Burnout – or the state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress – can happen to anyone. Quantify Your Future spoke to Lynette Van Der Merwe, Programme Director of the undergraduate medical programme, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State to understand what burnout looks like, and how to build up the personal resilience needed to avoid, or overcome, it.
QYF: What is resilience?
Lynette: Resilience is the ability to bounce back stronger from setbacks. Rather than being a fixed characteristic or personality trait, it is all the skills and strategies individuals use to navigate the ups and downs of life in a way that adds minimal cost to their psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual health. It’s the “extra leg to stand on” that helps us cope and thrive in spite of adversity.
It’s not a “bomb-proof attitude” or a superhero ability. It is a set of skills we develop that means that when life throws difficulties at us, we can deal with them. We can adapt and function despite these challenges. It’s also not a fixed trait that is set in stone – one’s resilience can be better in some areas than others, and it can change and develop over time.
QYF: What are some of the symptoms of stress and/ or burnout that students should be mindful of?
Lynette: Anything that pushes us out of our comfort zone will result in some sort of stress response – our bodies will have a physiological response to this kind of situation, and this is normal. The issue is when we’ve been exposed to stress over a long period of time. When the increased levels of stress hormones and other responses have persisted long enough to cause physiological changes, it can lead to symptoms of anxiety or depression. Students are at risk of burnout, which is a term more often associated with people in the workplace, if they are feeling additional stress because they have had to adapt to new ways of learning due to the ongoing pandemic.
Burnout is indicated by emotional exhaustion – fatigue, loss of energy, weariness, and a feeling of not being able to deal with anything anymore. Symptoms also include depersonalisation – extreme irritability, a negative attitude towards others and low sense of personal accomplishment or low productivity. It’s a nagging sense of just not enjoying what you’re doing.
We are all vulnerable to stress and we all need help coping with stress from time to time, and the more we foster our resilience the more likely we are to avoid burnout and thrive in spite of what we’re going through. Stress is an inevitable part of life. The pandemic has exposed all of us to an unprecedented degree of stress, and this puts us at greater risk of developing mental health issues. But by recognising these early symptoms and developing healthy coping mechanisms we can build our resilience and deal with our stress more productively.
QYF: How can a student manage their stress so that it doesn’t escalate into burnout?
Lynette: It’s important not to deny that we’re stressed, or going through a rough time. Rather, we should learn to recognise where we are in terms of stress and use realistic, effective coping mechanisms to manage our emotional state and grow our resilience.
Things like relying on emotional support, planning and even humour help us to develop our resilience. Maladaptive strategies, like substance abuse, self-destruction, procrastination, self-blame and giving up, lower our resilience.
Another important key is developing your ability to be intrinsically motivated – knowing that you can use coping skills to make yourself less vulnerable. Externalising motivation – by making someone else responsible for your life or expecting success without taking responsibility – makes us vulnerable because we have no sense of control.
QYF: If a student is suffering from burnout, or think they might be heading that way, what can they do to recover and rebuild their overall wellbeing?
Lynette: Pre-emptive strategies are best, and all human beings need to work on this. Developing self-awareness and setting time aside to check in on yourself – your own feelings – will help you to adjust quickly and put in place strategies that will help you. Consciously incorporate healthy coping strategies. One very effective coping strategy is cultivating supportive relationships with friends and family. You don’t need a massive social circle, either – the magic number is five in a give-and-take dynamic.
Another is to strengthen your sense of autonomy, or your ability to take control of your life by using your abilities and daily choices to support your goals. Having an idea of your purpose is important, as is your own sense of competence – acknowledging your own abilities and choosing your response to every situation you find yourself in. For example, avoiding procrastination through planning and time management, making time to improve skills such as writing or computer skills, and scheduling time for exercise all support your sense of competence.
When there’s an additional stressor – like a failed assignment or a break-up – recognise that you’re not in a good place and possibly resorting to less healthy coping mechanisms. It is important that you seek help. As young people we often think that ignoring a problem will make it go away. There are many reasons why we don’t seek help, from perceived stigma to a feeling like we don’t have time. However, the problem won’t go away if you ignore it.
Fortunately, there are many options available for support. There are a large variety of completely anonymous helplines and online services available, and most universities offer student support services. There are also many mindfulness and resilience-building apps you can download on your phone. I personally love Calm for sleep and meditation. Many of my students enjoy using Headspace for guided meditation and for daily motivation, I recommend Project Happiness as well.
Then, if you feel like you need a little more than apps, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group is Africa’s largest mental health support and advocacy group, and has many excellent, free resources available.
It’s important that you get help when you feel like you’re starting to go under. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Need more tips for developing your resilience? Read our Top 5 Tips here.
