​Professional burnout is a real thing, and if you’re feeling a little “crispy” at work right now, you are not imagining it.  According to a 2020 US study done by Mental Health America over 75% of professionals have experienced burnout at some point in their career, and 42% of professionals are currently experiencing signs of burnout, a number intensified by the pandemic.
 
Burnout is not a medical diagnosis, or a mindset; it is a call to action to take control of your mental health.  You hear the term “burnout” a lot in conversations and it’s helpful to know what watch for so you can look after yourself.
 
Take a look at this list from the Mayo Clinic and check off which of these items you’re experiencing:

• Becoming increasingly cynical or critical at work
• Persistent and unusual lack of motivation to begin your work day
• Increased or abnormal irritability with loved ones, colleagues, co-workers, etc.
• Fluctuations in your energy levels with increased periods of low energy
• Difficulty concentrating that is new or uncharacteristic for you
• Inability to feel good about your work accomplishments or the value of your work
• Feeling disillusioned about your job and/or profession
• Using food, TV, shopping, drugs, etc. to numb out and not feel anything
• Changes in your sleep habits that don’t support your wellbeing
• Unexplained physical complaints, like headaches, digestive issues, or other unusual-for-you health concerns.

 
Checking off any of these items means something needs your attention TODAY.  
 
Consider consulting with your family physician or another health care provider (therapist, psychologist, etc.) to ensure you are getting the care you deserve.
 
There are factors at work that contribute to professional burnout (also compliments of the Mayo Clinic).  How many of these are present in your job today?

1. Extended or unpredictable working hours and/or work load
2. Unclear or non-existent boundaries between work life and home life
3. Being a care-giver (personally for dependant family members or as a professional occupation)
4. Having no control over your work or work outcomes

 
Each of these requires a different strategy to support your mental health and wellbeing; strategies to consider include:

1. Having clear, honest conversations with your boss about your hours of work and/or workload is the key strategy to get the support you need.  Long hours and unpredictability will happen in professional roles from time to time, you cannot completely eliminate it.  However, it shouldn’t be perpetual (even ER doctors get days off …and vacations).  You should also ALWAYS be given the respect and support you need at work, especially during high-demand periods.
2. Holding strong boundaries between work and home means having a strategy that sets that line, recognizes the barriers to holding the line, and ways to overcome those barriers.  Being mentally prepared to take appropriate actions to keep your life balanced is half the battle, which may include having difficult conversations at home and at work that support your healthy boundaries.
3. If you are responsible for the health and welfare of others, you know it can be a complete roller-coaster (professionally and personally).  When others depend on you, paying attention to your needs first as a strategy seems selfish, or counter intuitive, but you can’t “pour from an empty cup”.  If demands are compromising your health, consider taking job protected leave (like the various family/medical leave supported by government legislation in North America).  Give yourself the time to look after what is most important, you, so you can get back to helping others sustainably.
4. Most professionals do not have a completely clean line of sight to the many ways their work meaningfully contributes to others, but your work is meaningful (why else is someone pay you to do it?), and it may take some effort and reflection to see it. Strategies here include conversations with your manager and colleagues or following the “thread” of your work to its useful end to see how you make a difference. That said, if in your workplace your ideas are stolen, you are not recognized or valued for your contributions, you are treated without dignity and respect, please know there are good employers out there who will treat you well and you deserve for work for them.  Consider your options.

 
You are accountable for your mental and physical heath, no one else can support you if you aren't paying attention to the signs.  

​The consequences of professional burnout can be as mild as fatigue and as life-impacting as chronic disease.  Attending to your wellbeing when the signs of burnout are clear means you have more to give over your career, and along the way you get to live an uncompromised life on your terms.  And that’s the dream.

​I was scrolling along on social media the other day and this quote hit me deep in my chest:

Freedom of emotional expression is deeply tied to three very basic emotional needs at work:

• Safety (psychological and physical)
• Belonging
• Respect

 
If you don’t have consistent freedom of emotional expression at work, those three basic human needs are not being met.
 
So how do you show things, like stress and sadness at work, without being labelled as “too sensitive”, “emotional” or “difficult”?
 
You ask for what you need.
 
As an example, you may have too much work on your plate, and it’s dawned on you that you can’t get it all done on time.  That’s a pretty devastating realization, but a very important one.  To “plow on” means 1 of 2 things; you’ll either bend your life into a pretzel to get it all done on deadline (you don’t really need sleep, right?) or you’ll “fail” and miss the deadline (or hit it and fail to meet the quality standards).  Do either of those options sound like good career moves to you?
 
Good, because they aren’t.  You’re not a pretzel nor are you a failure.
 
Devastating realizations at work are painful, and they create stress; stress you are allowed to feel and show AND do something about. Emotions are a GPS system, navigating you to what is most needs your attention.  So, use your emotions as insight.
 
It looks like this.  The realization you’re in over your head means having a difficult face-to-face (in person or virtual) conversation with your boss:

• “I need to make you aware of a development with the X project.  I’ve been working on it now for several days/weeks and the level of work involved continues to unfold, which has been stressful.  When this was initially assigned, I don’t think anyone could’ve foreseen the amount of work involved, and I’ll need either a deadline extension, or something else on my plate to be shifted in order to complete this work on time and to the standard expected.”

 
No blame, no shame; just simple, straightforward facts that keeps everyone on the same page.  Far from the histrionics you picture “being emotional” or “stressed out” to be, this allows you to name how you feel so your wellbeing is taken into account, along with the deadline (news flash: employee wellbeing is a business need, just as you can’t pour from an empty cup, organizations can’t produce with empty seats). 
 
Asking for what you need in a clear assertive way can be hard, but it gets results. Try it and you’ll see anyone with an ounce of common sense will quickly help you figure out how to make this work for the best. They may even thank-you for bringing this to their attention pro-actively.  
 
The key is to be clear and assertive about your needs.  Wavering, giving even a hint that you’re OK with the stress of this looming deadline...

• “I think we might have a problem with the X project.  I’ve been working a lot on this but it looks like we may still miss the deadline.”
  

...and guess what?  That’s the door they’ll choose (I hope you like over time).
 
Being sad at work can be more difficult; I know I’m more likely to be mad at work than sad, but the anger usually comes from disappointment and disappointment is a form of sadness so, peel that onion, it’s always worth it.  If you’ve had a big disappointment at work and someone asks you about it, own it:

• “Yes, I did want that promotion and not getting it is very disappointing.  I’m giving myself time to process this, so in a few days I’ll be better able to speak about my next steps and I may also have questions about the feedback I received in this process.  Thanks though, I appreciate you checking in.”

 
Again, being clear and assertive about what you’re feeling signals to others you’ve got unmet needs (in this example you need more time); you’re likely to get a show of support from the person who asked you how you were doing (giving you a sense of belonging at work when you need it most).  It also keeps drama from impacting your reputation.  While it can be difficult to keep drama at bay, it’s worth it and empowers you to speak about your feelings (feelings that may well be in evidence from your body language and facial expression).  This way others have more awareness to respect both you and your needs. 
 
To do less means they may get a completely different picture of you that can impact your basic needs:

• “How do you think I feel?  I worked hard for that promotion, no one deserved it more than me, and then that dumb-ass gives it to some Twinkie whose been working here 5 years less than me!  I should quit!” 
  ​
  

That’s the kind of dramatic outburst that’s understandable, but can have consequences (as the person who asked begins to slowly back away from you – no warm feelings of belonging here).  Letting others know you’re sad or disappointed, when they know that’s likely the case, is using your emotions as insight and gets you the support you need.
 
Your needs are important, to you and your employer, but only one of you knows what they are; you. Exercise your emotional freedom and let others know how you are feeling at work - both the positive feelings and the more distressing ones. 

Vaccinations are underway.  Businesses are opening up again.  Some cities and travel destinations are hosting concerts and fairs this summer.  Whoo hoo!  Are you as excited as I am to get out and experience something other than your neighbourhood???
 
It’s been a long 15 months.  We’re nearly there.
 
