Burnout: Holding Systems Responsible
One of the common lies capitalism has ingrained within us is that burnout is an individual failure.
Firstly, we must understand what burnout is.
In simple terms, burnout is a manifestation of prolonged and chronic stress.
Feeling apathetic or negative to your work, feeling exhausted, expressing frustration and irritability with co-workers and clients, difficulty concentrating, etc., are common signs of burnout.
We often hear statements such as, “You have burnt out because you did not take care of yourself.” Or, “You are burnt out because you cannot manage your stress well.” Or, “Do _____ to get rid of your burnout.”
If only we could control not just how we manage stress but also what is demanded of us in the systems that we are a part of.
In this context, a system includes the academic or the professional sphere we are a part of. This includes the expectations, norms, policies, or cultural factors that shape an individual’s behavior. This contributes to the maintenance of outcomes within the system.
A lot of times, I hear clients say that they don’t have the time to take care of themselves. And most of the time, this is true. It is hard to pause amidst a tremendously stressful day.
We have to work to survive. We fulfil the increasing demands to hold our jobs because capitalism makes us all cogs in the machine: easily replaceable. That reduces our time for authentic connections, hobbies, sleep, and a work-life balance. As a result, the only things that help manage our stress seem out of reach. The cycle continues for as long as one works.
We rarely hold the systems accountable that trap us in this Sisyphean nightmare.
The burnout epidemic stems from a systemic failure rather than an individual failure. The psychological safety of students or professionals is rarely ensured.
The system is absolved of all responsibility by framing it as an individual failure. We often feel shame for putting our health last and the pressure from everyone around us reminding us that we aren’t doing enough. But rarely do we question the systems that make it impossible for us to put our well-being first.
So, amidst the heightened stress levels and self-blame that come so naturally to us, burnout feels like the most natural reaction to me.
Lots of strategies for managing burnout focus on the quality of resilience: the ability to bounce back. We often fail to understand that this is only a temporary solution.
Resilience — as understood in colloquial terms now — feels like a nicely adorned way of saying, “Just be strong, ya.”
Nothing wrong with cultivating resilience or strength, but as Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy point out,
it is much easier to be resilient in an environment that allows us to be resilient.
There is a huge difference between a system (be this school, college, workplace, etc.,) demanding you to take care of your mental health so that their productivity isn’t affected and a system making an effort to protect your mental health.
The next time you feel the need to scrutinize yourself for burnout, please know that this is a reflection of what is wrong in the system we are a part of.
This does not mean that we are helpless in our endeavour to deal with burnout. Rather, the focus on psychological safety should be shifted to an organisational or academic level.
