Be It Till You See It podcast

637. Why We Burn Out From the Thing We Love Doing

0:00
14:51
15 Sekunden vorwärts
15 Sekunden vorwärts

In this special series kickoff, Lesley Logan opens an honest conversation about burnout and how it can quietly build around the things you love doing—often without you realizing it. She explores the irony of burning out from the things we are passionate about, the three key signs defined by the WHO, and why high achievers are most at risk of losing their “muchness.”

 

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In this episode you will learn about:

  • The three parts of burnout as defined by the World Health Organization.
  • Why chronic stress can quietly build even when you love your work.
  • What makes burnout show up differently for women than men.
  • How emotional labor and always-on expectations contribute to burnout.
  • What burnout can actually look like before it is clearly recognized.


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Episode Transcript:

Lesley Logan 0:00  

It's so easy for us to love what we're doing, but create chronic stress around it, and so then we burn out from the thing we love doing. 


Lesley Logan 0:08  

Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.


Lesley Logan 0:50  

Hello, Be It babe. How are you? Oh my gosh. Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It Podcast. You know, normally we do interviews on Tuesdays and recaps on Thursdays and FYFs on Fridays, and everyone's well, I just want to do like a topic, because we've had some amazing guests on it, and I want to revisit that with you, right? I think it'd be a lot of fun. So in doing that, I want us to discuss burnout. We've have a self-love series, we have a habit series. And you know, something that I get a lot from the women that listen this podcast and we work with is just like, the difficulty in preventing burnout, and also, just like, are they ever not burned out and all that good stuff? Because in being it until you see it, it's really easy for y'all to be just overachievers at it, and just like, go harder than one needs to, right? And so I want to just give us. I want us to be on. I want us to have the tools to be it until we see it. And that means understanding burnout and how to prevent it. So this episode will be, what is burnout, so we can be really clear about what it is. I think it's important to be able to name something versus like, what's depression, what's overwhelm, things like that. And then also the second episode, beyond like preventions, like things you can actually do, because you guys are action takers, and I love that so much. 


Lesley Logan 2:05  

So what is burnout? Why do we have burnout? What does it look like? That's what this episode is. If you're like Lesley, I've got it. Well, you can wait till Thursday. But just in case, you know, I think it's important to go over this. And I saw this quote, yeah, as I was preparing for this episode, and it said from the Mad Hatter, and it said, you've lost your muchness. You used to be much, muchier. And I think that, like that can be a sign of burnout, if you, like, lost your muchness, right? But get this the World Health Organization (WHO), actually has defined what burnout is. And so I think that's great. I think, like, let's go with the science. The burnout is a syndrome tied to unsuccessfully managed workplace stress. Like, obviously it can be personal stuff too, so well. But like, WHO is doing this from this part. So it's made up of three parts, exhaustion, feeling distant or cynical towards your job and reduced performance at work. Dr. Ashley, who has since become an expert on this topic, and is a self-proclaimed burnout doctor, she said, I think you can get burnout from any chronic stress situation. So I think that that is helpful, because, like, the simpler sentence, what WHO was trying to say, is any chronic stress situation that can provide burnout. And this is interesting you guys, because it's so easy for us to love what we're doing, but create chronic, chronic stress around it, and so then we burn out from the thing we love doing. And we'll talk about why that happens. So burnout is serious. In severe cases, it can cause premature aging of the brain. This is, this is insanity to me, because, like, oh my God, we cannot let our brains age sooner than they need to, and if you're under 45 your chance of dying from all causes goes up. I mean, let that just sink in, and it's indicated by a study they did a scientific journal, PLO S1, Dr. Ashley estimates it can take one to three years to recover from burnout. You know, as a kid, I remember like, my mom had a job that, like, was really stressful for her, and she slept the whole summer. And I remember my dad having to, like, leave work on stress leave like these it can take one to three years recover, and I do believe it did for both of them. So it's really, really important that we don't just go, oh, this is the busy season I'm in, you know, and dismiss it like we should be stronger and we shouldn't be feeling this way. 


