April 14, 2021 • 7 mins
Twelve months of working from home is taking its toll, especially on women. But there are easy fixes for that burnt-out feeling. We get great advice from wellness expert Elizabeth Su, founder of Monday Vibes, a personal growth newsletter.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something good
(00:27):
for today. There's nothing normal about the new normal. For
the past year, so many of us have been working
extra long hours from home in close quarters with our families.
For women, especially working moms, that's a recipe for burnout.
But there is a cure and it could be easier
than you think. Today we'll find out how from wellness
(00:48):
expert Elizabeth Sue. Elizabeth is founder of Monday Vibes, a
personal growth newsletter that covers topics like mental health, career,
and relationships. She's gonna tell us who susceptible to burnout
and tips we can use to avoid it. Here's what
Elizabeth had to say, Thanks so much for joining us,
Thank you for having me. So, how has covid maade
(01:11):
burnout more of an issue for women? And why are
women so burned out right now? Yeah, there was a
study done by McKenzie and lean in not too long ago.
That said, one and four women are considering down shifting,
or leaving the workforce due to the added stress caused
by the pandemic siting. They were burned out from the
overwhelming demands of work at home, which I think is
(01:33):
a perfect reflection of what is happening. So in my research,
I looked at burnout specifically incorporate women. UM burnout has
three components cynicism, detachment, and emotional exhaustion. And emotional exhaustion
is what studies have found impacts women the most. So
(01:55):
if you think about COVID, this has made it a
thousand times we're for women. Caretaking responsibilities still falls heavily
on women, and I'm not just talking about you know, parenting, schoolwork, laundry,
but the emotional demands of keeping morale up being the
shoulder that people cry on, making sure that you, your family,
(02:15):
your team, your community is physically is doing okay, physically, mentally,
and spiritually. So I think it's important to realize that
caring for others takes many different forms, and that is
all work and work that's not compensated are valued in
our society, which contributes to that feeling of burnout. We
know that working moms have it especially hard, but do
(02:37):
women without children also experience burnout and what form does
it take? Yes? Absolutely, Oftentimes in organizations that don't adjust
their expectations, childless women are picking up this lack for
for others who have children or aren't as available. Um.
And it's also just in general time of workaholism that
(03:02):
has spikes since the start of the pandemic, with less travel,
more meetings, increased expectation to be always on since you
don't have built in excuses anymore for disconnecting, and that
can be really problematic. And it's also the nature of
the work that you do. So think about therapists and
health care workers and school teachers, people who are in
(03:23):
the position of caring for others and needing to take
on extra work in these times of crisis. Also people
who have aging parents who you know, caregiving can look
like a lot of different things, and we don't we
forget that that people in healing roles are also humans
that need healing too. What are some of the tips
(03:46):
you have for us to get over this hump of
feeling burned out or lack of motivation. Yeah, the first
thing that I always recommend is taking a break, which
I know is kind of counterintuitive. You think that it's
better to just force yourself and charge ahead, but actually
taking breaks is what research shows the only way to
combat burnout. And it's not just a vacation, but breaks
(04:08):
throughout your day that that feeling of sustainability is what
is going to support you over time. We aren't robots
that can work. We have needs to and it's important
to take care of those so that when we are working,
we're showing up fully charged, and it also saves time
in the long run when we do that. Another thing
(04:29):
that I always recommend is setting boundaries. So sometimes the
amount of work that's on our plate, both at work
and at home is simply unrealistic. So instead of sacrificing
sleep or self care, or just sort of praying that
you'll magically get everything done, that you're superwoman, sometimes we
just have to knock things off of our to do
(04:50):
list altogether. Maybe you need to decline a project, maybe
you need to hire more help at home, Maybe you
need to delegate to others. Maybe you need to de
be a bunch of emails without even responding, or meet
with someone every other week instead of weekly, So it's
important to get creative around what those boundaries could look
like so that you are having a sustainable workload and
(05:15):
able to take those breaks. Well, that's great advice we
can all use starting right now. So here's something good
for today. The pandemic has disproportionately affected women in all circumstances,
but there are simple ways to avoid what Elizabeth calls
the three factors of burnout, cynicism, detachment, and emotional exhaustion.
(05:37):
First is to recognize what's causing the burnout. Caretaking, for instance,
can take on money forms, not only child rearing. Give
yourself credit for the amazing work you've done to make
it this far through these difficult times. Second, take a break.
As Elizabeth says, we aren't robots that can work. Remember
that you have needs to and building short daily breaks
(05:59):
into your teen can help you get more done in
the long run. Finally, don't be afraid to say no.
Only you can truly manage your own workload. As Elizabeth
tells us, sacrificing sleep and self care are counterproductive, but
by turning down extra projects or delegating tasks, you'll be
better able to take care of yourself. Thank you for listening,
(06:30):
and please share Today's Something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azzarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Care Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women podcast network and
I Heart Radio Have a Great Day. For more podcasts
(06:58):
from my heart Radio, check out the heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something good
(00:27):
for today. There's nothing normal about the new normal. For
the past year, so many of us have been working
extra long hours from home in close quarters with our families.
