Strategies to Prevent Professional Burnout
In today’s fast-paced “hustle culture,” burnout and work-related stress have become pressing issues for professionals across industries. To dive deeper, I spoke with a small handful of local therapists and counselors to explore effective strategies to prevent burnout and promote a healthier work-life balance. Through their insights, we aim to provide practical solutions that can help business owners and employees maintain mental well-being both in and out of the workplace. Join us as we uncover the root causes of burnout and discuss actionable measures to combat it, striving for a more positive and productive workforce.
Patty Hulm
Owner of NuVation Health Services
Patty Hulm, LPCC, owns NuVation Health Services, which boasts a team of 10 providers and has recently expanded with a new location in Fargo. Hulm works with adults and adolescents dealing with depression, anxiety, and other emotional and relationship difficulties. She is trained to offer Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to address a variety of struggles. Additionally, she has a passion for working with women who are becoming mothers. Whether it be struggles with infertility, pregnancy loss, or emotional issues that begin after the baby is born, Hulm has the specialized training to effectively work with women or couples to better cope with these issues. When desired by the client, Hulm is comfortable incorporating the client’s Christian faith into their work together.
"Facing challenges with taking over a business or expanding doesn't mean any of it is a wrong or bad choice. There is a lot to do, and there are things that are out of your control. It's a good thing I do what I do for a living; I help clients deal with these struggles almost daily and do my best to practice what I preach."
What are the biggest “highs” or successes you’ve seen in the last year?
“I took over as the owner of NuVation on January 1 of this year, so that was a pretty big high to start off the new year. I had been an employee of NuVation for 11 years at that point, and taking on this new role has been exciting. Seeing things come together to start the new Fargo location was another high. It was a goal I had, but it happened quicker than I had planned when one of our Bismarck providers was going to be moving to Fargo. I don’t know that you’ll ever find a perfect time for expansion, but sometimes you have to take advantage of the opportunity that presents itself and be as smart about it as you can.”
Greg Molinaro
Therapist and Owner of Center Counseling
Greg Molinaro, owner and therapist at Center Counseling, is a full-time conventional and Christian counselor in Bismarck, working with individuals and couples. He helps individuals from age 21 to adult who are dealing with anxiety, depression, overcoming trauma and PTSD, or struggling with life changes and challenges. He also assists couples in strengthening their relationships or restoring broken or struggling ones.
Greg believes that as individuals grow, they can live courageously in freedom and responsibility instead of guilt and shame. This growth can also strengthen their relationships, creating healthier families and communities. His experience shows that everyone benefits when personal freedom is found and relationships are enriched. With a passion for prevention and empowerment, Greg also invests in his communities as both a mentor and a community builder.
"Some generations still feel they can get by without others' help. Sometimes, I wish we could be set up all day in cafes or coffee shops with a "Free Advice" sign. I wish we could overcome that stigma more quickly. We want people to feel welcomed, safe, and cared for, but they need to take that first step. We invite anyone in need to take that chance and give counseling a try."
What are the biggest “highs” or successes you’ve seen in the last year?
“I’ve experienced many individuals overcome some of life’s greatest challenges and restore strained or broken relationships. There is hope! I see mental health therapy becoming more normalized in our culture, just like going to the doctor or dentist. Most insurance companies are paying generous portions of the counseling session, making it more affordable.
We also find that many organizations are willing to collaborate and work together for the common goal of strengthening our community. We enjoy those relationships with churches, businesses, and other helping organizations.”
Brittany Tofsrud
Co-owner of Vitality Mental Health
Brittany Tofsrud, co-owner of Vitality Mental Health, predominantly works with individuals who struggle with issues such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, anger management, and low self-esteem. Additionally, Brittany is experienced in working with adults and families. She is trained in EMDR, incorporates her training in Art and Play Therapy, and utilizes person-centered and cognitive behavioral approaches to empower individuals to meet their personal goals and overcome adversity.
What are the biggest “highs” or successes you’ve seen in the last year?
“We have gained a newly remodeled and larger office space, hired our fifth and final counselor, celebrated our third year of business, and seen a significant increase in clientele. I had to do a lot of research to figure out what we needed to have in place. Now, three years later, there is a small group of local counselors we can lean on to ask questions or bounce ideas off of if we ever feel stuck.”
