Watching for Smoke Signals: Know Your Burnout Triggers in Healthcare
For faster, targeted recovery,
Know your burnout triggers
We’ve all had that experience of having our “buttons” pushed.
Someone says or does something that tips us over the edge. Maybe on a different day, you would’ve let it fly right over your head and resumed working on whichever of the 50 tasks you needed to have done that day.
Not this day. On this day, the extra patient added to the schedule, the thinly-veiled complaint, or the request for yet one more peer-to-peer to get your patient’s medication covered is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
When these days start to spill over into one another, pay attention.
Feeling on edge, impatient, irritable, and cynical are all symptoms of burnout. When these feelings become the norm, doing a little root-cause analysis is helpful.
Knowing your burnout triggers gives you a jumping-off point for prevention or coming up with targeted recovery mechanisms to break the burnout cycle.
Understand Your Burnout Triggers
Burnout triggers can range from the seemingly insignificant to the ostensibly insurmountable. They’re the situations, habits, and dynamics at home and work that collectively contribute to your feelings of stress and exhaustion.
It goes like this: your button is pushed, throwing your sympathetic nervous system into overdrive. Your heart rate goes up. You start breathing faster. Your instinctive need to protect yourself kicks into high gear while the calm, rational part of your brain goes offline.
In an ideal setting, this lasts for just a few seconds or minutes and you return to baseline.
Unfortunately, when the triggers are frequent and pervasive, you never really come down from that intense feeling of hyperarousal. Instead, the effects keep stacking on each other.
That’s why it’s essential to know what’s setting off the alarms in the first place.
The Benefits of Identifying Your Burnout Triggers
A good mystery can be entertaining, but not when it comes to your burnout triggers. In this case, we want to get crystal clear on what’s contributing to your misery. It’s not always obvious, but there are 3 reasons it’s worth the effort to do a little investigating.
Targeted recovery strategies work faster. When you know what’s ruffling your feathers, you can get specific on which tactics will help you start feeling better ASAP. Just as a single medication doesn’t treat all ailments, not all approaches to burnout will be the most effective for every trigger.
Head burnout off at the pass. When you know your triggers, you can keep an eye out for them and adjust before a problem arises. Why spend more of your precious energy dealing with the aftermath of burnout when you can be proactive and prevent it?
Get back a sense of control over your own well-being. I know you. You’re independent and used to taking care of yourself. You don’t love having to ask for help. While reinforcements are an essential asset at times, it’s also satisfying when you know your triggers and what to do about them. No more waiting on someone else to help fix the problem.
Common Burnout Triggers and How They Show Up
You’re a one-of-a-kind individual and your burnout triggers will never be exactly the same as someone else’s. Having said that, here’s a list of some common instigators of healthcare burnout:
Personal habits may or may not be the most significant contributor to your burnout, but they’re often what you have the most control over. So, let’s start here.
Poor Work-Life Balance: This category covers a multitude of catalysts for burnout. These include work-related habits like constantly working or not disconnecting from work in your free time. It also includes inattention to personal needs, like forgetting about hobbies, neglecting relationships, and depriving yourself of sleep.
Unrealistic Expectations: This one is a biggie. Establishing excessively high standards for yourself or others is a set-up for constant disappointment and frustration. It includes berating yourself with continual criticism, thinking you (and you alone) are the only person who can get the job done, and then accusing yourself of never being good enough.
Negative Thought Loops: Being stuck inside a head constantly feeding you a ticker tape of ill-mannered accusations is enough to wear anyone down. Whether it’s that whisper that you’re a failure, a litany of reasons you shouldn’t try something new, or perseverating on past mistakes, a pattern of negative thinking can pull you down.
Work-related frustrations are equally impactful. They sometimes take a little more creativity to account for, but it’s essential to acknowledge and address their role in your burnout.
Work overload is an obvious and important contributor to burnout. Feeling constantly overwhelmed by productivity expectations and deadlines can leave you feeling unfocused and searching for more hours in your day. Interestingly, when there’s too much to do, it can also contribute to procrastination.
Lack of control and autonomy is demotivating. If you feel your opinion doesn’t count and you have no say in how, when, or where you work, it can be easy to slip into a “what’s the point?” attitude. You may also notice increased feelings of resentment and indecision. Worse yet, you may begin feeling like your work doesn’t matter.
Toxic workplace atomosphere can leave you feeling isolated, disengaged, or under attack. Whether it’s dysfunctional work relationships with colleagues or an overarchingly negative company culture, your environment plays a big part in your job satisfaction. If you’re dealing with constant gossip, feeling undervalued, or getting the message your opinion isn’t relevant, it’s a set-up for burnout.
Lack of recognition can’t be ignored. While you may not need a medal or grand awards ceremony, we all want to feel appreciated. Feeling undervalued contributes to decreased motivation, increased cynicism, and, often, withdrawal.
Poorly designed workspaces may not immediately come to mind when you think of burnout symptoms, but they can certainly impact an introvert’s daily experience. Harsh or insufficient lighting, excessive noise, and temperatures outside your comfort range can all subtly and chronically affect your mood.
Identifying Your Unique Triggers
Recognizing and acknowledging your personal triggers is the first step toward taking action. One of the most important gifts you can give yourself is exploring your triggers without judgment. Get curious.
Consider keeping a journal (it does NOT have to be fancy) for a week or two so you can track your moods and activities. Pay attention to your emotional and physical responses to specific situations and people you encounter during your day. This can help you identify patterns and pinpoint your triggers.
Your journal can be free-form, or you can use any of the following self- reflection prompts to help you get started. Feel free to come up with your own questions, too.
Emotional Responses:
What situations, interactions, or tasks cause you stress or frustration?
When do you feel most drained or overwhelmed at work?
What negative feelings do you experience (for example, anxious, discouraged, or helpless) after specific situations or interactions?
Physical Responses:
What physical ailments do you notice (for example, tension headaches, muscle aches, or changes in appetite) when faced with certain situations or interactions?
What keeps you up at night?
What other physical sensations do you notice in specific settings or with certain people (for example, chest tightening, heart pounding)?
Behavioral Changes:
When do you withdraw from social interactions?
When do you find yourself procrastinating?
What situations inspire you to engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms (for example, overeating or overdrinking)?
Your journal can be as simple as a few words jotted down each day or as complex as a detailed account of your workday. It’s your tool, so you get to use it as you see fit.
The goal is to find that unique collection of circumstances contribuing to your dissatisfaction and frustration.
Putting Your Observations Into Action
Awareness is a powerful tool. Let this exploration be the beginning of a comprehensive plan for freeing yourself from burnout’s grip.
Once you’ve identified your triggers, you’re now armed with valuable insights that will allow you to target your approach for achieving greater career wellness.
For example, you may discover that you need to establish stronger professional boundaries, improve your workflow, or find ways to create a sense of autonomy.
Give yourself the same detailed attention and personalized treatment you’d give your patients. You’re worth it.
Charity is a physician and burnout coach helping introverts in healthcare escape feelings of apathy, irritability, and resentment brought on by the increasing demands and decreasing rewards of medicine.
She uses her 20 years of experience in clinical medicine combined with coaching to help introverts discover ways to be diligent, thoughtful clinicians while prioritizing their needs and protecting their energy. She wants you to know you don’t have to feel guilty for wanting a thriving life inside and outside of medicine.