244: Why Burnout Is An Epidemic and 3 Steps to Feeling Better Now

The festive season is upon us! And while this time of year is traditionally dedicated to friends, family, and celebrations, it is often accompanied by stress and looming deadlines. It is also the time of year when many of us feel the very real effects of burnout, especially after laboring under consistently high levels of stress for most of the year.

Today on the solo podcast episode, I take a closer look at the prevalence of burnout in modern culture today. I break down the reasons why I believe burnout to be an epidemic today (and research supports that belief) and offer advice on what can be done to address and prevent it.

In my recent Forbes article Why Burnout Is An Epidemic and 3 Powerful Ways to Address it, I outline my observations and provide strategies and tips for shifting our behaviors and habits in ways that pave the way for reduced stress and burnout, and allow for more self-care, and emotional and physical restoration. Listeners who wish to do further exploration on this topic and learn more about how to “find brave” every day to build a happier, more rewarding and fulfilling life and career on your own authentic terms, can find helpful support in my latest book, The Most Powerful You.

Today, you’ll hear a breakdown of how a confluence of unprecedented factors — such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in remote work — have contributed to new highs in burnout rates. I unpack some key psychological concepts that important to understand, including perfectionistic over-functioning and its effects, and I explain how these habits affect our loved ones and contribute significantly to burnout. I also discuss how we can learn to identify what is within our control (and what isn’t) and begin to shift our habits and address burnout head on, in our own daily lives.

 

It may seem that there is simply too much outside of our control to enact meaningful change within our lives. But by making small tweaks to your mindset and introducing calming, self-restoring and balancing rituals, you can learn to identify small changes that make a big difference. To learn more about this important subject and how to create real and lasting positive change, don’t miss this episode, especially now, as we embark on a new holiday season. 

 

Key Highlights From This Episode: 

• Kathy’s definition of burnout and the symptoms that can arise as a result. [03:15]
• Why we are experiencing an epidemic of burnout. [04:03]
• The concept of perfectionistic over-functioning and how it is affecting women. [06:13]
• How to gain greater awareness so you can make greater choices. [08:21]
• Understanding the changes that have happened in your life to lead you to experience burnout. [10:21]
• How to determine which stressors are in your control, and which are not. [11:53]
• What you can do to address the stressors that are in your control. [13:51]
• How therapeutic support can help if you are feeling depressed or burnt out. [17:18]
• How to value yourself and your well-being 10% more. [22:40]
• Why we aren’t doomed to a condition of burnout. [26:07]

 

For More Information: 

Kathy Caprino

Kathy Caprino on LinkedIn

Kathy Caprino on YouTube

Kathy Caprino on Instagram

Kathy Caprino on Twitter

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: 

Get your copy of Kathy’s book The Most Powerful You

Check out Kathy’s Forbes article, Why Burnout Is An Epidemic and 3 Powerful Ways to Address it

Access the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, aamft.org

For a helpful locator of a marriage and family therapist in your area, visit the AAMFT therapist locator

Get smarter in just five minutes with the Uptime app!

Learn how your relationship with parents who were narcissists could be contributing to your Perfectionistic Over-Functioning. Read the helpful book, Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers

KEY RESOURCES FOR CAREER AND LEADERSHIP GROWTH

The Most Powerful You, Now in Paperback and on Uptime!

My book The Most Powerful You (which is being translated into Arabic, Chinese and Polish) has now been published in paperback! And it’s being featured in Uptime, an app that offers 5-minute summaries (or “hacks” as they call them) with key insights and powerful action steps from the world’s best books.

To check out the Uptime app on your phone, use the link bit.ly/uptimeMostPowerfulYou.

 

Ready to Take Your Professional Life and Leadership to the Next Level? Take Kathy’s training and Become The Most Powerful You!

In reading a great deal about leadership today, and interviewing top leadership experts, I’m recognizing a disappointing trend - that the general concept and understanding of leadership has become so vague and watered down that most of it isn’t helpful at all, and it’s not suited to a majority of women who want to lead differently.

The Most Powerful You training goes deeper. It helps you recognize and understand more about yourself as a person and the leader you want to be, then take empowering, transformative actions to operate in your role in a way that takes your leadership and your career higher, making the impact you dream to. If you truly want to help your team, staff and organization become “The Most Powerful We,” this is the right training for you. 

Take this course individually or bring it to your workforce and teams today!

Click here for more information.

And stay tuned in January for news of the open enrollment of Kathy’s new LIVE 8-week training/coaching course on how to close the 7 power gaps and thrive at the highest level in your career and professional life! 

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Calling all coaches! 

Do you run a coaching business that focuses on supporting professional women? If so, I’ve got some exciting news about supporting your coaching growth, success, and impact.

Right now, we’re opening the enrollment of my private (1:1) coaching training program called The Amazing Career Coach Certification, which is a 17-week, hands-on training program that certifies female coaches in my proprietary 16-step career growth model, which is perfect for coaches who want a deeper dive into learning powerful, proven coaching frameworks, concepts, and skills that teach the 16 most essential steps to building an amazing career that your clients need to know. And this training will help you become far more effective and impactful in supporting women to thrive today in their jobs, roles, and careers.

And through the program, you’ll get access to a powerful Small Business Acceleration program called The Rapid Growth Academy, delivered by my friend and colleague, award-winning business growth expert Matthew Pollard.

Through Matthew’s program, you’ll be taught critical business and sales growth info that will help you grow your business success in the quickest way possible.

In my view, there’s nothing on the market like for both new and more seasoned coaches because it targets the two critical aspects of success: how you support your clients to thrive, and just as importantly, how to grow your own business to the next level.

For more information, visit certification.amazingcareerproject.com and check out the details. Join me this Winter!

 

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Order Kathy’s book The Most Powerful You today!

In Australia and New Zealand, click here to order, elsewhere outside North America, click here, and in the UK, click here.

If you enjoy the book, we’d so appreciate your giving the book a positive rating and review on Amazon! And check out Kathy’s digital companion course The Most Powerful You, to help you close the 7 most damaging power gaps in the most effective way possible. 

Kathy’s Power Gaps Survey, Support To Build Your LinkedIn Profile To Great Success & Other Free Resources

Kathy’s TEDx Talk, Time To Brave Up & Free Career Path Self-Assessment

Kathy’s Amazing Career Project video training course & 6 Dominant Action Styles Quiz

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Sponsor Highlight

I'm thrilled that both Audible.com and Amazon Music are sponsors of Finding Brave! Take advantage of their great special offers and free trials today!

Audible Offer

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Quotes: 

“The deal is you cannot change or address that which you're not aware of.” — @kathycaprino [0:08:36]

“What makes you most stressed, worried, and anxious? If you woke up tomorrow, and you weren't stressed and anxious, how would you know?” — @kathycaprino [0:10:08]

“There are a lot of (negative) words that are thrown around about people who seek therapy, but they're mistaken. You need to be strong to admit you need help. That's strong. That's brave. That's not weak.” — @kathycaprino [0:18:19]

“If you don't have 10% more to give to yourself, you are stuck in a cycle of over-functioning and being a martyr.” — @kathycaprino [0:24:57]

“We're not doomed to a condition of burnout.” — @kathycaprino [0:26:07]

“It's probably more than just a tiny tweak. It's a consistent change. It's a consistent change in your mindset. It's a consistent change in how you feel about yourself and how you love yourself and how you accept yourself and validate yourself and honor yourself.” — @kathycaprino [0:26:58]

Watch our Finding Brave episodes on YouTube!

Don’t forget—you can experience each Finding Brave episode in both audio and video formats! Check out new and recent episodes on my YouTube channel at YouTube.com/kathycaprino. And please leave us a comment and a thumbs up if you like the show!