Sara Fries
Clinical Supervisor and Mental Health Therapist of Summit Counseling Services
Sara Fries, MSW, LCSW, PMH-C, serves as a clinical supervisor and mental health therapist at Summit Counseling Services in the Bismarck office and via telehealth. As a clinical supervisor, she collaborates with other supervisors to oversee the clinical and addiction staff, develop and facilitate staff training, supervise student interns, and assist in program development and maintenance.
Fries has worked in the field of counseling and human services for almost a decade and is currently working toward earning her clinical social work license. She specializes in child and family science and has a passion for working with children, adolescents, and their families. Fries also found a new passion for pregnancy and postpartum mental health and received certification in perinatal mental health disorders.
She strives to individualize her therapeutic techniques so each client receives the greatest support she can offer. Fries has experience using a variety of therapeutic approaches, including play therapy for children. She utilizes strengths-based approaches to help her clients with a variety of concerns, including depression, anxiety, stress management, self-esteem building, anger management, grief and loss, trauma, and healthy relationships.
What are the biggest “lows,” or challenges you faced in the last year? How did you overcome them?
“For Summit, this past year has been slightly crazy. With changes to the supervisor team and some changes in staffing, things in the office were a little chaotic. Professionally, one of my lows has been adjusting to a new supervisor position. I love being a supervisor, but it has been difficult transitioning to less direct client work and more administrative duties.”
“Personally, a major low for me this past year was going through a divorce. Separation and divorce are often difficult times, even if the separation is necessary. The hardest part is having to split time with my daughter.”
“I have been working to overcome these lows by leaning on my coworkers, friends, and family for support. I also see my own therapist twice a month and have been utilizing various tools to improve my confidence and self-esteem, such as journaling, meditating, and taking part in hobbies or activities that bring me joy when I am not at work.”
What are the biggest “highs” or successes you’ve seen in the last year?
“In the last year, Summit as an agency has completely expanded. We have hired many new employees and are currently working to open a residential treatment facility and another office location in the state. We currently operate in Williston, Dickinson, and Bismarck. For myself professionally, within this last year, I was promoted to the clinical supervisor role and became part of the supervisor team. This has been an incredible step forward in my career as a social worker.”
“Other highlights include the fact that, as an agency, our show rates have been steadily increasing and have remained high for many months. This indicates that client retention and the services offered are positive and effective.”
General Understanding of Burnout
What are the common signs and symptoms of burnout that business owners and employees should look out for? How does burnout differ from general work-related stress?
Patty Hulm: Burnout is a result of prolonged stress. It leaves individuals feeling exhausted both mentally and physically. They may experience increased irritability, negativity about their work, feelings of inadequacy, and dread of going to work. A boss may notice this attitude shift or a decline in work quality. Employees may also call in sick, arrive late more often, or leave work early.
While we all experience stress at work, it is usually tied to a specific task and ends once the task is complete. Burnout occurs when stress feels unending, regardless of the tasks we are doing. This can happen if more work keeps getting piled on or if tasks are assigned that are not part of our job description.
Sara Fries: Signs and symptoms of burnout are very similar to those of depression. The person is usually more tired, withdrawn, quiet, and gloomy. They may start coming to work late or leaving early. They may also call in sick more often or complain frequently of not feeling well. Work productivity will usually decline, and their motivation or energy will appear low overall.
Burnout is different from general work-related stress. Work-related stress can sometimes occur daily depending on the job, but once the person clocks out for the day, they can usually leave work at work and go home to enjoy their usual activities. With burnout, the person often starts feeling low and stressed even when not at work. The thought of going to work or even talking about work can trigger these emotions. Some clients experiencing burnout from their jobs describe feeling literally nauseous on their way to work each morning. General work-related stress is much easier to cope with most of the time.
Brittany Tofsrud: Burnout can manifest in various ways affecting both physical and mental well-being. Some common signs can include:
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Decreased performance
- Physical symptoms
- Negative attitude
- Isolation
Greg Molinaro: General work-related stress can produce similar symptoms but is usually periodic and short-lived. Burnout tends to develop slowly and last longer. Some people can hide their work-related stress, but it is hard to hide the impact of burnout. Common signs and symptoms of burnout are:
- Withdrawing
- Sleeping a lot more during off-hours
- Avoiding social connections that were once common
- Loss of appetite or overeating
- Increase in alcohol consumption
- Lower productivity
- Negative attitude
"We want our therapists to maintain a healthy work-life balance, so we limit the number of sessions per week to ensure they remain fresh for each person. We achieve this with a four-day workweek."
