Beatha Coaching

In my first post I introduced burnout as a collection of symptoms related to sustained nervous system arousal, and highlighted reasons why burnout may be particularly common in academia. In this post, I am going to introduce the stress-burnout spectrum, with some indicators for positioning yourself on that scale, and suggest appropriate interventions for each stage.

In reality, all mental health issues can probably be measured on a spectrum from mild to moderate to severe. It is an important distinction because of the risks associated with applying the wrong interventions for your needs, which could potentially exacerbate or prolong your symptoms. However, it is also vital to nuance the flattening effect that surrounds much popular discussion of mental health, and the common misuse of terms, including stress and burnout (another commonly misapplied term is ‘anxiety’, more on that in a future post). Burnout is a specific condition characterised by certain common symptoms and arising from an experience of chronic and unrelieved stress. So identifying where you are on the spectrum of stress-burnout can both be helpful for you, and can give appropriate recognition to those who are in neglected or normalised burnout.

For ease, I have divided the stress-burnout spectrum along a traffic-light system of green, amber, and red. But you could also think of it as a numerical scale from 0-10, and position yourself on the spectrum by thinking about the relative severity and frequency of your symptoms.

GREEN (0-3) – your experience of stress is mild to moderate in intensity, generally short-lived and associated with specific tasks or events. When away from work you are able to relax and enjoy recreational activities and social connections. Your sleep, health and energy levels are not noticeably or regularly impacted.

Some degree of stress in our lives is both normal and entirely desirable. Our bodies and brains are set up to help identify and cope with challenges, by releasing hormones and other chemicals that will help us to respond quickly and with focus. It is the release of adrenaline and cortisol, for example, that gives us a boost of energy to run for that train, or stick with a pile of marking until it is done. Once the task is complete, our body registers that the challenge is over and our stress levels subside back to normal levels to allow us to focus on a wider range of tasks again, and to rest and relax. What we commonly describe as stress, or feeling stressed, is actually the physical side-effects of our body’s release of hormones to help us cope with a challenge: these can include feeling sick, sweating, shaking hands, a mild headache, and breathlessness. We may also find it hard to drag our attention to other things until the task is complete. These feelings may not be pleasant, but it is important to recognise that they are not, in themselves, harmful.

Whilst stress at this level is normal and healthy, if you find that certain activities, such as writing, job applications, or speaking in departmental meetings, result in a marked increase in anxious symptoms, to the extent that you feel unwell or unhappy because of them, working with a coach or counsellor can be helpful. This kind of intervention will be focused on exploring why these particular tasks have a more pronounced impact on your experience of stress, and helping you to identify appropriate mechanisms for feeling safe and in control. But even if you don’t feel that your stress is unmanageable, it is always worth meeting with a mentor (and see my comments about choosing a mentor here) or a coach on an occasional basis to monitor your wellbeing and basic lifestyle practices such as getting exercise and taking regular breaks. Putting the foundation in when your stress feels manageable means that you are less likely to lose those practices and find your health is suffering if your workload increases.

(Note – if your reaction to reading the last two sentences was to feel that talking about exercise and holidays feels hopelessly out of touch with the realities of academia, you may already be in chronic stress and should consider reaching out for some of the help outlined below).

AMBER (4-7) – your stress is becoming chronic, meaning that it is more intense and noticeable, and more constant. At the lower end of the scale you may still be able to rest and relax at the weekends, but be finding work-related activities increasingly unpleasant and draining. At the higher end, you find it increasingly challenging to switch off, your mind is constantly at work, perhaps accompanied by strong sensations of anxiety, dread or fear, and your sleep is being impacted. You have noticeable physical symptoms that are becoming more severe, or you have simply become used to feeling a low level of unwell most of the time. You are easily triggered to tears, frustration, or irritation, and your personal relationships are being affected.

Stress shifts from being appropriate and normal into chronic when we are no longer able to rest and switch off from challenges. This may look like a constant swing between high levels of stress and intermittent drops in mood and energy, or it may feel like a steady pressure and build up of stress into overwhelming levels. At this stage, mental fatigue starts to become more obvious, with reduced motivation and a consequent need for extra effort for tasks that used to be simple or pleasurable. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of the insidious qualities of burnout is the way in which we often normalise our experience and switch off from our bodies, in order to keep going. Not feeling able to take breaks, ask for help, prioritise rest over work, or keep perspective on the relative importance of our jobs in relation to the rest of life are classic signs of overwork and chronic stress levels. Being surrounded by a culture of overwork will exacerbate this tendency, making it more likely that we get into a chronic state without realising.

