Burnout Blues

Have you ever sat in a coffee shop and “overheard” a neighboring conversation? If that is something you like to do, but feel guilty about eavesdropping, tune into the Jen and Joji Podcast.
Jenn and Joji Podcast
https://www.spreaker.com/user/15265580/episode-4-burnout

Here you will hear the chitchat of two (Millenial?) friends as they share their thoughts about a wide variety of topics, such as perfectionism and sobriety. The podcast I chose was BURNOUT, and although they largely spoke in general life terms, the conversation touched on and applied to the specific topic of CAREGIVING.

Jenn is an elementary school teacher whose entire nuclear family–both the spouses and their two young children–are overcoming a bout with coronavirus. Jenn noted that they now have SUPER ANTIBODIES. Jenn expressed that their COVID experience was like a “mini 2020” because of their return to quarantine status.

Joji is a nurse who had just experienced an overwhelming week, which consisted of work (an unusual 5-day shift) in conjunction with a week of caregiving (a responsibility she and her siblings share on a rotating basis). By Friday she felt like she was hitting a wall, noting that it felt like a train was barreling down on her that could not be stopped.

Respite care helps caregivers avoid burnout by taking time away from the senior-care environment. It helps prevent the depression that develops when caregivers do not make time for a well-rounded personal life. Again, respite care falls within the realm of family responsibilities and provides another good opportunity for friends or volunteers to help. But if these resources are not available to you, paid services are accessible in-home through independent caregivers and home-health agencies, or out-of-home at assisted-living or nursing-home facilities, adult day centers, and family respite-care homes.

What to Do about Mama? p. 184

These experiences led Jenn and Joji to talk about burnout and how to cope. They touched upon the following:

Signals of burnout:

• Losing patience and being bothered by the “little things”.
• Turning to alcohol, rationalizing that you “deserve” it, then feeling worse afterwards.

Self care as a ways to deal with burnout:

• Use positive self-talk that does not assign an emotion to your feelings.
• Acknowledging that you are burned out and taking time to “pause”
• Learning to let go and not expecting yourself to be “perfect”
• Establishing basic healthy habits (such as eating right, exercising and getting enough sleep)

Relationships and asking for help:

• AT HOME
  From your spouse and children (it’s a good way for them to learn independence)
  From your siblings (as in sharing the responsibilities of caregiving)
• AT WORK
  From your Boss and Co-workers.
  Remember you are a TEAM

Most importantly:

“I learned how to say, ‘NO,’ in addition to knowing when to say, ‘Yes.’”

What to Do about Mama? p. 267

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