BLOG

Mental burnout and depression are both serious conditions that affect many knowledge workers. According to a 2019 report by Safe Work Australia, mental stress, including depression and anxiety, was a leading cause of work-related health problems among Australian workers, including knowledge workers. The report stated that 92% of work-related mental health condition claims were attributed to mental stress. This is hardly surprising with the fast-paced nature of today's work environment. It's easy to become overwhelmed and exhausted by the constant demands placed upon you, particularly when you have a tendency to get caught up in the excitement of being busy and needed, and, when you have an active inner people pleaser. In this blog post, we will explore what mental burnout is, how it is similar and different to depression, how mental burnout can affect knowledge workers, and some strategies for preventing and managing mental burnout.

What is mental burnout?

Mental burnout is a...

On International Women’s Day, last week, I had the opportunity to present on the Art of Work-Life Balance to a group of women located across South-East Asia. for a client. In preparation for the presentation, I tried to find a definition of work-life balance and found there isn’t a shared definition. So, I went with this one, “Work-life balance is typically defined as the amount of time you spend doing your job versus the amount of time you spend with loved ones or pursuing personal interests and hobbies.” It was curious to me that with all the discussion about work-life balance we haven’t defined it. But I suppose that is what work-life balance is about, it’s what it means for you as an individual, so why would there be a universally accepted definition because what I might consider healthy work life balance may not be it for you.

Interestingly the participants all had a pretty good idea of what work-life balance looked like it for them...

Your body is a marvelous creation! It speaks to you when it’s doing great, and it also speaks to you when things aren’t so wonderful. And that’s the beauty of it – your body gives a ton of signals to let you know it’s in need of something so you can do what’s necessary to achieve optimal overall health.

If you are like many others, you let your head rule and disregard the signals from your body. That’s just how we get conditioned as we grow up, and it continues into adulthood particularly if you’re a knowledge worker.

Last week I met with a new client who felt like he was in a rut. This felt a little perplexing for him as he was usually energetic and open for a challenge. Listening to his life story, you could describe him as a dynamic go-getter who suddenly felt he was lacking motivation and drive, and as a result his confidence was deteriorating. He was mentally and physically tired and looking for a plan to get out of...

In my practice I get the privilege of working with smart people from a broad range of careers who mostly struggle with managing boundaries. I know growing up I was told ‘be polite’, ‘respect your elders’ and ‘don’t rock the boat,‘ and while they were well intended phrases from my parents, they became so ingrained that they became a hinderance to me in my career. 

I was one of the lucky ones. I learned it early on in my career thanks to a wonderful manager who was highly effective at managing her own boundaries. She had kid gloves when she said ‘No’ in her oh so many ways. What many people don’t realize is that when we say ‘yes’ to something we are also saying ‘no’ at the same time to something else. You may be guilty of this without even knowing it!

In order to be successful, others need to know who you are, and they can’t work it out if you are saying...

In March 2020, Australia closed its borders and so our love-hate relationship with ‘Lockdown’ began. I remember in the early stages people were happy to be working from home. There seemed to be extra energy in the air. It meant being able to put on a load of washing before the 10am video-conference call, spending more time with family, getting more sleep due to decreased commute times and feeling a little bit ‘naughty’ wearing comfortable clothes rather than the 'corporate outfit' while negotiating a million-dollar deal. Now nine months on, many are keen to get back to their office, sit at their desk and chat to colleagues in the corridor. Sadly many are being told this won't be possible until mid-2021. Others are quite content to be working from home indefinitely.

Whatever your situation, it is more important than ever that we recognise nobody is immune from burnout and that we are vigilant around the signs of burnout for ourselves,...

Workplace “burn-out” is finally recognised as a condition

The World Health Assembly in Geneva, which finished yesterday (28 May 2019) has for the first-time recognised burn-out. This means it can be included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers.

According to the classification, burn-out refers specifically to it occurring in the work context and it cannot be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.

A positive step forward

This is a positive step forward for people who suffer from workplace burn-out. It provides recognition that a growing number of working people are suffering from it and that it may require medical intervention. Of course, counsellors and psychotherapists working outside of the medical model have always recognised burn-out as a legitimate condition and treated it as such. However, with this recognition from the medical model, people may be more inclined...