The amber stage is where intervention becomes vital, before burnout starts to take hold. However, the positive message here is that getting help when you start to notice that your stress is becoming constant or your wellbeing is suffering is likely to be very effective. In other words, the earlier you seek out support the more quickly you can recover and the less likely you are to slide into burnout. At this stage you have a range of options to consider, depending on the severity of your symptoms and how you are feeling. Working with a coach, especially one with stated experience of supporting clients in burnout, is ideal for the lower levels of the scale where you are still able to expend effort on identifying the triggers for your stress and practicing mitigations that will support you. You may like to consider a coach who can offer some initial concentrated sessions followed by a longer lasting relationship with regular check-ins to help you maintain self-care practices. Alternatively, coaching groups can be effective ways to find community and work with other people in similar situations who also want to find active solutions.

Beyond coaching, however, at this stage, especially if your symptoms are becoming more severe and sustained, it is time to make use of the systems in place within your institution. Occupational health should always be a first port of call, as they will be staffed by trained medical professionals who can make recommendations to your line manager and refer you on to other services. You should also strongly consider speaking to your GP (health care provider) especially if you are noticing significant physical symptoms or drops in mood. Having their support can give you access to other services such as a local counselling team, but more importantly can provide the official diagnosis you need when approaching your Head of Department. This last conversation should not be delayed. Using the recommendations from OH and your doctor you can negotiate for a reduction in workload, extra support, flexible working, or time off. If you feel that your HOD is unlikely to be sympathetic and supportive, make use of a mentor or senior colleague, or a union representative, to give you extra support in those negotiations. You should also keep OH and HR informed as there will certainly be institutional policies in place that you can pull on to get the help you need. All of this takes effort – and that is why reaching out earlier rather than waiting until your symptoms are more severe is important. As we head into burnout, taking these kinds of steps can feel completely overwhelming. Again, this is where a coach or counsellor can provide additional external support to build your resilience for asking for what you need.

RED (8-10) – You are now entering burnout. Having been in sustained stress for a long period of time your nervous system is no longer able to self-regulate and interprets normal daily activities as threats. Physically, you are experiencing high levels of fatigue, which include periods of ‘mind numbing’ or dissociation. You are unable to comfortably complete normal levels of physical activity, and maintaining concentration for even small tasks is a huge effort. You are also having a range of other physical symptoms including chronic headaches, gut problems, recurrent infections, aches and pains, and skin issues. Women may also be noticing changes to their regular cycle. Emotionally you are finding it hard to experience joy and pleasure in daily activities, and you regularly withdraw from social contact. At the end of the spectrum you are in a state of chronic fatigue, increasingly withdrawn, and at risk for depression.

Once you reach this stage of the spectrum, it is essential that you reach out for medical support as your first priority. Your GP or health care provider can sign you off work for a period of rest in which you can evaluate, with their help, what support you need. There may be a need for medical interventions to help relieve the physical effects of burnout, and you may also be invited to consider a low-level antidepressant whilst your nervous system recovers. Your GP is likely to suggest the support of a mental health nurse or counselling team and to be able to refer you locally, however it is often faster to access counselling through your institution and the team there will be particularly skilled in supporting academic members of staff. Once again, referral to your OH department should be made by yourself or your line manager, and a copy of your GP’s sick line sent to both OH and HR. A coach can be supportive through your recovery with finding routes to self-management, but it would be worth seeking out one with a specialist focus in burnout, mental health management, or fatigue. Look out for coaches who can demonstrate training in these areas such as a counselling background, CBT certification, or completion of the Mental Health First Aid scheme.

Burnout needs to be taken seriously because left unchecked it can result in serious and debilitating physical and mental health issues, including being a recognised factor in suicidal ideation. If you feel that you are already in burnout, based on this description, please take action to support yourself and reach out to your HOD and your GP as soon as possible. The route back from burnout can be a long one, so expect and plan for ongoing support and self-management for some time. However, recovery is possible, as is a culture change in our departments toward recognising and challenging the systems that promote and conceal burnout creating habits.

In my next post, I will look in more detail at the neuroscience behind our understanding of burnout, and why it manifests as it does.

What has been your experience of burnout culture in academia? Do you resonate with the descriptions I have shared? What do you think the main triggers are? Post below or message me via Twitter or LinkedIn.

If you are experiencing chronic stress or burnout and would like to work with someone to find ways to support yourself and to recover, I offer specialist coaching for academics that focuses on burnout prevention and recovery, as well as other workplace issues. You can find out more by following the links above or by emailing me an enquiry at francesca@beathacoaching.org