3 Impacts of Burnout
Sense of Self
There are at least two ways burnout can affect one’s sense of self that relate to internal validation of identity and external validation of identity.
Internal validation of identity - who am I if I’m not X?
By the time we reach a state of burnout, we have likely given so much of ourselves to the job that we have lost sight of who we are outside of it. When we look back at old photos or memories we may feel a sense of loss. When we see people doing things or emulating an aspect of ourselves, we may feel envy or longing.
External validation of identity - would anyone even care if I stopped showing up?
When we are constantly bombarded with requests and demands with little time or permission to rest and little or no recognition, it’s easy to feel taken for granted. It’s easy to start feeling like your humanity no longer matters to the people you are performing for.
As we recover from burnout, we need to detach from the title of any particular job and go deeper. If you didn’t have that job anymore, who would you be?
Sense of Meaning
Meaning is having a clear understanding of our environment and our place in it. We are hard wired to make sense of our place in the world. Most primitively, our brains are constantly trying to answer three questions:
Am I safe here and now?
Do I belong in this environment?
If not, can I adapt to it or do I need to go elsewhere?
Unhealthy environments greatly increase the risk of burnout. When this happens we feel:
a lack of control over expectations, outcomes, and decisions
a lack of community or a sense of isolation
a sense of hopelessness and despair.
Sense of Purpose
Meaning and purpose are very closely connected. If meaning is the flashlight in the dark, purpose is the compass. It’s your north star. Meaning helps us keep the faith, Purpose provides direction.
When burnout occurs and we’ve lost sight about what matters, we can also lose our sense of direction. Often times, burnout occurs because there is a conflict of values. For example, if an employer values quantity over quality, but you value quality over quantity, then there is inevitably going to be friction in that setting. That friction is what leads to burnout over time.
It's not about which value is “correct” it’s the fact that the values are not aligned. Our values drive our behavior and decision-making. The challenge is, we don’t always realize that the incentives and purpose of certain tasks are not in integrity with either our personal values or the values of the organization. When we are constantly operating outside of those values, we are on the fast-track to burnout. To recover, we need to really clarify those values and what it looks like to act in integrity - what boundaries do you need to put into place to protect your purpose.
This can mean adjusting policies and operational structures to ensure alignment with company values. This can mean saying no to certain roles and positions. It can also mean saying no to requests that fall outside your scope of work/practice. This allows you to say yes to what matters and protect the time you need to fulfill your purpose in any given setting.
