Stress: a double edged sword
While COVID-19 vaccine rollout is picking up momentum in some parts of the world - if you’re here in Canada, it’s still moving at a snail’s pace and sequential lockdowns have us feeling frustrated and hopeless - we’re still having conversations about how mental health and illness can be measured during this unprecedented time in history.
As employers and employees have balanced remote work conditions for over a year now, the flip to a hybrid model is approaching and with it comes yet another layer of uncertainty while attempting to strike a balance in their relationship with work and personal life. With a finger on the pulse, we’ve learned that some of the most requested benefits include mental health support and a connection to a sense of community.
Burnout has always been a concern for hardworking individuals, but with additional responsibilities thrust on their shoulders during the pandemic, these rates are even higher today. Specifically, during August 2020-February 2021, anxiety and depression symptoms increased significantly, according to the CDC, and 41% of adults reported these symptoms were due to coronavirus-related stress. And the overlap of burnout and depression are becoming more closely entwined. The Journal of Clinical Psychology has stated that the overlap between burnout and depression is a staggering 86 percent. This means that a large number of depression cases in modern society are primed by burnout and the seemingly innocent positive stress.
Burnout is categorized as a crisis in one’s relationship with work. It combines emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (cynical attitudes toward others), and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. The correlation between burnout and depression is apparent when “burnout not only involves the presence of negative emotions, but also the absence of positive ones. According to a recent psychology study by CUNY, a fundamental factor that links burnout and depression is the stress of not having control over one’s environment. According to the learned helplessness theory, when an individual perceives that exerting control of his or her environment, particularly in aversive situations (and accessing important resources and pursuing major goals), is impossible, then the individual may no longer attempt to cope with such situations and become at risk for depression.
Early phases of burnout might actually improve productivity as the individual responds to small bursts of positive stress. Positive stress, according to Dr. Lass, founder of Wellness Orbit, is a double-edged sword. It releases energy for you to float high on the tides of life, but can just as quickly turn against you. The later stages of burnout, where chronic stress sets in, manifests itself as fatigue that is not cured by taking a vacation or having quality downtime, sleep difficulties or insomnia, back pains, headaches and aching joints that don’t seem to go away. Agitation, anger, anxiety, dissatisfaction, hopelessness or even apathy with things that used to bring joy, are all symptoms, as well as the low mood that has lasted for longer than two weeks.
Here’s How Leadership Can Help
Leaders may decide to take ownership of preventing and recognizing employee burnout, and reinforcing positive behaviour and solutions, by asking the following questions:
How might I support you at this time?
How are you managing working from home?
What resources or guidance might I offer to support you while working from home (or at the worksite)?
Are there any challenges that you are experiencing that perhaps I or someone else in our organization might help you with?
What is not working for you currently? And how can I help?
Is there anything your teammates might support you with (i.e., emotionally/physically or with your job assignments?)
On a lighter note, we’re interested in how we’re measuring the collective healing of our communities. Holistic and public health professionals are some of the most requested services, including social work, counseling, yoga and meditation, to name a few impactful practices.
One of our recommendations for bolstering mental, physical and emotional resiliency is routine, normalcy, and ordinary daily habits.
Here’s some free resources you can stash in your COVID-19 Survival Tool Belt:
Playlist of guided yoga and meditation classes
Worksheets for dealing with various behaviours, emotions and relationships
Please share any resources or questions to lilli@welladaptedgroup.com.