Causes and Contributors
What are the primary causes of burnout among business owners and employees in today’s fast-paced work environment? Are there specific industries or job roles that are more susceptible to burnout? If so, why?
Patty Hulm: A lack of boundaries is a significant problem; people don’t disconnect from work. They are constantly checking their emails or making themselves available to answer text messages or phone calls, regardless of the time of day. I understand the need for some of that when someone is a business owner, but even then, there can be a period of time when we are unavailable to attend to personal and family needs. It is important to create some boundaries to give yourself time for self-care and time to be with your spouse, family, and friends.
Relationships suffer when we aren’t present in those moments with the people who are important to us. That can compound the issue when we are then dealing with it not only at work but at home as well. Jobs where you have your email on your phone or your phone number is available to co-workers or clients can create prolonged stress and unrealistic expectations that we are always available for work.
Sara Fries:
- A busy workload
- An unhealthy or toxic work environment
- The sensation of feeling overwhelmed and out of control; not just at work, but also at home
- •Employees may feel like they have little or no support or control over their work
- Feeling out of control and overwhelmed
"Burnout is possible with any job, but more often occurs with high-stress, high-demand industries like healthcare. Doctors, nurses, and social workers are more susceptible due to the long hours usually worked and the busy, never-ending workload. What I've also known is that in jobs where the work done could be lifechanging, the job itself is more susceptible to cause burnout. This could include those in healthcare as well as lawyers, teachers, and hospitality workers."
Greg Molinaro: The primary cause of burnout is “too much.” Too many work hours, too much responsibility for one individual, covering for people because you are that “go-to” person who will “get it done”—over and over again. A lack of gratitude expressed in the workplace can also contribute to burnout over time. A little gratitude goes a long way. Five to 10 minutes a week of checking in and expressing gratitude to your staff can reduce stress and burnout.
Jobs where there is isolation contribute most to burnout. We are meant to be “on a mission” with others and to feel that sense of belonging, even if it is just working in proximity. More workers are coming back to the office partially or fully from working remotely, for that very reason. Every job needs to have reasonable expectations and achievable goals. If not, we burn people out and lose good employees.
Brittany Tofsrud:
- A lack of control
- Unclear job expectations
- Work-Life imbalance
- Lack of support
- High-stress environment
- Personal traits such as perfectionism
"Healthcare, education, law, social services, and IT, to name a few, are specific industries or job roles that are more susceptible to burnout and experience high burnout rates due to long hours, high stress, and demanding responsibilities."
Personal Stories and Case Studies
Can you share any personal stories or case studies of successfully combating burnout? What lessons can be learned from these examples?
Patty Hulm: I have seen a shift in clients who have started to implement boundaries in the workplace. They have learned how to appropriately say “no” or found ways to better communicate when they will be available to offer help where needed.
We need to look at our job responsibilities and consider if helping a co-worker with their tasks will leave us unable to complete our own tasks that are required to fulfill our job responsibilities. We could let our coworkers know that we are in the middle of our own tasks, but once they are complete, we can offer help at that time. The co-worker then has the choice to accept the help we can offer when we are available or to decline and try to find different help or complete the task on their own.
Sometimes guilt can lead us to help more than we really can, which compounds our stress and can lead to burnout. We created the problem of doing too much by always saying “yes,” which may keep us from getting our work done well or from meeting a deadline.
We may experience some resistance from people at work when we start to create boundaries if we haven’t had them in the past, but if we are consistent with our boundaries, they will learn what to expect from us and hopefully respect our limitations.
Sara Fries: I actually have a personal story of burnout. At my last job, I was working remotely and alone much of the time. The only people I talked to in a day were my clients or my family. Along with the large amount of documentation and work to be done, I found myself losing motivation and energy for my work. I would wake up and not want to go to work, and when I did, I would avoid or procrastinate tasks because of my lack of energy. This caused me to fall behind, worsening my burnout.
This example highlights the importance of feeling included and supported for any employee, especially those working remotely. When working alone in a high-demand job, one is more susceptible to burnout. Ensuring that employees never feel alone and have someone to go to when they need help is essential.
