5 Tips to Combat Burnout

Self-care is a better long-term solution for constant stress than the quiet quitting/acting your wage trend.

Keely Hagan | 615-966-6491 | 10/06/2022

The lingering effects of the pandemic are not going away. It brought excessive anxiety and stress that has led to burnout and flipped the work culture upside down with the Great Recession and the current “quiet quitting” or “acting your wage” trend. This is the year everything was expected to return to normal but with uncertainty persisting on various fronts, Lipscomb experts in the fields of psychology and professional development say it takes intentional effort to combat burnout and feel normal again.

Dr. A.J. Heritage

“We have all been under constant stress over the past two years and our bodies are not designed to handle that,” said A.J. Heritage, Ph.D., assistant professor and program director, graduate psychology at Lipscomb University. “We are expected to be back to normal but we are still feeling burned out and not getting the same understanding or accommodations that were offered at the height of the pandemic. If it’s not addressed, the increased rates of anxiety and depression we’ve seen over the last couple of years will continue.”

The first en mass response to burnout was the Great Recession – from April 2021 through 2022, 71.6 million people resigned, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was, and is, a huge disruptor to how business is done.

While millions actively quit, others are quietly quitting. (Recently the term has been rebranded to “acting your wage.”) They stayed in their jobs but have shifted their mindsets from doing more than is required in hopes of getting the next big promotion to putting in the bare minimum.

Suzanne Sager

The phenomenon is happening on a number of fronts with varied impact. “An employee who quietly quits may be able to coast along for a while and still collect a paycheck,” said Suzanne Sager, associate dean of professional development engagement. Sager leads the university’s career fairs and networking events, provides individual coaching, works with students and alumni to create strong and effective resumes and engages with employers to build strong partnerships.

“It’s different for students. They are paying for their education, which is an expensive endeavor if they don’t put forth their best effort. It’s going to reflect in their grades and their opportunities.”

Undergraduate students risk losing acceptance into prestigious graduate schools and internships, and graduate students who need an advanced degree for career advancement are putting their professional goals at risk.

Sager says the inertia that began during the pandemic is a problem that must be halted with intentional steps. To stand apart, Lipscomb students are asked to put in the effort to be curious, think deeply and do their homework to engage in meaningful ways.

For example, engagement is not optional in one of Sager’s classes where students are required to ask at least two insightful questions of panelists and guest speakers, and to write a minimum of two thank you notes. These small steps are a hurdle for some students but significantly help them regain confidence in speaking up and in the responses they receive.

“I try to lead by example. When a student tells me they saw my office light on after hours, I take the opportunity to talk about going the extra mile. I have found students are starved for interactions and community so seeing faculty working extra hard may be all the encouragement they need to take the next step to attend the career fair, enter a pitch competition or get involved in campus activities. They only need the smallest push and are so appreciative of it.”

Sager and Heritage agree that learning how to manage life-career balance is an important skill to learn as students because it’s critical for fighting burnout, especially after graduation when there are more demands and responsibilities.

“It’s natural for all of us to want to pull away when we’re feeling discouraged, overwhelmed and exhausted,” said Heritage. “However, isolation is actually the opposite of what is needed in these situations. We need to stay in community and connected to others.

“It’s OK to disengage from an activity or commitment if it’s done thoughtfully. Sometimes we need to step back from the things that keep us busy so we can ask ourselves, ‘Is this good for my well being?’ and ‘Am I enjoying this or am I only doing it because it’s what I thought I was supposed to be doing?’ Introspection, rest and alone time can be good things as long as you don’t get stuck to the point you don’t take action.”

Heritage offers these five tips for employees and students to combat burnout:

Sleep and other physical self-care: Prioritizing and setting boundaries around things like sleep, physical activity, alone time and other self-care activities is critical. We are all so busy that these things don’t just happen. Protect your time by learning to say no, and don’t feel guilty for it. Self-care isn’t selfish. It allows you to better serve and care for others.
Take time to stop doing and just be: Mindfulness exercises can be great for this. Guided or unguided. Sitting or more active. Even just sitting quietly with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning is good. Prayer and other spiritual practices fit here too. We hear God best in the silence.

Heritage recommends these mindfulness/meditation resources:

Take the actions of love: Focus on relationships before agendas. What can you do for someone else today, big or small? Our new Provost, Jennifer Shewmaker, modeled this for us when she sacrificed her first all-faculty meeting to instead have a service for Dr. Kevin Clauson, a faculty member who had passed away that morning. It made me grateful to be at Lipscomb.
Practice gratitude: Start and/or end your day by identifying three things you are grateful for. Again, big or small. Maybe somedays it is just that you are still breathing. Maybe other days you are grateful for your favorite food. Whatever it is, take time to notice it.
Do one thing you enjoy every day: Do you have a hobby? An activity you enjoy? Somewhere you like to go? Even if you can only do 10 minutes of that thing, be intentional and make it happen. Giving yourself permission to do these things is a form of self-compassion that contributes to self-esteem and overall improved wellbeing.