Help at hand: don’t suffer in silence from burnout

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged periods of stress.

Burnout often manifests as a constant pervasive sense of feeling overwhelmed by one’s circumstances.

Social workers at Siphokazi Recovery Centre, situated in St Andrews Road in Selborne, said people suffering from burnout were more susceptible to substance abuse, as a means to cope.

The centre provides care and rehabilitation for in-patient treatment. They said due to the stigma attached to not being able to cope, burnout was often unaddressed and underrepresented when discussing wellbeing and mental health.

Burnout can be triggered by stressful situations or a combination of issues, such as being overloaded at work or school, combined with home and other responsibilities.

A lack of clear-cut boundaries between work and one’s private life led to stress, the social workers said.

This was compounded by high expectations, social pressures, fears, information overload and insufficient rest.

“Many people are not able to differentiate between stress and burnout as they think it is the same thing, which it is not,” one of the centre’s social workers said.

Burnout is characterised by a sense of failure and self-doubt, loss of motivation, feeling helpless, trapped and defeated, as well as feeling detached and alone.

At the recovery centre, these feelings are addressed through “a holistic approach to burnout, using a combination of traditional therapy methods, cutting-edge science and ancient philosophy”.

Treatment co-ordinator and social worker at the centre, Zukiswa Nake, said: “We offer a holistic person- orientated method which focuses on burnout symptoms within the individual, which involves looking at the root of the problem and treating it from the inside out through group therapy, counselling by social workers, referring clients to a psychologist, doctor, nurse and spiritual therapy. “There is also a wellness programme focusing on healthy body nourishment and exercise, regular outings, an on-site spa for basic head and neck massage and regular outings to the beach.”

To manage burnout, especially once one has received treatment or counselling, the centre recommends that those susceptible should practise stress and time management, self-care and healthy eating, as well as regular exercise.

For more information contact: siphokazi.recoverycenter@gmail.com