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