Download - Stress Management Tips
Learning Objectives
About Stress & Burnout Causes of burnout Warning signs & symptoms Preventing burnout Overcoming burnout
Stress
Stress: Non-specific physical and psychological reaction to issues and event
arising from one’s own environment
Stressor: An external event which brings about stressful response
So what is the difference between stress and burnout?
Stress is when you are drained and still able to recover between shifts
Burnout begins when you are drained and not able to recover between shifts
Work-related causes Feeling like you have little or no control over
your work Lack of recognition or rewards Unclear or overly demanding expectations Doing work that’s monotonous or
unchallenging Working in a chaotic or high-pressure
environment
Lifestyle related causes Working too much, without enough time for
relaxing and socializing Being expected to be too many things to too
many people Taking on too many responsibilities, without
enough help from others Not getting enough sleep Lack of close, supportive relationships
Personality related causes Perfectionist tendencies; nothing is ever good
enough Pessimistic view of yourself and the world The need to be in control; reluctance to
delegate to others High-achieving, Type A personality Type D personality
Shanafelt, T. D. et. al. Ann Intern Med 2002;136:358-367Top line no burnout n=27Bottom line met criteria for burnout n=87
Relationship of burnout to self-reported suboptimal patient care practices and attitudes
ScoringScore Type Implication
>110 Type A1 high risk of developing cardiac illness and other stress-related illnesses
80-109 Type A2 also a cardiac-prone personality but your risk of heart disease is not quite as high as a Type A1
Type A personalities generally have "A STRESS PROBLEM" although most do not recognise this until extreme symptoms or serious illnesses develop. Type A behaviour is a learned personality complex which is well-rewarded in our culture.
60-79 Type AB
You are a mixture of Type A and Type B patterns. This is a healthier pattern than either A1 or A2, but you have the potential for slipping into Type A behaviour and you should recognise this.
<59 Type B This personality complex is characterised by general relaxation and coping adequately with stress.
Three core burnout symptoms 1) Exhaustion
You are empty, drained, tapped out and unable to recover
2) Depersonalization This usually shows up as “compassion fatigue,”
sarcasm, cynicism and blaming your patients 3) Lack of Efficacy
This presents as thoughts of “what’s the use?”. You may doubt that your work makes any difference
Physical signs and symptoms of burnout
Feeling tired and drained most of the time Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches Change in appetite or sleep habits
Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout
Sense of failure and self-doubt Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated Detachment, feeling alone in the world Loss of motivation Increasingly cynical and negative outlook Decreased satisfaction and sense of
accomplishment
Behavioural signs and symptoms of burnout
Withdrawing from responsibilities Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating Using food, smoking or alcohol to cope Taking out your frustrations on others Skipping work
Preventing burnout Physician, Heal Thyself.. Your wellness prescription – 3 remedies
Physical Self Social Self Coping Self
Social Self Plan or structure time to maintain friendships
with those far away “Real” v/s “Virtual” relationships Make friends across the departments Take regular “breaks”
90/10 Principle
10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.
Freeze frame technique To stop the physiological chain reaction, you
need to find a way to manage your stress from moment to moment and day by day using a technique called the “Freeze frame technique’
When a scene becomes stressful, the technique allows you to freeze that perceptual frame and isolate it in time so you can observe it from a more detached and objective viewpoint— similar to pausing the VCR for a moment.
Harvard Business Review • July 2003
Freeze frame technique – 5 steps Recognize and disengage.
Take a time-out so that you can temporarily disengage from your thoughts and feelings—especially stressful ones.
Breathe through your heart. Shift your focus to the area around your heart. Now
feel your breath coming in through that area and out your solar plexus.
Invoke a positive feeling. Make a sincere effort to activate a positive feeling.
Harvard Business Review • July 2003
Freeze frame technique – 5 steps Ask yourself, “Is there a better
alternative?” Ask yourself what would be an efficient, effective
attitude or action that would de-stress your system. Note the change in perspective.
Quietly sense any change in perception or feeling and sustain it as long as you can.
Harvard Business Review • July 2003