There are heaps of burnout myths but this one does my head in: 'they can't be burnt out, they're not that busy'.

An ex-boss said this when we talked about a colleague who was clearly suffering with burnout.

I silently fumed.

How can he be so narrow-minded!?

It turns out, most people still think this is the only reason people burnout.

They're too busy and can't handle it.

Nonsense!

Let's dispel this myth to rebalance the force.

It's an aspect, but not the only one.

From burnout research, there are 6 key external drivers for burnout:

1. Excessive Workload – work demands and activities not within possible limits
2. Lack of Control / Autonomy – perceived capacity to influence decisions and ability to have autonomy
3. Lack of Reward – monetary, social and/or intrinsic. Lack of recognition can also devalue
4. Lack of Community – overall quality of social interaction, including conflict, mutual support, and closeness in work
5. Lack of Fairness - extent to which work is perceived as fair and people are treated with respect
6. Misaligned Values - alignment to ideals, beliefs, and motivations at work or how work is conducted

Hmm....look at that.

Workload is only one of the points on the list.

Even if it has a significant impact, the other drivers impact on your burnout pattern as well.

Here are some examples:

1. Lack of autonomy - become more cynical and hopeless about ability to influence work or lose trust in others (The Cynic)
2. Lack of community - limited connection at work so start to disengage and be less committed (The Avoider)
3. Misaligned values - feel like you're in the wrong place and wasting your time, so tries to feel better (The Comfort-Seeker)

Not understanding these other drivers confuses why you feel or act the way you do.

Before you do anything, get clarity.

You can't drive with a dirty windscreen.

Don't do that in life too.

How use your burnout drivers for change

Remember, it's not only external burnout drivers that influence whether you get burnout or not.

As usual, life is more complicated.

Internal factors like adverse early childhood experiences, personality traits, coping strategies etc also have an impact.

We're focused on the external ones here so let's dive in deeper.

First, stop what you're doing.

Take a mindful break and listen to your inner needs.

Hone in on what's within your zone of influence or control.

Explore using self-inquiry - journalling, creative expression, mindful pause or talking into your voice notes helps with this.

Ask yourself:

• If you're isolated or lonely in your business or leadership role, what social connection are you yearning for?
• Do you need connection with people like you and going through the same issues?
• Or is it more general connection for other parts of yourself you need resonance with?

Get curious and specific about what's missing and brainstorm options to experiment with that satisfy that need.

• For social connection, do you need to join a group of other business owners or leaders at your stage?
• Where can you find them?
• Ask your network or Uncle Google for ideas and options.
• If it's more personal than that, what hobbies do you have and where can you find kindred spirits?
• Do you want to stay online or in person?

Use this exploratory process to identify 2 actions you'll do.

In this example, your actions for change could be:

1. Google 3 local business owners group to connect, get moral support and ideas for business growth
2. Contact each of them and set up a call or join a free session to decide which one resonates

Doing something to challenge your burnout is empowering.

Burnout often feels like it's being done to us.

We're slowly getting crushed by our inner and outer world.

But that's not the case.

Take a step back.

Realise we don't always interpret our feelings accurately.

Instead, use them as data to explore and move you forward.

Stop. Listen. Explore. Do.

Any time you're stuck for what to do next, use this SLED Method.

It'll work faster than you realise.

Rooting for you.

Take care,

Sabrina

Burnout Coach | Neuroscientist | Art-based Practitioner

P.S. If you're curious about exploring your burnout drivers with me, book a free 25m discovery call and let's talk about how I can help.​

I share these insights, strategies, and experiments weekly...or more often if I have something fun or useful to share with you.

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