You're Finally on Leave, So Why Can't You Switch Off?
You’re finally on leave, after yet another ‘busy’ period, but you can’t switch off. You’re exhausted, and wired, and sleep is impossible. It was meant to be a relaxing break with the family, but despite working all the hours over the last couple of weeks to make sure you can actually take a break, but everytime the kids ask for something you can feel the itchiness of irritability, and you wish you could just be left alone for 5 minutes to read your book. Your mind keeps wandering to work even though you know you covered everything. And you’re too knackered to go on the walking tour you’d been looking forward to.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone, it’s an experience many of my old colleagues and I had, and my clients now experience.
It’s no wonder when you finally take a break you’re exhausted. You’ve been through another busy period of perhaps funding bids; implementing a new system or policy; restructure, or perhaps just the constant busyness which means you work the average extra 10 hours a week. Add to that the extra hours you probably worked to get everything ready for you to actually take leave, and the cold that’s been brewing for weeks, waiting for you to stop before it rears it’s head and here we are. It’s no wonder you need some time to recover.
But that’s just how the sector is isn’t it? It’s busy, you’re short staffed, you just have to get on with it. And if you can’t, well you’re just not resilient enough. That’s what we’re told isn’t it.
But what if I told you it wasn’t the result of another busy period; that it isn’t that you aren’t resilient enough? What if I told you this was inevitable given the way you’ve been working for months, years, if not your whole charity career? When the demands of your role are greater than the resources you have available to you (be that practical or individual), chronic stress and burnout are inevitable, as described by Bakker & Demerouti in 2007.
So how do you you if it’s just tiredness or the exhaustion associated with burnout?
Early intervention with burnout is essential, if you can notice the signs earlier, it’s much easier to address it, and put things in place to address it.
If it’s more than tiredness after a busy period you might notice some of the following signs.
You might describe feeling:
Physical tiredness – lacking the energy to do the things you enjoy, or you know are good for you
Emotional tireness – you feel like you don’t have anything else to give
Mental tiredness – it's difficult to think clearly and make decisions
Overwhelmed
Irritability & frustration when others ask something of you
You might find yourself or notice:
Cancelling plans and the activities which make you feel good
Use things such as food, tv or alcohol to distract yourself from how your feeling, or numb your emotions
Struggling to switch off from work
Feeling like you’re not present when with others
Avoiding the tasks or conversations which feel difficult at work
Decreased output at work, or that you’re less effective
And physically you might find that you’re
Run down, that you pick up every bug or cold out there,
Have trouble sleeping
Experience headaches
These signs are your body and minds way of telling you that something is wrong, that you’re working in a way which is unsustainable, and it’s time to take action. If you ignore these signs, and continue to work in the way you are, you might find yourself in full burnout.
What Now?
If this resonates with you, you might know that something needs to change but that it feels impossible to do things differently. As we said, this is just how the sector is, the work has to be done.
The first thing to do is have a realistic and honest look at your workload (the demands on you) and the resources you have available to you, for example, the time you have, the emotional resources available to you, support for colleagues and peers. The questions below might help you gain some perspective and control over your workload.
What tasks do you have to complete?
Which of these feel overwhelming
What is realistic to complete in a week?
Are there tasks which belong elsewhere which you’re still doing?
Are there additional role(s) that need to be brought in, and is there funding available? Can you find funding?
Are there things you’re holding on to because it’s easier than delegating, or because you enjoy them?
Do you have gaps in your skills or training which will help you manage your role?
Do you take time every week to plan your work?
Do you take a break away from your desk for lunch? (I know it feels like it’ll make you less productive, but I promise a bit of space will mean you get more done)
What support do you have?
Which projects can be put on hold until you have more capacity?
If after reflecting on these questions what changes can you put in place? And if you feel nothing can change, can I take this opportunity to challnege whether the role is sustainable? Because if the demands are greater than your resources then eventually something will have to give, and it shouldn’t be you.