and you can’t wait to chill by the pool with a mojito.

But Burnout is more serious than that. It’s a state where you’re so drained emotionally, mentally and physically that you’re incapable of functioning normally.

Burnout is literally an exhaustion of resources, physiological as much as psychological, over an extended period of time, which plunges people into such a down that they end up literally unable to use their bodies and minds anymore. — Listen, understand and act: how to help someone burning out, Marie-Cécile Paccard

Just how bad can burnout get?

One sufferer said that “burnout left her on the floor, unable to move”. Another said she woke up one day and could barely walk. Another ended up housebound and diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. Burnout can get very, very serious and you can take years to recover from one.

Who gets Burned out?

Many experts believe that there are certain traits and attitudes that leave a person more vulnerable to burnout: Perfectionists, pessimists and Type-A personalities are apparently more susceptible. And if you treat your job as a calling, that’s apparently a recipe for burnout as well.

But Paccard believes that the modern work environment is to blame, saying, “society and its current paradigm of work harms everyone regardless of their commitment to what they do, and regardless of their education or job title.”

What’s interesting is that you can burn out even though you enjoy your life and work (as Liz Tucker discovered):

“When the doctor told me I’d burned myself out from too much stress, I found it difficult to believe. To me, stress meant being unhappy, whereas I was really enjoying my life. But it was true: there was no work-life balance and I was living a high-stress life.”

My Story

This was my case back in 2008-2010 – several things contributed to my burnout:

• Although I loved my job, I was doing the work of two to three people. I often worked weekends, but because I loved what I did, I didn’t mind it. But I was burning the candle at both ends and that wasn’t sustainable.
• I had zilch social life.
• I was paying down my debt aggressively; I was constantly worried about my financial situation
• I lost my dog, which left me devastated
• There were several toxic relationships in my life – I was dragged into a lot of people’s personal dramas which added to the stress

I was living a high-stress lifestyle, but the burnout felt like it came out of nowhere. One day I was fine, the next I was an anxious wreck who could barely get out of bed. I had mysterious aches and pains. My self-confidence was shot.

But at work, I kept a brave face. Because I felt like I had no choice. Miraculously, I kept going. But just barely.

No More Blame Games

In Asia, where people actually die from overwork (here’s a case in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan), people don’t talk about Burnout enough.

When I had my first full-blown burnout, I lived in fear of being “found out” by my employer as an inefficient employee. I was also worried that future employers would hold my condition against me. (“Can you actually do the job?” I imagine them asking.)

Unfortunately, how I reacted is terribly common in Asia.

“Malaysia and many countries in Asia where hard work is demanded, many just slog through their stress instead of taking the time to take care of themselves, until it is too late.” — Time Out is Good for Mental Health, Asia One

The same Asia One article mentioned a 2016 work and well-being survey which showed that “less than half of working Malaysians feel that their organisation supports the well-being of its employees.”

Yes, while we talk about equipping business with digital applications and robots so that it’ll be ready for the challenges of the future, let’s not forget to take care of our most important assets: The People.

That means companies should create a supportive and caring environment to enable them to have better work/life balance.

We also need to remove the stigma attached to mental health. Companies need to acknowledge that anyone can burn out, and that mental health issues are not the affliction of the weak. We need to talk about well-being and mental health in our public forums more.You may find more mental health resources here.

But while it’s gaining awareness in Malaysia, the stigma is not fading fast enough. People are still being asked if they have a mental health issue when they are filling out job application forms. People rather hide their mental health issues than talk about them.

So we worker bees need to be selfish. We need to prioritise our health no matter what the circumstance. We need to guard our well-being like a lioness guards her cubs.

Because trust me, burnout is excruciating. No job is worth that kind of physical, emotional and mental toll.

This post is sponsored by BetterHelp.