New Scientist - USA (2021-02-06)

38 | New Scientist | 6 February 2021

Caroline Williams is a

consultant for New Scientist.

Her next book is Move: The

science of body over mind

Canada and in some European countries,

where indecision and changes to rules have

been linked to public anger and decreasing

confidence in authorities’ handling of the

pandemic, all of which is likely to increase

feelings of burnout.

Adding to these factors, we know that

burnout can be fuelled by feelings of being

unable to escape from home. Research on

parental burnout, for instance, has found that

going to work has protective effects as it offers

a breathing space from the pressures of home.

Even a commute can give us a chance to clear

our heads. All of these escape mechanisms

are now, of course, much harder to come by.

The more we understand about the causes of

burnout, the more we can do to try to protect

ourselves. On a personal level, the biggest

challenge may be to take back as much control

as possible over the day-to-day. That may not

be easy when the usual options that help us

battle through tough periods – going on

holiday, meeting friends or enjoying

certain hobbies – are off the table.

Meaningful connections

Even so, one thing we do know is that any

kind of stress, whether from work, home or

the fear of a deadly virus, can be reduced by

meaningful social interaction. Even in the

absence of actual physical contact, there are

plenty of ways to keep in touch emotionally

and how you do it doesn’t matter, says

Pariante – it could be via a text, the phone, a

socially distanced walk or a video call. Doing

this takes effort, which is particularly difficult

if you are reaching the exhausted or cynical

stages of burnout, but we are a social species.

“It’s easy to be lazy, but in the end, you will pay

for it if you’re not committing to some level

of social connection,” says Pariante.

We can also borrow from the many well-

researched tips for safeguarding our mental

health, including getting as much fresh air,

exercise and time in green spaces as possible,

regardless of the weather.

Simblett’s research has found that, during

the first UK lockdown, going for daily walks or

other forms of exercise proved to be an

important coping strategy for many. For those

who are isolating or shielding and therefore

not allowed out of the house, exercise is

perhaps even more important. If online

exercise classes aren’t your thing, turn up the

music and dance: studies have found that it

lifts mood at least as effectively as other forms

of exercise and, when done with another

person, encourages emotional bonding,

hitting two anti-burnout strategies at once.

Other than that, it is a case of building in

as much separation between your work life

and home life as possible, and making a

commitment to do things that make you

feel good. Finally, when things get too

much, it pays to know when to stop.

Maslach, the doyenne of burnout research,

provides a masterclass in how to do this. Faced

with yet another request from a journalist

asking about burnout, she answered two out

of five questions, sent some links to further

resources and wished me good luck. If we are

going to come out of this in one piece, we will

need to manage expectations: do what you

can and know when to say no. ❚

Need a listening ear? UK Samaritans: 116123

(samaritans.org). Visit bit.ly/SuicideHelplines for

hotlines and websites for other countries

Exercising

can help to

protect your

mental health

With so much emphasis on burnout

caused by being overwhelmed, it is

easy to overlook the other side of

lockdown and social isolation: many

people are unable to work, isolated

and as tied to home as everyone else.

The term boreout was coined in

2007 by two Swiss business

consultants and has begun to creep

into the world of employment

psychology. It is defined as the

emotional toll of not having enough

to do or not finding meaning in your

everyday work, or the stress that

comes from having plenty to do,

but all of it being utterly boring.

As with burnout, the problem

often boils down to a lack of control.

This means that the best way to

avoid the anxiety and exhaustion

that accompany boreout is to try to

spend time doing things that mean

something to you, whether that is

learning to cook, volunteering in a

food bank or reading something

stimulating instead of mindlessly

scrolling on social media. What

matters is that it takes you out of the

here and now and stretches into the

future, when this will, eventually, end.

Forget

burnout, I’m

bored-out

DE

EP

OL

BY

PL

AIN

PIC

TU

RE

/IN

TI^ S

T^ C

LA

IR