Brittany Tofsrud: Monique and I have worked at other facilities and clinics in the past that began incorporating telehealth services. This marked the beginning of our transition from working in the office to working from home. When we opened our clinic, we wanted to ensure the flexibility we had long desired. The counselors in our clinic have free rein over their schedules. We have providers who work three-day weeks, some who work four, and some who have one full day of telehealth, allowing them to work from home on that day and be in the office on the other days. We have received positive feedback on this arrangement, and Monique and I find these options allow us to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Greg Molinaro: I know a pastor who experienced the beginnings of burnout after years of ministry. He took my challenge of “doing less and experiencing more productivity.” He began to take Mondays off as his second day off of the week and found himself more rested, more productive overall, and more present at meetings with people. His home life improved, and so did other areas. He learned that you can regularly accomplish better results by doing less.
Tips and Measures
Can you share any tips and measures that employees or small-business owners can take to combat work stress and avoid burnout?
Patty Hulm: Employers should create clear job descriptions and expectations for their employees. They should also talk to their employees about how they want tasks prioritized when employees may be getting tasks from various people or even the boss. Open communication within the workplace helps us communicate what we are working on and when we expect to be done. When we respect the time of others, we create an environment where people may be more open to willingly helping others or feel like they can ask for help when they need it, rather than quietly struggling and failing to complete their work.
It’s also important to be consistent among employees and keep them accountable to those expectations and job responsibilities. Employees feel very discouraged at their jobs when they see others slacking and then being told to pick up the slack of their co-workers at the expense of their own work. That can be a quick route to creating burnout in your employees. Find small or big ways to show appreciation to your employees.
Sara Fries:
- Eating well
- Getting enough sleep
- Setting boundaries
- Exercising
- Utilizing time off for self-care
- Managing overall stress
Brittany Tofsrud:
- Set boundaries
- Practice self-care
- Seek professional development
- Develop coping skills, seeking support both at work and in personal life
- Prioritize tasks and stay organized
- Manage workload
Greg Molinaro:
- Drink plenty of water. All day.
- Eat regular, healthy meals, even if they are smaller.
- Stop, pause, pray, and reflect, even if only for five minutes at a time. Give your brain and emotions time to catch up.
- When you feel stress building up, take one deep, long breath. Exhale. Breathe in slowly through your nose for three seconds, hold it for three seconds, and exhale slowly through pursed lips for three seconds. Your heart rate can drop 10-20 bpm, and your body can release relaxing chemicals just from one deep breath. (That’s why we “heavy sigh” sometimes—because it feels good!)
- Don’t stay late at work. Just don’t. Go home to your life. Time is not money; time is your life. Spend your time wisely.
- Stop growing your business for the sake of growing. There is a sweet spot. Stop there or shrink back to it. Usually, that is two to three times what you did your first few years and about 30% less than where you are now, after five or more years. Just do it. You will be smaller, but you will also be happier, usually more profitable overall, have higher employee satisfaction, and be less stressed. Bigger is not often better!
Prevention Strategies
What proactive steps can businesses take to prevent burnout among their employees? How can business owners ensure they are not neglecting their own mental health while running a business?
Patty Hulm: I think some of the measures above are proactive steps. Business owners need to apply all of these rules to themselves and identify their job responsibilities. It might be easy to think it’s all on you, and depending on your business, it might be. However, some have employees they need to delegate to. With or without employees, owners need boundaries too. There has to be a focus on self-care. Self-care gets thrown around a lot as a bit of a buzzword, but it is essential.
How are we finding ways to relax and recharge? Sometimes we might have an activity that leaves us feeling both relaxed and recharged, but other times we need to find different activities to accomplish those things. These self-care activities help us manage our stress. We will never be able to alleviate all of our stress, but we can do things to help us manage it better. That has a direct impact on our mental health because stress can contribute to us feeling more anxious or depressed if those are things we struggle with.
Sara Fries: The main way a business can help prevent burnout among employees is to ensure that the business is designed with the employees’ needs in mind. This includes providing adequate paid time off or other leave that employees can take. It also includes creating a healthy work environment that supports employees both in their professional and personal lives.
Business owners or anyone in a position of power should also practice healthy coping tools to avoid burnout. This can include taking time off when needed, setting boundaries, recognizing when they are taking on too much, and being okay with letting some tasks wait.
Brittany Tofsrud: Businesses can work harder to promote work-life balance, ensure a supportive environment, help employees manage their workload, and foster healthy and positive team collaboration. Business owners can work diligently to follow their own set of boundaries and practice healthy self-care.
