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SELF-CARE                                                                              Recognizing the
                                                                                          symptoms of
BANISH
                                                                                       burnout can help
BURNOUT                                                                                 you take care of

                                                                                             yourself.

                                                                                       —Tameka Byrd, DO, MPH,
                                                                                        Primary Care Associates,
                                                                                        Navicent Health Physician
                                                                                      Group and Director of Valley

                                                                                                    Medical

Burnout—particularly around the holidays—is a real

concern, but there are ways to avoid it.

                                                                                                  Burnout is not one
                                                                                                    person’s inability to
EVERYBODY FEELS STRESSED sometimes, but if that                       HOW TO BEAT BURNOUT         cope. It’s very common,
stress is not managed well, it can affect your health. If you

let yourself stay very stressed for long periods of time, it can      If your job is becoming     and it needs to be
lead to a condition called burnout.                                   too stressful to handle,        addressed.
                                                                      the American Institute
   “Burnout means feeling physically, mentally and emotionally

exhausted,” says Tameka Byrd, DO, MPH, Primary Care                   of Stress recommends           — Harry Strothers, MD, Family
Associates, Navicent Health Physician Group and Director of           discussing it with your     Health Center, Navicent Health and
Valley Medical. “It can lead to feeling empty and unable to cope      supervisor. Addressing      Chief of the Department of Family
with life’s demands.”                                                 stressful situations early
                                                                                                                   Medicine

The World Health Organization recently recognized burnout as can help them feel more

a medical condition. Officially, it is for chronic stress related to  manageable. Dr. Strothers

work, but Dr. Byrd says anybody can get burnout.                      says each person will

“It doesn’t always have to be work-related,” she says. “Burnout cope with stress differently, but it is important to find a way that

can come from managing chronic diseases, raising children or          works for you.

caring for aging parents.”                                            “I also recommend people live healthy lives to help manage

WORKING TOO HARD?                                                     stress,” Dr. Strothers says. “Regular exercise, a healthy diet and
                                                                      enough sleep each night can be very helpful.”

Work-related burnout occurs across professions, even if people        Dr. Byrd also suggests that patients remember to take time for

enjoy what they do. Jobs with long hours, high demands or             themselves to recharge.

difficult work environments can all contribute to burnout.            “I use the cup analogy for my patients,” she says. “I tell them

“A lot of people’s jobs don’t end at 5 o’clock,” says Harry           you cannot pour from an empty cup. If you start to feel empty,

Strothers, MD, Family Health Center, Navicent Health and Chief take time to rest until your cup feels full again.”

of the Department of Family Medicine. “Especially through             TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A PROVIDER,
phones and computers, people can stay constantly connected to         VISIT WWW.NAVICENTHEALTH.ORG.
their work. People are also taking less vacation time. They don’t

give themselves time to relax.”

DO YOU KNOW
THE SIGNS OF BURNOUT?

Like stress, everyone experiences burnout differently. Some
common signs of burnout include:
»» Difficulty concentrating or staying focused
»» Exhaustion or feeling like you cannot do any more work
»» Lack of patience with co-workers or clients
»» Lower levels of productivity
»» Unexplained physical symptoms, such as headache, nausea

   or fatigue

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