Julie Haizlip is a doctor on the faculty of UVA’s School of Nursing. She knows how it feels to be burned out, and she understands that many different things can cause the problem.
“There are people for whom the pressures of their job ae very significant, where the pace of the work is challenging," she explains. "There are times when interactions with colleagues maybe are less than optimal.”
It helps to be able to talk about the problem, but in the 21st century, she says, few places offer a break room or a lounge where colleagues can speak freely, and not everyone takes comfort from social media.
“It may be that the digital natives – the people who are my kids’ age – might be able to find community that way, but people that are currently in practice, at least in healthcare, still kind of really need that face-to-fact connection.”
She says evolution has inclined us to worry – to expect the worst.
"The people that survived were the ones that were wary – the ones who thought every rustle in the bushes was a saber-tooth tiger, not the people who were always happy and joyful."
And there’s evidence that it takes a number of good experiences to overcome a bad one.
"The research in the psychology literature suggests you need five positive experiences to overcome one negative one," Haizlip says.
She suggests keeping a gratitude or positivity journal. If writing isn’t your thing, try creating a moment to meditate on – or speak about good things that happened, and make an effort to praise people for their help or fine work.
"What you can do is take 5-10 minutes at the end of the day and say 'Where is a place where I actually made a difference? What is something that went well?' If you're someone who sits down for dinner with your family, having an opportunity just to say what one good thing happened today or one place where you made a positive impact."
Haizlip says small things can make a big difference, and she cites the story one subject of her research shared.
“You know a bunch of folks were ordering out lunch, and I was busy, and I didn’t get a chance to put in an order, but it turns out they ordered me a sandwich, and they also knew what I wanted. That gives you the idea that not only do they care about you enough to order you a sandwich, but they know you well enough as a person.”
Consider that by taking positive actions, you can create a cycle of goodwill:
“When a teacher feels like they’ve made a positive impact on a student, it’s incredibly energizing for them, and then they want to put more into their teaching, and then the next student feels it, and so it can create a positive spiral that really starts to enrich everyone’s experience.”
And, finally, she says, remember to let colleagues or superiors in the workplace know you appreciate them.
“Is there somebody that you interact with on a daily basis that really impacts your ability to do your job, to be happy in your job, to be successful? Do they know you feel that way about them?”
Haizlip concludes that avoiding burnout may come down to two things – knowing that you matter and believing that you make a difference.
“We’re wanting to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and to have some significance with the work that we do. It’s those moments when you know that because you were there, something turned out better or differently than it would have had you not been.”
If you’d like to learn more about this subject, mark your calendar for Thursday, October 19th at 5 p.m. in Wilson Hall on the UVA Campus. That’s when best-selling author and essayist Dr. Jonathan Malesic will speak. His latest book – the End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us, and How to Build Better Lives.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