Greg Molinaro: Proactive steps to prevent burnout include limiting work hours, managing workloads, and finding the right balance of responsibilities and time scheduled. Encourage lunch breaks, promote vacations, plan workloads ahead of time, and show gratitude!
Business owners should follow the same advice. Above all, a business owner should avoid the largest joy stealer of all—worry. Plan your work. Work on your plan. Grow slowly. Build good systems. Empower your people. Help remove obstacles so they can do their jobs. Plan your cash flow carefully and review it monthly. Keep your responsibilities reasonable. Hire wisely. Delegate and empower people to handle some of your work as you grow. And stop worrying so much. Seriously. Stop worrying. Nothing is accomplished with worry. Have a good plan. Work on your plan. Enjoy your work and your life!
Work-Life Balance
How important is work-life balance in preventing burnout, and what advice can you offer to achieve it? Can remote work or flexible working hours help reduce burnout? What are the pros and cons?
Patty Hulm: It is very important to find some level of balance between our life at work and our life away from it. It may never be perfectly balanced, but we can’t minimize the importance of unplugging from work. We need to find time to implement self-care. It is also important to find ways to connect with our family and, separately, time to connect with our spouse or partner, if we have one. Having good relationships at home is of great value when trying to distinguish between work and home. Time with loved ones can be a part of our stress management when we attend to our relationships and enjoy our time with them. Having a flexible work schedule can help with burnout if people are putting things into practice that we have already discussed.
If it’s just more time to get work done away from the office, then that isn’t helping with burnout. We have also seen that some people don’t thrive when working from home. They can feel isolated or lack the motivation to get their work done. The option might be nice, but it isn’t for everyone. Having flexibility with work hours is great to help people achieve work-life balance. We may have appointments to attend to address our physical and mental health needs, or we may have appointments for family members that we need to be a part of. Zero flexibility to make those appointments can add a lot of stress to employees as they try to manage their work, not use up all their PTO, and not choose work over their healthcare.
Sara Fries: Work-life balance is essential in preventing burnout. Finding a healthy work-life balance is individualized to what each person finds fulfilling. Some people feel more fulfilled when they work more and stay home less often, while others prefer more time at home. Achieving that balance also involves setting boundaries between work and home, meaning that work stays at work and home stays at home.
Remote work and flexible working hours can either help or harm burnout, depending on the individual. Some employees may work more efficiently at home, while others thrive in an office setting. Similarly, some people feel more fulfilled being around others, while some prefer to be alone. The pros and cons vary by individual.
From personal experience, I have learned that I thrive on human contact. If I worked alone without a structured schedule, I would be more susceptible to burnout because I feel more fulfilled around other people and work better with specific working hours and personal time.
Brittany Tofsrud: Work-life balance may be the top area for preventing burnout. Employees should review their workloads and collaborate with their employers to create a healthy schedule. It’s important to feel comfortable communicating needs in the work environment and to take vacation hours as needed.
Working remotely or flexible hours can help reduce burnout, but there are pros and cons. Pros: Employees can likely create their own work schedules or work with employers to do so. There can be increased productivity and cost savings. Cons: Isolation and loneliness, communication challenges, reduced access to resources, and engagement challenges.
Greg Molinaro: More people are returning to work, some or all of the time, at an office. Community is important, including our work community and work friends. More companies are offering some work hours flexibility as long as employees get their work done and are reachable during work hours. A shared calendar helps.
Mental Health Resources
What role do mental health resources and support systems play in combating burnout? How can businesses create an environment where employees feel comfortable seeking help for mental health issues?
Patty Hulm: A good mental health provider can help a person start to get on track with their self-care or learn how to implement boundaries appropriately in their life. Boundaries are needed in all areas of our lives to help avoid burnout. Several businesses have employee assistance programs or mental health coverage on the insurance plans offered to their employees. Businesses can also educate on these topics within a workday at a staff meeting or encourage employees to take time to get some help, rather than giving them a hard time about taking an hour or so to attend an appointment.
Brittany Tofsrud: Mental health resources and support systems play a crucial role. These two topics address the physiological and emotional aspects of burnout.
Businesses can create and nurture a supportive workplace culture by providing resources such as EAP services to their employees. Offering yearly training on mental health burnout or similar topics ensures that these issues remain fresh in employees’ minds. For some, a positive mental health outlook is linked to a positive physical outlook. Therefore, some employers offer wellness programs with local gyms.
Lastly, employers can create a safe and confidential work environment. If an employee reaches out for help, they can be assured that the conversation will not impact their job security or future promotions.
Greg Molinaro: Most people experiencing burnout will seek external help first. That is good and sometimes vital to understanding what is going on, but I recommend seeking internal help too.
Have hard conversations about workload and work hours. For the business owner, decide who you can hire, what you can delegate, and how you can develop more empowering systems so you are not doing so much of the work.
"Businesses can create a safe environment by supporting the reality of mental health as important as physical health. A company could use this phrasing: 'We all have periods in life that are more difficult than other times. It is during these times we need to be in the community, reach out to others, and not do life alone. Please come to your supervisor and be assured of a confidential conversation. We want to support you at all times of your life. Counseling, too, can be a part of that community, even if it is just for a while. Many people find counseling helps them find the direction they are seeking and they often experience relief from life and work stressors and the beginnings of burnout. We support you in those choices.'"
Role of Leadership
What can leaders and managers do to support their teams in managing stress and avoiding burnout? How can leaders identify burnout in their team members, and what immediate actions should they take?
Sara Fries: Leaders and managers can be proactive in helping their employees manage stress by being good role models of healthy coping tools. This means the manager is willing to connect with employees even on a somewhat personal level, be transparent or vulnerable about their own struggles and how they cope, and lead by example by seeking help and support when they need it themselves.
If the signs and symptoms of burnout are visible in an employee, the manager or leader must check in with that employee as soon as possible, extending support and reassurance, validating the employee’s needs and emotions, and offering help when necessary. This can include reducing or revising the employee’s workload or schedule, advising the employee to utilize time off, and supporting the employee if they wish to pursue mental health support like therapy.
Brittany Tofsrud: They can foster open communication, model healthy behavior, encourage work-life balance, and set realistic expectations. Employees will show decreased performance and productivity. They may exhibit increased absenteeism, irritability, or mood changes. Employers can also provide regular check-ins, monitor workload and hours, and ask for feedback.
Greg Molinaro: Leaders should model work-life balance, not brag about how busy they are. They should support worklife balance in employees’ schedules and workloads, including time off.
If leaders notice fatigue, irritability, withdrawing, lower productivity, or a negative attitude, it may be a sign of burnout or job dissatisfaction. Be empathetic and ask the employee how things are going. Bridge the conversation by pointing out these changes and expressing compassionate concern. It is not about their productivity. It is about being empathetic toward them first. Productivity will usually return after adjustments are made or they get through a difficult spot in life contributing to the downturns.
Coping Mechanisms
What are some effective coping mechanisms for individuals experiencing burnout? How can mindfulness, or other stress-relief techniques, be incorporated into a daily routine to reduce burnout?
Patty Hulm: Coping techniques can be anything. A good place to start is to consider what relaxes and recharges us. We could go for a walk, journal, garden, read, work out, call a friend or family member, watch funny cat videos on YouTube, watch a movie we enjoy, practice deep breathing, or listen to music. Really, anything can be a coping technique.
Obviously, we want to avoid things that numb us to avoid the feelings, such as drugs, alcohol, or overeating. We want to get comfortable with healthy coping strategies..
Sara Fries: To effectively cope with burnout, one of the first steps is to try to identify the cause. If the cause cannot be identified or changed to reduce burnout, other steps include taking a break, utilizing effective coping tools, getting support from friends and family, and seeking professional help if needed.
Mindfulness and other stress-relief techniques can be incorporated throughout a person’s day to help prevent burnout. This can include taking mini breaks at work to step away, taking a walk, visiting with colleagues, or doing whatever is needed for a “reset.” Some mindfulness and other stress-relief techniques take only a minute or two to perform and can be done right at the desk, such as deep breathing, guided imagery, stretching, and journaling.
Brittany Tofsrud: Set boundaries, prioritize self-care, practice mindfulness and relaxation daily, and manage your time effectively. By integrating mindfulness techniques into your daily routine, you can create a consistent practice that reduces stress, increases self-awareness, and helps mitigate burnout.
Impact of Technology
In what ways has technology contributed to increased stress and burnout, and how can it be managed effectively? Are there any tech tools or apps that you recommend for managing stress and preventing burnout?
Patty Hulm: These are a few apps that providers and clients have found successful for stress management. Most apps tend to have free or paid versions, or certain features require payment. We can all set screen time limits on our phones and shut off notifications on certain apps, such as emails and text messages, for a set period. This helps reduce distractions and allows us to be more present at home.
