Almost every industry experiences burnout in some way other another. But these days I have been dealing with identifying and taking care of my own burnout.
In my digital marketing world traditonal worksplace stress gets amplified with its unique challenges: the need to be "always on" across multiple platforms, the pressure to constantly create fresh content, and the anxiety of campaigns that can succeed or fail in real-time.
Add in the blur between personal and professional social media presence, and it becomes nearly impossible for me to truly disconnect.
Which is why this week we have a guest post from Katy Owens while I embark on a mini digital detox.
I’m thrilled to have Katy share her insights on burnout prevention and values-based self-care. (She’s the first one I text to ask her if I am actually in burnout or if I need to just drink a glass of water.)
Her perspective as both a healthcare provider and someone who has navigated her own healing journey brings valuable depth to this important topic.
So without further ado here’s Katy’s blog:
Burnout seems to be quite the hot topic lately – and it’s no surprise. You will hear the phrase “Self care” thrown around a lot in the context of Burnout, but what does that actually mean?
While spa days and pedicures can be lovely (if you can indulge responsibly), that’s not the essence of self care. What I want you to consider is that true self-care involves setting reasonable boundaries on your ability to say “yes” to projects, engage energetically with friends and family, and carving out intentional time for your own interests. Setting boundaries is often a challenging topic in and of itself, so I want to take a step back and start with examining our Core Values.
When I think about core values, I turn to an expert: Berné Brown. She has pioneered research on shame and vulnerability and the impact these emotions have on our lives, and she also has contributed so much to topics including values exploration. I often complete her Living into Our Values exercises during presentations with other occupational therapists as well as with clients.
I highly recommend following this link for the full instructions and downloadable PDFs, but we’ll break it down here as well. https://brenebrown.com/resources/living-into-our-values/
First, what is a core value? A core value is a foundation on which you can base life decisions. Think of concepts like honesty, authenticity, or community. When we can identify these core values, we are able to use them to guide our decision making and boundary setting. If I say that authenticity is one of my core values, and someone asks me to run an ad on my social media supporting a product that is not evidence based, or not something I ever would use personally, it’s easy for me to say no to the offer because I understand that it’s not in line with one of my core values. Without clear core values, it would be much easier for me to say yes to an opportunity that might make me money but leave me feeling taken advantage of in the long run.
Consider actions that you have taken in the past, and how these could be examples of living into your core values. Then, take a moment to think of actions or scenarios where you might be led to acting outside of your core values. So, if you identify Family as a core value, what actions to you take to reinforce or live that value in your day-to-day life? Are there instances when you find yourself putting your core value second, maybe by picking up an extra shift at work when you could be at home with your kids or missing a school concert for an important client meeting.
You can see that life often provides us with opportunities to test our core values, and we get to decide how we are best living into them. Maybe the client meeting is essential be able to reach a certain income goal to facilitate a much-needed family vacation.
Only by identifying and exploring our core values can we know how best to make difficult decisions. Once you have a handle on your core values, we can return to the idea of setting boundaries on our time, energy, money and more. Let your core values guide how you respond to asks, and know that you are making the correct decision to support your goals and vision. It will take practice to use your core values as a guide, but it gets easier over time.
Burnout is such a hot topic right now because so many people are feeling overwhelmed and seeing support and a way to lighten the load. Take this blog post as a sign that you are not alone. I encourage you to seek support from friends, family, spiritual groups, or professionals as needed. Preventing and managing burnout is a topic much larger than one blog post, but I encourage you to complete this as a first step towards management.
About Katy
I work as an acute care occupational therapist in Northern Colorado and also own an occupational therapy private practice specializing in pain management. I earned my Master’s in Occupational Therapy from Colorado State University, where I was honored to receive the distinction of Outstanding Grad Student of the Class of 2022 from the College of Health and Human Services.
Before starting my career as an occupational therapist, I served in the United States Coast Guard. An injury and my subsequent rehabilitation sparked my interest in occupational therapy and fueled my passion for advocating a biopsychosocial approach to pain management combined with an occupation-based approach.
I had the opportunity to present at the Colorado State Association Annual Conference in both 2023 and 2024. I was also selected from a wide pool of applicants to speak at the UCHealth 2024 Symposium, where I shared with fellow therapy practitioners and other medical professionals the value of OT in pain management and the biopsychosocial model of pain.
Connect With Katy:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-owens-ot/
