Burnout as a spiritual crisis
Have you ever thought of burnout as a spiritual crisis?
If not, then here’s some food for thought for you:
Burnout is a form of deep human suffering at every level – physical, psychological, social, spiritual – which occurs when old ways of being in the world no longer work and start to disintegrate.
Our normal ways of functioning in these domains almost grind to a halt and disease (dis-ease) often occurs as a result of our sense of identity breaking down. Old values as the very ground beneath our personal reality start to shift, and we may feel anxious and overwhelmed with our daily lives, jobs, relationships, and even with ourselves.
Whilst burnout is usually understood as the end-stage symptom of chronic stress, I think that it is, in essence, the deviation from our spiritual self.
This part in each and everyone of us helps us find meaning in life and feel connected to something larger than ourselves - whether that’s our company, community or the entire cosmos.
Even though the high stress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is over, 2022 data from Gallup shows that 1/3 of all workers always or very often feel burned-out. This may in turn indicate that every third person has lost a sense of meaning and profound connection to themselves, others, their work, and beyond.
So how do we reverse this?
We can, for example, begin by asking ourselves existential questions, like:
What actually matters to me? (Values)
Why am I doing the things I do? (Purpose)
What might be the hidden gift of the crisis that I face right now? (Meaning)
When we practice zooming out, for example by taking some time to introspect through journaling, meditating, going on a trip to nature, or talking to a professional as well as people who are in a similar situation as we are, we can start to see the break-down of our ‘old self’ as a break-through to who we are really meant to be.
I come across many people who have no answers to the questions above, and sometimes I am one of them.
The questions above are simple, but not easy, AND their answers are ever-changing together with us.
That’s why it’s important that we keep checking in with ourselves regularly, regardless of whether we face burnout or not, in order to (re-)establish a sense of peace, flow, joy, confidence, compassion, safety, creativity, and fulfilment by becoming aware of our deepest, most fundamental drivers and desires at work, in love, and in life.