Lesley Logan 4:25  

Why is burnout happening more often? So, increase caregiver and emotional labor. So obviously, this episode, this podcast, is really designed for women. We have few good men who listen. Thank you so much. And it is so we've mostly women listeners. So I'm just going to talk about the women's aspect of burnout. So women often carry the mental load for their households. And this is so true. I see it in a lot of my friends who are moms, you know, like they remember everything. They're coordinating the childcare, they're managing family needs and often caring for aging parents. They also frequently are expected to manage the emotions of those around them at both at work and at home. Home, which is why, like it's possible to have a stressful job, but then if your home life is also demanding of you, then it like you don't have a refuge, right? And so that can be really, really difficult. Cultural expectations, the style norms, can pressure women to be nurturers, always available and have to have it all, creating unrealistic standards and feelings of inadequacy when these expectations aren't met. And this is also something that I've seen because, to be honest, I have a I have some friends, I've like, friends in air quotes that I've known from groups that we have been in, and I'm watching their posts on Instagram, and they're just like, so beautiful all the time, so put together. Even when they're like, I'm not put together, they're so put together. Like, their background is so beautiful, their house is so well decorated, and they're showing like, oh, I can be this, like, person who, like, makes sourdough, and I also am a badass in the workplace. That's amazing. That's wonderful. I hope they're so happy, but also, like, it can set up an expectation that we should all be feeling the same way as them, in the same place of our life. And like, that's just not the case, right? We don't all have the same 24 hours in a day. So the always on culture, a sense of constant responsibility, combined with social media pressure to maintain a perfect image contributes to a feeling of being always on and unable to truly rest. 


Lesley Logan 6:13  

This is something I have really had to grapple with in the last five years, because a lot of the work that I do is on camera, you know? And I always was like, Oh, my God, maybe I have to, like, I have to, like, get ready. I have to do my makeup. I didn't even finish it today. If you're watching this on the YouTube channel, like, I, like, I started this recording, like, oh, we have no mascara on. Like, I got really good at going, you know what? I have to put out this content. I have to do all this stuff for the work that we do, that I that I that I created because I love this podcast, I love the memberships that I have, but I cannot also expect myself to be, in air quotes, on all the time. And so first of all, since day one, I've always just been myself online. I don't really know how to be anything else. And two, that means I don't match I don't always have my hair done, I don't always have these things. And so by just being myself, it has really helped me overcome the Always On pressures that can be out there. But if you are feeling that like that is a real pressure that is out there. And I understand that, and I it's difficult, but I hope that you can truly allow yourself to be yourself and everywhere you are and and you're allowed to have feelings and things like that. But if your workplace doesn't allow that, if, if the standards you set for yourself don't allow for that, if the people in your life don't allow for that, that can that means that you're always on, and that can be a pressure that's causing burnout in your life. 


Lesley Logan 7:26  

So there are also some workplace factors that I think are really important to go over. Obviously, some of you who are listening don't have the opportunity to control the workplace. Some of you have created your own workplace. And so if any of these factors are in your workplace you created, we definitely want to, you know, unravel that if you have these factors in the workplace that you are in, then I definitely think it's worth going okay, at least I can pinpoint part of where this burnout is coming from. So inequitable workloads, women may face additional work outside of their formal roles, such as supporting colleagues, and have less flexibility in their jobs. We had an FYF of a few weeks back where I actually discussed, like, how men are given workplace reviews and women are given workplace reviews, and it's really annoying, because women's workplace reviews are often on, like, their personality versus like, the actual job that they did. So this is this can create chronic stress in the situation at your work. Couple that with like, what you've got going on at home, and you have a recipe for burnout, right? Gender pay and inequality. The gender wage gap and workplace discrimination creates stress, while limited career advancement opportunities and a lack of recognition for contributions exacerbate burnout. I mean, we all are aware that women are not paid the same amount as men, and then you add in race, and that is, it makes it even more of a pay gap. So if you happen to be a woman of a of color, you all you already are probably experiencing more factors towards your burnout. And so if you're feeling it like it's real, right? And I hate that for you, but I also think it's important that we don't deny that that's what's going on. And then lack of support. In professional environments, a lack of support from senior leaders and gender biases can make burnout more likely in this, yeah, lack of support in general, in life, can create burnout like it's so I have ADHD, so it's not easy for me to ask for help. I have to like practice. And the reality is is like, we all need it. We all need help. No one is supposed to do life alone. 


