Health
9 UK Resources To Help With Burnout
As NHS staff burnout reaches emergency levels, here’s where to turn to for help.
You’ve probably heard people talking about burnout over the last year. Now, an inquiry conducted by MPs in the health and social care committee has found that NHS staff in England are so burnt out it’s become an “emergency”. And this isn’t the first study to highlight the immense mental toll that COVID-19 has taken. If you’ve felt exhausted, negative about your work, or struggled to recognise and celebrate your achievements, these UK resources for burnout might come in useful.
NHS doctors, nurses, hospital workers, and social care staff have made up the frontline during COVID-19. The House of Commons report published on June 8 said that these problems pre-existed the pandemic, but now workers in the NHS are so overstretched and exhausted it risks the future of the health service.
In addition to the recent report’s findings, research conducted by the Social Workers’ Benevolent Trust found that three-quarters of social workers in the UK are “emotionally and mentally exhausted” after working through the pandemic.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines burnout as typically being linked to work, however it is something can extend into all aspects of your life – especially as the lines between work and home have become blurred over the last year.
So, if you think you’re struggling with burnout, these resources are a good place to start.
Mind Tools
Mind Tools is a great website for all things career progression. You can complete a really easy burnout self-test, here. By answering a few questions, the test will help you identify if you’re experiencing or at risk of hitting burnout.
The site also has articles on recovering from burnout, and how to gain balance and find the joy in your work again.
Mind
Mind is a leading UK mental health charity. It provides information on a broad range of mental health conditions, and directs you to the best places to get help.
The Mind website has a whole section dedicated to what burnout is, how it can manifest, how you can recover from it, and testimonials from people who have been through burnout.
The Priory Group
The Priory Group is a mental health and wellbeing provider in the UK. Recognising how much of an impact burnout can have on your life, the group has created a resource that explains what burnout is, provides you with the language to talk about it, and the information of who to turn to. Importantly, they also clarify the difference between burnout and stress.
Physician Burnout
Physician Burnout typically focuses on people who work in the medical field, but the resources on burnout are useful to anyone suffering from it nonetheless.
Whether you’re a newly qualified doctor, or have worked as a physician for many years, the site also has a list of places that can offer support.
Mental Health UK
Mental Health UK is a leading charity that provides information, resources, and support for people who are struggling with their mental health, and their loved ones.
The website outlines some of the most common ways that burnout manifests, why it’s totally valid to be worried about burnout, and the role your workplace should play in tackling a culture that promotes burnout. A useful one if you manage a team, too.
Help Guide
Help Guide splits the signs of burnout into behavioural, physical, and emotional. The guide notes that burnout can be the result of “unrelenting stress”, but makes the distinction that isn’t the same as too much stress.
Help Guide makes clear that one of the most difficult things about burnout is recognising it as something more than stress, and taking the steps to tackle it.
Harvard Business Review
Talking about burnout can be tough, especially if you feel like your manager is overstretched, too. But, as Harvard Business Review notes, it’s important to understand that your feelings are totally valid.
The site offers some really helpful insights into burnout and tips on how to approach the topic within your workplace. From when and where to broach the subject, to potential solutions.
Lattice
Lattice is another outlet that’s developed a great resource on the language that you can use to talk about burnout, and ways to approach it with your boss.
The site also has information on what to do if you don’t feel like you’re being listened to at work, or you feel like the situation is only getting worse after you’ve raised the issue.
Very Well Mind
Sometimes understanding the root causes of burnout can make it easier to talk about and tackle, especially when addressing it with others.
Very Well Mind has produced a piece on the risks associated with burnout, including some really common reasons why you may be feeling burnt out.
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