Why is Burn Out Happening?
I would like to discuss this in three parts: the systemic problem, personal part, and second hand trauma. I am also aware that there are other factors that contribute to this dynamic.
Systemic
We live in a world full of traumatized people who continue to retraumatize each other. This means there is no end to the people who need help or assistance. And at the same time government and society at large do not consciously recognize the depth or severity of this need. Therefore, many of us in this line of work are in a catch 22 situation. There is more demand than we have enough staff, resources, or personal energy to meet. And when you are faced with such a great need, it is very difficult to simply say, “I can’t help you. I am off the clock now.” What many of us do is work very long hours. In addition to this, many of us have families who also require our attention. This is the systemic part of the problem that hopefully will be addressed one day by an awakening of consciousness in our government and society in the realization that we need more resources and help! We are not there yet! Therefore, we will need to be creative in finding ways to prevent the likely scenario of burn out in our lives.
Please note: a person can only push through fatigue and exhaustion for so long before they become burned out and have very little left to give.
Personal Part
Suffering can be a beautiful gift because it often leads one to compassion, sensitivity, and greater consciousness of self and others. Most of us have entered this field because of compassion for other people’s suffering and our desire to contribute to easing the vast amount of suffering on the planet. If we are able to explore deeper in ourselves, we find that we have often suffered in our early lives. The high side to this is it has given many of us a beautiful compassionate heart. The down side is for many of us we haven’t really given ourselves the gift of compassion and our own healing attention that we so gladly give to others. For many of us it is easier to give fully to other people than to address some of our own pain and internal suffering. Many times we may not be aware that we are suffering because we are so exhausted from all of the help we are giving other people. One of the reasons we burn out is the lack of awareness that we need to take better care of ourselves. It is only possible to push away our own need for healing, compassion and gentleness for so long…
Note: Many of us also have families that need our attention, which can make it even more difficult to find the time to give to ourselves. And yet it is very important for us to find the time to take care of ourselves both to maintain our own well-being and to sustain our ability to give at work and at home.
Second Hand Trauma
This can also be called compassion fatigue. This is a very common place for people who have been working in the helping professional for several years or longer. Being with other people’s suffering and traumas is intense and without realizing it we often take on a little of their trauma. Over time that little bit becomes a lot. When we work with other people’s suffering, it brings up places in ourselves that are unhealed. I think the mixture of the second hand trauma and not having time to heal our own stuff that is coming up creates no space left in us to give. “Our vessel is full”. I believe this is the primary reason that people burnout.
Note: If we wait until our vessel is full, we will have very little to give until we are able to empty it. If we want to maintain a healthy life, we need to take the time to empty our vessel regularly.
How to stay personally healthy and rejuvenated
It is usually not what we are aware of but what we are unaware that does the most damage. I think one of the keys is to become aware of the potential hazards of our work and to accept the importance of self-care in our work.
Note: If I don’t give to myself, I will not be able to give fully to others. Once you have the awareness and desire to change, there are amazing amounts of things you can do in a relatively short period of time.
For more information on how to prevent burn out and compassion fatigue please see: