A sure-fire guide to burnout (and how to avoid it)

Times are tough. The world is on fire, political extremism is on the rise, and artificial intelligence is taking a massive toll on our mental well-being as language professionals. All the more reason to press pause and make sure we’re taking proper care of ourselves. With her talk, Aída Ramos aimed to open up room for reflection and to spark conversations on burnout – and how to avoid it.

Aída began by defining burnout. According to the World Health Organization, it’s a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that’s not successfully managed. Since 2019, it’s been included in the International Classification of Diseases, ICD-11, as an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition. It’s no shocker that rates are increasing worldwide.

The three key dimensions of burnout are feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s work, and decreased self-efficacy. It can be a gateway condition leading to other medical problems such as decreased immunity, sleep issues, chronic fatigue, type-2 diabetes, muscle pain, depression, and heart disease.

What’s not to like?! By this point, we were all convinced of the benefits of burnout (absolutely none!) and clamouring to give it a go. Thankfully, Aída provided us with a foolproof strategy for achieving peak burnout in record time. First, let your work become your absolute priority – time off is vastly overrated. Second, isolate yourself as much as possible – neglect your family and friends, and don’t even think about attending conferences. Third, let go of all boundaries: of course you can fit in that extra rush job for a dodgy client!

Here Aída generously shared her personal experience of burnout. Interestingly, it didn’t hit during a particularly busy period, but in a slow one. When a job finally came in, she just couldn’t motivate herself to get going. Fortunately for Aída, she realised what was happening and was able to turn the tide within days. And that’s the key: early recognition and intervention help prevent burnout.

So how do you know you’re at risk? Aída advised us to look out for warning signs. Do you feel tired and overworked? Are you jumpy or on edge? Do you find it hard to focus? Are you eating or sleeping badly; feeling disengaged and lacking in motivation; finding it hard to enjoy life? If your answer to several questions is “yes”, it may be time to ask for help.

But prevention is better than cure. Turning her sure-fire strategy for expert-level burnout on its head, Aída offered guidelines to help steer clear of it altogether. First, define your priorities. If you schedule exercise sessions in your diary, for example, they become non-negotiable. When your priorities are clear, decisions become easier. Second, build a strong support network. Taking a break on a busy day to have a coffee with a friend can be the best investment in your health in the long term. Third, set some boundaries. Make sure expectations are clear in your communication with clients – for example, by referencing your terms and conditions, using recap emails to summarise phone conversations, and communicating your hours or planned holidays in an email footer.

From the discussion it became clear just how grateful participants were to Aída for starting this conversation on burnout, especially given the current polycrisis. Let’s face it, things aren’t going to get better anytime soon. Aída’s light-hearted and open approach enabled us to tackle a serious subject without feeling overwhelmed. A little humour can go a long way.

This METM25 presentation was chronicled by Susannah Goss.

Featured photo by METM25 photographer Julian Mayers.