1. Looking after yourself and others
Jo Heslop
Head of Occupational Health

3. Burnout
Occupational burnout is typically and particularly found within human service professions. Professions with high levels of burnout include social workers, nurses, teachers, lawyers, medical practitioners, customer service representatives, and police officers. One reason why burnout is so prevalent within the human services field is due in part to the high-stress work environment and emotional demands of the job.

4. What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.
Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

6. Looking after yourself
Jug of Life
Energy in Energy out
Thew M. 2011

7. Energy Drainers Time with family Suppliers Holiday problems
Commuting
Work
Suppliers
Time with family
Holidays
Cycling
Work
Socialising
Gardening

8. What do you do when your energy is draining?

9. What should you do to maintain or increase your energy levels?

11. Achieving a more balanced lifestyle
What would I like to do more of?
What would I like to do less of?
What are the barriers preventing you from doing this?
Discuss ways to lift the barriers. Start with simple changes.

13. Portable relaxation techniques
Abdominal breathing
“Tranquillity” technique
Touch technique

14. Abdominal breathing
Breathe out through your mouth as far as you can go and concentrate on letting go of any tension around your tummy.
Keeping tummy relaxed, take slow deep breath in through your nose, making sure tummy rises with the in breath.
Hold your breath for a moment and breath out slowly through your mouth. Let your shoulders relax and notice your tummy falls with the out breath.
Do this 3 times.

15. Tranquillity technique
Think of the word TRANQUILLITY
Say it to your self silently several times.
Think of a colour you associate with the word.
Think of a place that means TRANQUILLITY to you.
Imagine you are there and in your mind explore – what can you see, hear and smell?

16. Touch technique
Use an object that fits in your hand and is smooth an pleasant to touch – perhaps a stone or a crystal.
Close your eyes.
Use the thumb to stroke the object and concentrate only on your thumb and how it feels.
Do this for a couple of minutes.

17. Looking after others Who are the “others” in your life? Children
Partner
Parents
Friends
Colleagues
Students
Neighbours
Pets

18. “Looking after” colleagues
Be friendly but respect privacy
Don’t be judgmental
Be sensitive to issues which may offend
Keep confidences when asked
Appreciate that everyone copes differently
Don’t exclude colleagues
Understand your boundaries and limitations
Do not promise things you cannot deliver

19. Managers looking after team
Communication – formal and informal
Ensure clarity of job role
Ensure adequate training and appropriate equipment for the job
Ensure workload fair
Don’t set unrealistic or unnecessary deadlines
Address performance and behaviour issues
Don’t make false promises but manage expectation
Feedback

20. Triggers for distress Illness of self or family Financial worries Work
Exams
Relationship issues
Underlying mental health issues

21. Recognising distress in others
Increased absence from work
Appearing nervous/anxious/tearful
Looking tired
Lack of focus
Not socialising
Lack of energy
Poor personal hygiene
Change in eating habits
Unusual behaviour

22. Differences between men and women in distress
Sharing problems
Aggression
Tears
Logical thinking/emotional thinking
Alcohol abuse
Anxiety

23. Practical support Listening
Encouraging them to see GP, contact Stepchange, CAB etc
Suggesting they speak to line manager, HR, Occupational Health, Staff Counselling, Trade Unions
Helping with workload

24. Know your limits
Trying to help too much can leave you feeling drained/having too much work to do etc.
You are not expected to be part of someone's “treatment”.
Without knowledge or training you could do more harm than good in the long term.

25. Summary
Unless you look after yourself, you will not be fit to look after others.
Be helpful and considerate but learn to say no.

26. Life! Life is not fair. There is no answer to “why me?”
Sometimes the only thing you can control is your attitude/response.
Being upset or angry in response to a difficult situation is not wrong – taking it out on others probably is.
The only person that can change you is you.