Sara Fries: I believe technology has contributed to increased stress and burnout for multiple reasons. It has made it possible for people to work anywhere and anytime, making it harder for employees to set boundaries and take adequate time away from work. Maintaining boundaries, such as not checking emails or taking calls when out of the office or off the clock, can help employees manage this more effectively.
However, technology also offers many ways for employees to manage their stress. Various apps can help individuals develop coping tools, practice mindfulness, and feel supported in their mental health. While social media is not often a positive coping tool, it can help create support networks, especially for those working remotely or in rural areas. Additionally, mental health therapy via telehealth can be essential, as it may be the only way for some people to receive mental health services if they lack adequate local resources.
Brittany Tofsrud: Technology has contributed to stress and burnout because we are always on and connected. With these devices at our fingertips, we blur boundaries and work longer hours. People also experience information overload with constant notifications and information, whether positive or negative.
There are also options for relaxation breathing and journaling as well, including Breethe, Breathwrk, Daylio, and Moodpath.
Greg Molinaro: Technology is taking up more of our time, not saving it. This leads to more stress and burnout. Limit phone time to less than an hour a day, except for long personal conversations.
Cultural and Organizational Changes
What organizational changes can businesses implement to reduce stress and prevent burnout? How important is company culture in addressing burnout, and what steps can be taken to build a supportive work environment?
Sara Fries: Organization changes businesses can implement include ensuring employees are offered adequate paid time off, providing flexible scheduling, and giving employees a support network of managers and supervisors who advocate for positive mental health. Businesses can also offer breaks from work, such as team-building activities or get-togethers. These activities provide time for networking between employees and help break up the monotony of the day.
Company culture is essential in addressing burnout. If the company’s culture is workhorse-driven and focused solely on the job, it fosters an unhealthy and potentially toxic work environment. A company culture that prioritizes ensuring employees are at their best can help reduce stress and burnout and improve overall productivity.
Brittany Tofsrud: With flexible work arrangements, workload management, supportive leadership, professional development, and clear communication, employers can encourage time off and team building. Furthermore, company culture is extremely important. Steps to foster a supportive work environment include building trust, recognizing and appreciating employees, and encouraging a healthy work-life balance.
Future Outlook
How do you see the issue of burnout evolving in the next five to ten years? What trends or changes do you foresee in the workplace that could impact stress levels and burnout?
Patty Hulm: I would like to think that we are doing better. I think businesses are more aware that employees are struggling at times. Mental health is being talked about more, and we are recognizing how it impacts all aspects of our lives. We can’t just ignore it completely and think that productivity and retention won’t be impacted. Appreciating and valuing employees who are there is going to be important for keeping the employees we’ve got. I think that if we keep working to improve communication, clarify expectations, and hold people accountable to what is expected of them, that will also help move us in a good direction. We can all benefit from some fun here and there. We all still need to get our work done, and that isn’t always fun, but I think we can do small things to help our work environments be more enjoyable.
Sara Fries: Burnout will always be an issue that employers and employees face. As technology continues to advance and the world expands, burnout will likely increase.
Mental health and its importance have gained more attention in recent years. If the emphasis on positive mental health and the number of mental health providers continue to grow, this could help alleviate some of the burnout. Employers and employees may be more likely to ask for help or seek services sooner, with less stigma placed on mental health.
Brittany Tofsrud: The issue of burnout is likely to continue evolving over the next five to ten years due to several influencing factors, including increased awareness and destigmatization, technological advances, remote and hybrid work models, and changing workforce demographics. As younger generations, who prioritize work-life balance and mental health, become a larger part of the workforce, there will be increased pressure on employers to address burnout.
Greg Molinaro: To attract and retain good employees, a good work-life balance will be necessary now and into the future. I believe that small- and mid-sized businesses will compete on culture, good compensation, and a healthy work-life balance, not just their product and service. That is the present, and that is the future.
As we move forward in our respective business environments, it’s crucial to acknowledge and address the persistent issue of burnout. Through our discussions with local therapists and counselors, we’ve uncovered that a proactive approach with open communication, clear boundaries, and a supportive work culture can make a significant difference.
These strategies can enhance employee well-being and drive productivity and job satisfaction. Let’s commit to creating workplaces where mental health is prioritized, and professional fulfillment is within reach for everyone. Remember, taking care of our mental health is not just beneficial; it’s essential for sustainable success.