Which means your employer is already planning for what the post-pandemic workplace will look like.  Which means you have some decisions to make that impact your long-term career.
 
Many employers are exploring something called a hybrid workplace.  It’s a blend of remote and on-site work that will offer different options for how we work together in the future.  There are many versions of what hybrid will look like, but a component of them is the option to work-from-home, full-time or part-time (what’s on offer will vary by employer).  
 
It begs the question:

• Do you want to continue working from home full time?  The kids will be back in school and your spouse may be back at work, so you might just (FINALLY) get the house to yourself.
• Or do you miss the hum and buzz of the office?  Going back means getting out of the house, having more social time with colleagues and a clearer break between home and work.
• Do you want both?  Some employers may offer hybrid options that let you do both, but it may come with “hotel seating” (no assigned desk) and you may not be in the office at the same time as your workmates; good opportunity to expand your network throughout the organization, but it might not offer the team environment you crave.
• What happens if you opt to work from home and everyone else on your team opts to be in the office (or vice versa)? How will you feel about your choice then?

 
The wider acceptance of working-from-home opens up your employment and career options; you can literally work for any office-based organization, regardless of location, without having to move. Remote work and distributed teams are here to stay. As exciting as that prospect is, you still have to understand, and then advocate, for what will set you up for career success.
 
Hopefully your organization is creating opportunities to consult with employees so there is input into what the future of your workplace looks like.  Being part of this process (whether that’s reading the e-mails that come through or volunteering to be part of a committee or focus group) provides insight into what your employer is planning and how they see it supporting both employees and the business moving forward.  You can then decide if it works for you in your career.
 
Here are seven career considerations when making the decision on how you want to work post-pandemic:

• How’s it been working so far?  You’ve had the opportunity to work from home for a few months now, does it really work for you?  Do you like the autonomy, or can you feel your motivation slipping the longer you are out of the office? Are you feeling lonely and distant, or connected and vital?  Do you see how this way of working supports your long-term career desires?
• Are you set up for success?  Internet connectivity is huge!  Working from outside the office means having a strong, reliable connection (strong enough to leave your video on when you want to for conference calls); if you’ve been making do until now and want to work-from-home for good, this is one career investment you cannot skip.  You may also need to consider investing more in your home office to ensure it is highly functional and ergonomically supportive (not something you may have attended to during a temporary arrangement for the pandemic).
• Is your organization, um, organized?  Organizations/teams with clear objectives, robust processes, and defined communication channels (that are used consistently and to good effect) are needed to make everyone’s careers successful no matter where they are working, but is critical for remote working success.  Not all organizations and teams are well organized – is yours?  Will it be in the future?
• How do you like to be lead?  You may either “blossom” or “wilt” (and so will your career) under various leadership styles; having a leader who will need a period of adjustment to catch their leadership efforts up to the demands of a hybrid environment is one thing.  If your leaders’ style is not a good fit for you, this can be aggravated by distance.
• How do you like to work?  If you are a highly collaborative person, working-from home can support that when your organization does too.  Heading into a hybrid model, what is your employer’s commitment to inclusion and equity between the people present and those who work remote?  If you prefer more individual and focus-based work, working-from-home is awesome, but how will you stay connected and visible so you (and your career) don’t become irrelevant?
• Consider your commute.  One advantage to the pandemic was it wiped out the commute to the office, putting valuable time back into people’s schedule and life.  If you’re considering a return to the office (part-time or full-time) don’t forget to consider the commute and how well it works for your career and lifestyle (great way to get errands done on the way to and from work or a major time-sucking hole of frustration?).
• Can you thrive with time-shift? A time-zone difference may mean you are always “late” to start work (it can feel that way if everyone is 2 hours ahead of you) and your lunch-hours are booked full of meetings because it’s the afternoon, or morning, at head office.  You may also be out-of-country (or province/state), meaning your stat holidays may not line up with your employers, and that can create a pinch-point when your friends and family are at the beach for the long weekend and you’re stuck on career-critical conference calls.

