Burnout and Resilience

Hello Friends!

My original intention when I started this newsletter was to share recommendations of the books I’m reading, podcasts I’ve enjoyed listening to, and articles I found thought-provoking. To be honest, I wasn’t intending to go with a theme each time, but somehow – we’re back to that Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon again! 😉 – I seem to get interested in a topic and suddenly fall down the rabbit hole of that topic for a bit!

Perhaps unsurprisingly, my topic for this newsletter is Burnout and Resilience. I don’t know about you, but the whole “it’s been a year of Covid” anniversary thing really seemed to set off a chain reaction of people just having had enough. Few people are admitting to actual burnout, but no one’s got any energy reserves left. We’re all just over it.

So it’s no surprise then that the topic of resilience comes up. If ever there were a time to be resilient, it’s now! But how? A lot of my coaching clients are using this time to really reflect on how they can best prioritize their limited energy right now. We’re working together to figure out how they can streamline some processes, maximize their energy, and set some really necessary boundaries.

And that’s where a lot of the following podcasts and articles come in! And since we’re all overtired and overworked, I’ll keep the descriptions to a minimum this week.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER AD, MY PICKS FOR THIS WEEK:

Beyond Burned Out (HBR) – we were in the middle of a burnout pandemic even *before* Covid came along. I found the list of the true causes of burnout so illuminating. The #1 cause: unsustainable workload. And especially challenging given the global pandemic: #2 is a perceived lack of control, something we have all been forced to deal with in this time of lockdowns and restrictions. It’s a really good article on what burnout is and why we suffer from it.

Which is why I enjoyed this episode of the Teach me how to Adult podcast on How to Recover from Burnout and Find Balance.  Helpful and practical suggestions!

Certainly one of the main contributors to our general fatigue, and potentially to burnout, is so many Zoom meetings! This was a great article on why virtual meetings are so draining. The cognitive load of having all communication be verbal rather than non-verbal being a significant contributing factor for one.

Really found this podcast on overcoming anxiety a good listen. Especially liked the formula of fear + uncertainty = anxiety. Given we are in a time of unprecedented uncertainty, it’s no wonder there is so much anxiety out there!

Avoiding or recovering from burnout isn’t just about taking a hot bath and doing a bit of meditation. Self-care is great, but it isn’t the only piece of the burnout recovery puzzle. This Top 10 Needs we need to fulfill on our own. “Protect your Energy” is one that really spoke to me!

AND FOR A BIT OF DOWNTIME…

I have read a few books over the last couple of weeks, but nothing exciting or truly worth recommending. Brain candy mostly! But what I can and absolutely DO recommend is Ted Lasso, the series on Apple TV+. I rarely watch TV (mostly because my eyes just can’t handle more screen time after being on Zoom calls all day!) but this series was magnificent. I actually heard of it when I read an article about Ted Lasso’s leadership style on LinkedIn. I was intrigued. I mean really, how often do you hear the leadership practices of a fictitious TV character lauded on LinkedIn?? And I have to say, it does not disappoint! It was lighthearted and just the perfect balm to the burnout phase of Covid Lockdown 3.0. It was funny and introspective and positively brilliant. I didn’t expect to love a show about a soccer coach, but it’s the best show I’ve watched in ages!! Frankly, I’m halfway through watching it a second time. It was that good!

Speaking of leadership, and of coaching (in both senses of the word!): I’ve got a couple of spots coming free in my coaching calendar starting next month. If one of them has your name on it, now’s the time to get in touch!!

Hope you have the chance to find a way to restore some of your energy reserves over Easter, and I hope there are lots of interesting books, podcasts and articles in your future as well!

I’d love to know which resources you found inspiring or interesting. Let me know what you’d like to see more of!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

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