Lesley Logan 9:18  

And then I just want to add this from Psychology Today, because in my research for this, I found a couple things that made me think of you. So y'all are high achievers. There's nothing wrong being a high achiever, right? Overachieving is exhausting. High achieving, nothing wrong with it, but high achieving women are at a greater risk of burnout and identity erosion due to chronic self-neglect. And you know, on this podcast, we talk a lot about prioritizing yourself first, so that that could be something that is actually causing the burnout. You could love what you do. You could love the family you have, but if you're and you probably do, but if you are lacking that prioritization of self and neglecting you, then you're going to, even with all the things you love, create burnout experience and then burnout why it's so, so important to pay attention to is that burnout can lead to anxiety, depression and a loss of personal meaning, connection. That's a big deal. It's a big deal. Not only are you not able to even have anything to be it till you see, but it can cause you to have missed experiences and relationships that that you probably care so much about, partners, family members, children, things like that. So it's really, really important that we address burnout and that we discuss, like, what it looks like, so that we can prevent it, and we'll talk about that in the next episode. 


Lesley Logan 10:28  

But some common signs, just in case you're like, okay, I don't have it. So signs of burnout in women may include chronic fatigue, decreased motivation, feelings of inefficiency, increased irritability, disrupted sleep patterns, withdraw from social activities. So obviously these things can also look like perimenopause. They can look like depression. But you know, we had, we had somebody on the pod who is like, I'm not depressed, right? Not depressed, but I'm not fulfilled. So it, I think that it's important to be like, wow, if I know I'm not depressed, if I don't feel that way, but I have increased irritability, and I'm withdrawing from social activities. You know, if I'm decreasing motivation, I'm usually a very motivated person, there's something going on. And instead of thinking there's something wrong with you, we can look around what's going on in my world that is causing these things that are not normal for me. So with all that, you know, I definitely have had burnout in my life, you know, like we talk not much in recent past, because I'm because I've gotten so good at spotting what it looks like in my body and in my life and how I'm reacting to things. But I remember back in probably right before our wedding, I was, it was my day off, and I was driving to the mall to go buy something for myself. I were going to a party. I was like, I'm gonna go buy this thing. Like, it should be so exciting. It should be so fun. And I saw an email pop up, you know, those like little notifications on this email pop up, and it just sent me into having a total anxiety. I don't have anxiety, sent me to total anxiety attack. I had to pull over, had to call Brad, you know. And what we discovered is that, like, you just sit down and like, actually look at what's going on. And my workplace experience was just so stressful, even though I loved what I did, I love the people I worked with. I love teaching. I love being a teacher. I loved all of it, but the truth is, is that the people around me were creating a chronic stress experience. And so we got really clear on the numbers that I needed to make in my personal business, and we made a plan, and I worked that plan, and I was able to get out of that job, and I was able to notice, oh, oh, here are the things I am creating chronic stress in my own situation that I created myself. And so you're not going to be perfect at stopping before burnout, but if you can notice what it feels like in your body and how it how it is presenting itself, it makes it easier. 


Lesley Logan 12:54  

So I'm gonna wrap up the episode here, because I know you're really busy, and I don't want this podcast to be part of the chronic stress that you have in your life. So thank you so much for listening to this series, all the series. If you are enjoying the series we're doing, I would love to know the topic you want us to like, do a little more research on, have a little more talk about it. Or if there's guests that you want to like us to have on the pod, you can definitely send those in. Mean the world to me if you leave a review and share this with a friend who needs to hear it, maybe you have a friend who's like, exhibiting all these signs, and it would just be helpful for them to be like, oh, nothing wrong with me. I'm just in a really crappy situation that is causing this kind of feeling and behavior in my body, in my life, and I there's that means we, once we know that, once we're aware, that we can make changes. We can't make changes if we're not aware, right? So thank you so much. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. 


Lesley Logan 13:40  

That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.

 


Brad Crowell 14:23  

It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.


Lesley Logan 14:29  

It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.


Brad Crowell 14:33  

Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.


Lesley Logan 14:40  

Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.


Brad Crowell 14:43  

Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.



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