Page 6 - H43029_Navicent_Health_final
P. 6
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
6 navicenthealth.org | WINTER 2019