Burnout

What is burnout?

Burnout is a feeling of exhaustion that stems from prolonged stress, overwork, and/or lack of autonomy in your daily activities. Burnout often manifests as feeling exhausted, cynical, overwhelmed, hopeless and experiencing reduced capacity in the context of one’s job.

Burnout can happen to anyone in any profession, but those working in the health system may be at a higher risk of experiencing burnout for a variety of reasons such as longer shifts, unit vacancies, and the mental toll of caring for patients/residents/clients in ill health – often referred to as compassion fatigue.

Individual risk factors that can lead to burnout

• Focusing on work and ignoring personal activities – such as feeling overly responsible for the work that needs to be done in your area.
• Taking on too much work and feeling pressured to do the job of more than one person.
• Attaching personal worth to your success at work.
• The introduction of a competing priority that continues for an extended period – such as if an aging parent experiences a health issue and will require more care going forward.    
• Struggling with setting boundaries – such as not being able to negotiate or say no.
• Imposing overly high expectations – such as expecting to be perfect or never make a mistake.

Tips for coping with burnout on an individual level

• Set boundaries between your work time and personal time – take lunch breaks and do not check emails or messages outside of work hours.
• Avoid overcommitting – if you are feeling overwhelmed, say no to offers for overtime.
• Use self-care strategies – spend time in nature, practice good sleep hygiene, maintain social connections, nourish your body with healthy food.
• Practice mindfulness – incorporate mindfulness into your routine, such as breathing exercises and grounding techniques.
• Seek out social support – reach out to family or friends to ask for help or a listening ear.
• Use professional supports as needed – speak to a therapist and/or access your Employee Assistance Plan (available to those covered by Manitoba Blue Cross).
• Build awareness around what activities or circumstances are contributing to your burnout and explore ways that you can address them.

Burnout tools for health-care professionals

• Healthcare Salute is a bilingual website developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. This site provides resources, fact sheets and an archive of virtual health care symposiums to address issues affecting the wellbeing of health-care professionals:
  • Coping with moral injury and moral distress
  • Coping with stress, trauma, and post-traumatic stress
  • An introduction to trauma-informed care
  • Mental health self-assessment tool
• Well Central – Well Central’s wellbeing course was developed in partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association for general mental wellbeing and coping during life transitions, overcoming loneliness and isolation, and practicing self-compassion.

Additional Resources:

• Burnout Archives – Wellness Hub (wellness-hub.ca)
• Burnout & Compassion Fatigue – Project ECHO® Ontario Mental Health at CAMH and U of T (echoontario.ca)
• “Psychology Works” Fact Sheet: Workplace Burnout – Canadian Psychological Association (cpa.ca)