Thank you for this, Jenni. I said ages ago that I’d be in touch on this subject, so here goes, finally…
My experience of burnout is different but similar. I’ve been working as a nurse with a homeless service (i.e. people with complex needs) for almost 20 years, and most of that time managing the service / team as well as doing most of the clinical work. Too much for one person.
So the burnout has been gradual, in the background, brought to a head by very poor, dictatorial, draconian, bullying management, which led to my ‘breaking down’ last Spring, with anxiety and depression, unable to cope, and a month off work.
Over recent months we’ve learned that the homeless service is being closed and I have redundancy (I finish at the end of this week) – bad news for our local community but a blessing in disguise for me. I’ve felt a sense of relief from a situation I felt trapped in. I’m getting a very attractive redundancy payment and have secured a job starting next month which I think is just made for me! So I’ve really landed on my feet.
Physical exhaustion was the chief physical symptom of my mental health crisis last Spring. I made a great recovery, but since then I still get odd periods of exhaustion, sometimes due to an identifiable trigger, but other times it just seems to come out of the blue – usually with a bit of emotional ‘flatness’ but no crippling anxiety or overt depression. It usually lasts 2-3 days, then suddenly I feel fine again.
I’ve recently started therapy, which is quite heavy work psychologically and may be one of the triggers, churning up my ‘demons’.
Like you, I’ve been journalling for about a year, which I find really helpful. I also recently compiled a list of the spiritual practices that I find beneficial to my faith and wellbeing, as a reminder to myself to do them: Contemplative prayer / silence / meditation; Daily examen; Gratitude; Wonder; Mindfulness / practising the Presence; Lectio divina; Active self-compassion; Guided reflections and devotionals: Nomad, Pray As You Go, John Butler etc; Walking with Nature: observing / forest-bathing / photography; Writing: nature blog / journal; (and as an afterthought as I realised all the above were lone practices!) Church / Hub / Communion / Meeting with friends.
So, as you can see Gratitude is in there, and I might just take up your idea of the #3goodthings!
I thought it would be good to compare notes. Well done on the book! And I appreciate the blog. All the best
Thanks Roger, I'm reading your book just now with interest! Glad that things are improving for you as well, hoping the new job is exactly what you need.
Long comment alert!
Thank you for this, Jenni. I said ages ago that I’d be in touch on this subject, so here goes, finally…
My experience of burnout is different but similar. I’ve been working as a nurse with a homeless service (i.e. people with complex needs) for almost 20 years, and most of that time managing the service / team as well as doing most of the clinical work. Too much for one person.
So the burnout has been gradual, in the background, brought to a head by very poor, dictatorial, draconian, bullying management, which led to my ‘breaking down’ last Spring, with anxiety and depression, unable to cope, and a month off work.
Over recent months we’ve learned that the homeless service is being closed and I have redundancy (I finish at the end of this week) – bad news for our local community but a blessing in disguise for me. I’ve felt a sense of relief from a situation I felt trapped in. I’m getting a very attractive redundancy payment and have secured a job starting next month which I think is just made for me! So I’ve really landed on my feet.
Physical exhaustion was the chief physical symptom of my mental health crisis last Spring. I made a great recovery, but since then I still get odd periods of exhaustion, sometimes due to an identifiable trigger, but other times it just seems to come out of the blue – usually with a bit of emotional ‘flatness’ but no crippling anxiety or overt depression. It usually lasts 2-3 days, then suddenly I feel fine again.
I’ve recently started therapy, which is quite heavy work psychologically and may be one of the triggers, churning up my ‘demons’.
Like you, I’ve been journalling for about a year, which I find really helpful. I also recently compiled a list of the spiritual practices that I find beneficial to my faith and wellbeing, as a reminder to myself to do them: Contemplative prayer / silence / meditation; Daily examen; Gratitude; Wonder; Mindfulness / practising the Presence; Lectio divina; Active self-compassion; Guided reflections and devotionals: Nomad, Pray As You Go, John Butler etc; Walking with Nature: observing / forest-bathing / photography; Writing: nature blog / journal; (and as an afterthought as I realised all the above were lone practices!) Church / Hub / Communion / Meeting with friends.
So, as you can see Gratitude is in there, and I might just take up your idea of the #3goodthings!
I thought it would be good to compare notes. Well done on the book! And I appreciate the blog. All the best
Roger
Thanks Roger, I'm reading your book just now with interest! Glad that things are improving for you as well, hoping the new job is exactly what you need.