Burn-out is included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as an occupational phenomenon. It is not classified as a medical condition.
It is described in the chapter: ‘Factors influencing health status or contact with health services’ – which includes reasons for which people contact health services but that are not classed as illnesses or health conditions.
Burn-out is defined in ICD-11 as follows:
“Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
- feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
- increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
- reduced professional efficacy.
Burn-out refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”
Burn-out was also included in ICD-10, in the same category as in ICD-11, but the definition is now more detailed.
The World Health Organization is about to embark on the development of evidence-based guidelines on mental well-being in the workplace.
Burn-out an "occupational phenomenon": International Classification of Diseases (who.int) 28 May 2019, Departmental news
Dr. Haley Sparks "In it for the Long Haul Conference"
The below slides are posted with permission
Types of Burnout/Fatigue
- Physical (e.g., body feels run down or exhausted)
- Mental (e.g., difficulty processing or managing emotions; inability to concentrate)
- Spiritual (e.g., feeling a lack of personal purpose)
- Emotional (e.g., having trouble accepting oneself; not feeling accepted by others around you)
- Social (e.g., feeling like you're often giving and much less often receiving)
- Sensory (e.g., feeling overstimulated by your environments, such as constant electronic notifications)
- Creative (e.g., feeling uninspired)
Myths we need to put to REST
- Rest is exclusively sleep
- Rest exclusively means stopping
- Rest will result in less and/or worse output
- Rest will decrease productivity
- Rest will delay us to getting to the liberation we all need
Good news!
- You should not feel guilty about resting
- You're not alone if you feel this way, but you don't have to!
- We need to reprogram how we think about investment in liberatory work (and ourselves)
- You do not have to "earn" rest
- Simple concepts and strategies have been proven to work across a variety of cultures and contexts
- We can (and should!) incorporate rest in our day-to-day lives
- Rest allows you to clarify and prioritize your personal purpose
- Rest can (and should!) be normalized to contribute to enhanced liberatory work
Physical Rest
Passive
- Sleeping (6-9 hours; this will vary for your body)
- Napping
Active
- Improve lymphatic drainage and circulation
- Moving the body to improve " flow" within
- Yoga
- Stretching
- Leisure walks
Spiritual Rest
- Fulfilling our int e rnal needs
- To feel our life has personal purpose (this can be "simpler" than you think!)
- To feel we have meaning
- To feel like we belong
- To feel accepted for who we are, as we are
- To feel connected to something bigger than us
Emotional Rest
Intra-personal processing
- Freedom to authentically identify, express. accept, and validate your feelings [with yourself!)
- Journaling
- Reflection questions and prompts
- See, know. and accept yourself first
Inter-personal processing
- Freedom to authentically identify, express. accept, and validate your feelings [with others!)
- Counselor/therapist/mentor
- Trusted friend/partner
- Support groups
- Find environments/individuals who see and hear you
Social Rest
Pouring In (maximize these!)
- Who doesn ' t need anything from you?
- Who do you feel energ ized a round?
- Who is just there to support you?
- Touch (likely outside of work) - an opportunity for intimacy
Pouring out (try to limit these!)
- When a re you in giving mode?
- What interac tions consistently make you feel d ra ined?
Sensory Rest
- Minimize overstimulation in your environments
- Downgrade sensory input throughout your day
- Electronic detox (even for 10 minutes!)
- Close your eyes
- Minimize background noise
- Turn off notifications where you can
Creative Rest
- Renewal in appreciating beauty in all forms
- Experience beauty that has already been created (you don 't have to create it yourself o )
- Immerse yourself in awe, beauty, and wonder
- Can be naturally-occurring or manmade (e.g., landscapes, art, music)
