Burnout and the Sunday Scaries
Do you ever get that feeling on a Sunday afternoon when you realise the weekend is ending and you have to go back to work tomorrow? You might notice a sense of dread in the pit of your stomach, and you might start to think ahead and go over the potential problems of the week ahead. It doesn’t feel good, and it takes you away from the rest of your Sunday.
Having the Sunday Scaries every once in a while, is a completely normal thing, our free time should be more fun than our work time, which is why we love weekends so much and get the holiday blues, but if you dread work more often than not, then you might be experiencing burnout.
Let’s look at an example:
Sarah starts a new job. She’s excited and bursting with enthusiasm and great ideas. She’s motivated to do a really good job and prove herself as a great employee.
After some time, Sarah notices that things are getting a bit harder. She’s given more responsibility and some days it’s harder to be enthusiastic because she’s not getting to the end of her ‘to do’ list. She’s noticed she’s feeling more stressed and more worn down, but she keeps going and the Sunday Scaries pop up here and there.
Eventually she starts to notice that the harder days are more frequent than the easier days. She’s enjoying things less and is a bit less optimistic about her job, she’s starting to notice that she’s thinking more about work in her evenings and weekends and feels too exhausted to do things she used to find fun. Still, she continues on….and the Sunday Scaries make a more regular appearance.
After some time, Sarah starts to get ill more regularly and she’s much more irritable than she used to be. She’s distrustful of her managers and peers who she thinks are just out for themselves. She lacks enthusiasm for her job, and she is less able to get things done. Sarah stays in this job for another few years, she remains cynical and exhausted and by now the Sunday Scaries turn into the Monday – Friday Scaries. Sarah dreads every day but doesn’t know what to do.
It’s important to note that like in the example above, burnout is often associated with professional work. This is often the case but it can also be a problem for people who don’t work in the traditional sense but who have caring or parenting responsibilities (or both) that make up the biggest part of their day. It’s not so much about the activity itself but the relentless build-up of stress and pressure that if left unmanaged, can lead to burn out.
Here's some helpful ideas to manage burn out:
Catch problems early. Take a minute right now and think about your own stress levels and how you’ve been feeling recently. Making small changes sooner rather than later will really help.
If you notice you are stressed, assess your current situation to understand more about what’s the root of your issue. We sometimes get burnt out when we feel underchallenged, unsupported, or overloaded. What’s going on for you?
Seek help. Speak to people around you and ask for help and support. This can be from your employer or your friends and family. Sharing your stresses can help create solutions.
Prioritise you. Make time for good self-care, good sleep and good boundaries between you and your role.
Take a break and go for a walk in nature. This can give you time to think and help you to focus on what’s important for you.
Assess your goals and values. Sometimes burn out comes from doing things that aren’t in line with your values. It might be time for big changes.
Remember some stress is okay and even helpful but prolonged stress is not good for us and should not be our norm.
If you’ve tried lots of different things and you’re still struggling, then reach out to services like Well Minds PTS for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This type of therapy can be helpful for managing stress and burn out. Please click the link below to get in touch and book an assessment.