For women, especially working moms, that's a recipe for burnout.
But there is a cure and it could be easier
than you think. Today we'll find out how from wellness
(00:48):
expert Elizabeth Sue. Elizabeth is founder of Monday Vibes, a
personal growth newsletter that covers topics like mental health, career,
and relationships. She's gonna tell us who susceptible to burnout
and tips we can use to avoid it. Here's what
Elizabeth had to say, Thanks so much for joining us,
Thank you for having me. So, how has covid maade
(01:11):
burnout more of an issue for women? And why are
women so burned out right now? Yeah, there was a
study done by McKenzie and lean in not too long ago.
That said, one and four women are considering down shifting,
or leaving the workforce due to the added stress caused
by the pandemic siting. They were burned out from the
overwhelming demands of work at home, which I think is
(01:33):
a perfect reflection of what is happening. So in my research,
I looked at burnout specifically incorporate women. UM burnout has
three components cynicism, detachment, and emotional exhaustion. And emotional exhaustion
is what studies have found impacts women the most. So
(01:55):
if you think about COVID, this has made it a
thousand times we're for women. Caretaking responsibilities still falls heavily
on women, and I'm not just talking about you know, parenting, schoolwork, laundry,
but the emotional demands of keeping morale up being the
shoulder that people cry on, making sure that you, your family,
(02:15):
your team, your community is physically is doing okay, physically, mentally,
and spiritually. So I think it's important to realize that
caring for others takes many different forms, and that is
all work and work that's not compensated are valued in
our society, which contributes to that feeling of burnout. We
know that working moms have it especially hard, but do
(02:37):
women without children also experience burnout and what form does
it take? Yes? Absolutely, Oftentimes in organizations that don't adjust
their expectations, childless women are picking up this lack for
for others who have children or aren't as available. Um.
And it's also just in general time of workaholism that
(03:02):
has spikes since the start of the pandemic, with less travel,
more meetings, increased expectation to be always on since you
don't have built in excuses anymore for disconnecting, and that
can be really problematic. And it's also the nature of
the work that you do. So think about therapists and
health care workers and school teachers, people who are in
(03:23):
the position of caring for others and needing to take
on extra work in these times of crisis. Also people
who have aging parents who you know, caregiving can look
like a lot of different things, and we don't we
forget that that people in healing roles are also humans
that need healing too. What are some of the tips
(03:46):
you have for us to get over this hump of
feeling burned out or lack of motivation. Yeah, the first
thing that I always recommend is taking a break, which
I know is kind of counterintuitive. You think that it's
better to just force yourself and charge ahead, but actually
taking breaks is what research shows the only way to
combat burnout. And it's not just a vacation, but breaks
(04:08):
throughout your day that that feeling of sustainability is what
is going to support you over time. We aren't robots
that can work. We have needs to and it's important
to take care of those so that when we are working,
we're showing up fully charged, and it also saves time
in the long run when we do that. Another thing
(04:29):
that I always recommend is setting boundaries. So sometimes the
amount of work that's on our plate, both at work
and at home is simply unrealistic. So instead of sacrificing
sleep or self care, or just sort of praying that
you'll magically get everything done, that you're superwoman, sometimes we
just have to knock things off of our to do
(04:50):
list altogether. Maybe you need to decline a project, maybe
you need to hire more help at home, Maybe you
need to delegate to others. Maybe you need to de
be a bunch of emails without even responding, or meet
with someone every other week instead of weekly, So it's
important to get creative around what those boundaries could look
like so that you are having a sustainable workload and
(05:15):
able to take those breaks. Well, that's great advice we
can all use starting right now. So here's something good
for today. The pandemic has disproportionately affected women in all circumstances,
but there are simple ways to avoid what Elizabeth calls
the three factors of burnout, cynicism, detachment, and emotional exhaustion.
(05:37):
First is to recognize what's causing the burnout. Caretaking, for instance,
can take on money forms, not only child rearing. Give
yourself credit for the amazing work you've done to make
it this far through these difficult times. Second, take a break.
As Elizabeth says, we aren't robots that can work. Remember
that you have needs to and building short daily breaks
(05:59):
into your teen can help you get more done in
the long run. Finally, don't be afraid to say no.
Only you can truly manage your own workload. As Elizabeth
tells us, sacrificing sleep and self care are counterproductive, but
by turning down extra projects or delegating tasks, you'll be
better able to take care of yourself. Thank you for listening,
(06:30):
and please share Today's Something Good with others in your life.
This is Kim Azzarelli, co author of Fast Forward and
co founder of Seneca Women. To learn more about Seneca Women,
go to Seneca Women dot com or download the Seneca
Women app free in the app store. Care Something Good
is a production of the Seneca Women podcast network and
I Heart Radio Have a Great Day. For more podcasts
(06:58):
from my heart Radio, check out the heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.