 
Whatever is on offer from your employer after the pandemic, make sure it works for your career, both now and in the future.  If it doesn’t, it could make the difference between having your dream career, or working in a nightmare.

Fun fact, blind spots (those things you do that hold you back at work, but you don’t know you do them) are directly related to the emotions you avoid feeling.
 
OK, so maybe that’s a not so fun a fact.  But there are always things you can do about blind spots.
 
If you don’t know how to work with feeling vulnerable, shame, anger, disappointment, etc. at work, you have blind spots that will affect both the way you are perceived by others and the depth of your impact at work. 
 
We all avoid unwelcome emotions; this is very human (no shame-baths!).  The step here is to continually commit to identifying those unwelcome emotions when they are present using them as insight, rather than reacting in the moment (keep reading, I have a simple system to press pause on those emotions so you can use them as insight). 
 
There are also those circumstances where you’re OK to feel unwelcome emotions.  This makes it confusing to illuminate blind spots because they impact your career when circumstance meets unwelcome emotion in particular contexts.
 
Let me explain:

• The biggest context difference between work and your personal life is acceptance.  My wish for each and every one of you is to have unconditional love in your life, but that context is generally only found with loved ones, not on-the-job. 

 

• Work is conditional; you know you need to perform, meeting expectations consistently, to continue your professional working relationship (acceptance).  You do not need to be perfect at work (not only is that impossible, but if you feel you will get fired at the slightest mistake you and I need to talk immediately, because that is deeply unhealthy and you have options).

 
Managing unwelcome emotions within a context where you don’t always have access to acceptance is really difficult (and spawns all kinds of blind spots).  So, to help with feeling all the feels at work and illuminating blind spots before they impact your career, here is my Blind Spot Pause Blueprint (with sentence stems to help ask for what you need):

1. Practice the pause:  Caught off-guard?  Feeling something you don’t want to?  When that happens, you breathing gets really shallow (fight, flight or freeze is kicking in) so give yourself a moment to catch up to your emotions by taking three, deep, slow breaths. “This is important, please give me a moment to collect my thoughts”
2. Accept that emotion is present: You may not be able to sift through what you are feeling and name the emotion during an exchange with someone else, but do accept that you are feeling something really strong and it can put you at risk of reacting rather than responding. “I am having a strong response to this, because I care about what we do.” At this point if you feel you are at high risk of reacting, know you can always ask for more time: “I need some time to think about what you have said, could we meet again this afternoon when I’ll be better able to speak to the concerns you’ve raised?” 
3. Understand how the other person feels:  One of the things that may trigger fight, flight or freeze is your perception of how this other person feels.  If it’s clear because they stated their feelings, great.  If they didn’t, understanding them is important to help you in connecting to them and accurately determine your next steps. “I know you care a lot about this too, is it truthful to say you are [confused, angry, disappointed, etc.]?” or “I know you care a lot about this too, how does [name the circumstance] make you feel?”
4. State what is happening:  To ensure you have accurately captured what is going on, state it for the other person to check and clarify: “I want to make sure I fully understand your concerns. You are [emotion they are feeling] because [context].  Do I understand this accurately?”  You may need to adjust your understanding, and re-state what is happening based on their feedback – keep doing that until the other person confirms you’ve got it.
5. Empathize:  Empathy is the best balm to soothe a conflict.  Begin with empathizing with yourself, giving yourself compassion for stumbling into something that you didn’t intend, or may not have even created, but are implicated in and need to resolve.  Voice empathy for this other person to help them see you are with them and willing to support what needs to happen next (even if you are not the person responsible, you can support raising awareness, compassion, etc.). “It’s important to address your concerns, that last thing I want is for you to feel disappointed with all the effort that went into this.  Let’s figure out the next steps to get this back on track.” or “Let me think on this and come back to you with the next steps…”

​Blind spots don’t have to negatively affect your career impact.  Regardless of which blind spots you have (and remember, we all have them), my Blind Spot Pause Blueprint will help ensure you give yourself what you need, in a circumstance where others have different or competing needs.
 
Being open to unwelcome emotions is an empowering choice; one you need to make again and again in work and life.
 
You’ve got this.