Drum – 08 August 2019

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

I


T’Sthemiddleoftheyear,springstill
feelsveryfaraway– andsummer?
What’sthatagain?
Manyofusstarteachyearfreshand
raringtogo,vowingtoexercisemore,
eatmorehealthily,drinkless,work
smarter– butbythetimeJulyand
Augustrollaroundit’shardtokeep
upthemomentum.
Thedrive,passionandexcitementyou
hadinJanuaryhasslowlybeenreplaced
bya smoulderingresentmentofevery­
thingyoudoandeveryonearoundyou.
Youdon’tknowexactlywherethese
feelingsarecomingfrom,butwhatyou
doknowis you’reexhaustedandfedup.
Soundfamiliar?Ifso,chancesare
you’resufferingfrommidyearburnout.
Andyou’renotalone.UKnewspaper
TheGuardianrecentlyaskedreadersto
assesstheirmoodsandenergylevelsat
thispointintheyear– andtheresponse
wasoverwhelming.
Peoplewroteoffeelingasif theycould
fallasleepstandingup,ofwakingwitha
racingheartorcloudedmind,ofhaving
losttheirenergy,appetiteorlibido.
Theyfeltstretchedtoothin,bothat
workandathome.Somewereregularly
surprisedtofindthemselvesirritableor
tearfulwhileothersfeltasif thejoyhad

beensuckedfromlife.If anyofthesere ­
sponsesresonatewithyou,youcould
besufferingfrommidyearburnout.

BURNOUT:ARECAP
Expertsinsistit’simportanttodistin­
guishbetweenburnoutandmental
healthconditionssuchasdepression.
TheWorldHealthOrganization(Who)
recentlyclassifiedburnoutasan“occu­
pationalphenomenon”,andit’sofficially
beenrecognisedinthelatestInterna­
tionalClassificationofDiseases(ICD)
manual,whichisusedbydoctorsand
healthcareprovidersworldwide(Banish
burnout,4 July).
Burnoutisdescribedinitasa “syn­
dromeconceptualisedasresultingfrom
chronicworkplacestressthathasn’t
beensuccessfullymanaged”.
AlthoughtheWho’sdefinitioniscon­
finedtoworkstress,Johannesburg­based
psychologistTamaraSosasays burnout
canspillintoyourpersonallife.
“Itcanbeclassifiedasany feelings of
prolongedlethargy,lackof motivation
oranhedonia[lossofjoyin previously
enjoyedactivities],”shecautions. “It’s any
perceivedformof‘stuckness’ or inability
toworktowardsgoals.”
Thefreneticpaceofmodern life is to

blameforthis collectivefeelingof
exhaustion,saysLouisaNiehaus,a Gau­
teng­based psychotherapist.
“Our workplaces have become far
more demanding and increasingly
we’re competing with the pace of digital
communication.
“We need to contend with shorter
deadlines and tighter budgets. Everyday
activities such as the daily commute to
work or getting children to school add
to the pressure.”

SO IS MIDYEAR BURNOUT REALLY
A THING?
Although you can experience burnout at
any time, there are numerous and very
real reasons why people might be strug­
gling more this time of year, Sosa says.
“There’s a psychological significance to
the midway point of the year. It’s a logical
opportunity to take stock.
“People may be reminded of the opti­
mism they felt in the new year, or the
goals they set that they’re no closer to
achieving.
“In many ways the prospects of possi­
ble change die down, and it just becomes
a slog towards the end of the year so
you can start afresh.”
British life coach Karen Kwong says

Feelinganxious,disappointed


and overwhelmed?Youcouldbe


sufferingfrommidyearburnout.


Herearetipsongettingyour


sparkback COMPILEDBYLINDSAYDEFREITAS


TIME TO


RECHARGE


18 | 8 AUGUST 2019 http://www.drum.co.za
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