Feeling Crispy? Johnson EAP Offers Tips for Identifying, Addressing Burnout

by Jackie Reese, Employee Assistance Program Director | 2024-11-19

Burnout has been a recent focus of leadership messages and workforce conversations at Johnson Space Center, and the Employee Assistance Program’s (EAP) stress and burnout-related workshop has been our most-requested program for the past several months. The term is used to describe a lot of different circumstances where we are tired of something (e.g., social media, fast food, politics), but the official definition of burnout is much more specific.

Burnout is an occupational disorder that results from attempts to manage too much demand with not enough resources, and the mental exhaustion, unintentional disengagement, and compromised health and well-being that follows. It is important to note that in these cases, an individual’s disengagement is not willful – it is simply the inability to maintain any traction in working on tasks due to the loss of focus that comes with burnout.

A stressed woman sits in front of her computer with her face in her hands.

The World Health Organization has added burnout to its International Classification of Diseases and states that:

“Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: 1) feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; 2) increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and 3) reduced professional efficacy. Burnout refers specifically to phenomena in the occupational context and should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

Burnout can have physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms including fatigue, poor sleep, poor concentration and focus, negative attitude, reduced performance, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed. Unlike other disorders, burnout is specific to the workplace, which means an individual’s disengagement and decreased performance do not occur in areas outside of work. For this reason, many people with burnout do not recognize it as such, will mask or minimize their struggles, and will try to work even harder. They often feel guilty, ashamed, or inept when they are not able to keep up with demand despite their best efforts. It is difficult to recognize burnout in high-performing workplaces like Johnson Space Center because drops in performance may be very small, and our culture is one in which many team members are personally driven to do more and work harder in service to the mission.

So, how do we address burnout? The first step is to recognize it and realize that if you are experiencing burnout, it is not your fault. Ask yourself:

Do you question the value of your work?
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started?
Do you feel removed from your work and the people you work with?
Have you lost patience with co-workers, customers, or clients?
Do you lack the energy to do your job well?
Is it hard to focus on your job?
Do you feel little satisfaction from what you get done?
Do you feel let down by your job?
Do you doubt your skills and abilities?
Are you using food, drugs, or alcohol to feel better or to numb how you feel?
Have your sleep habits changed?
Do you have headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints with no known cause?

If so, talk to your supervisor about what can be taken off your plate so you can manage the important tasks more effectively. Set limits on what you can and cannot realistically do. Take breaks, avoid working overtime, and take time off. Explore stress management tools to see what works for you.

A woman and a man wearing professional attire sit in a building lobby having a discussion.

The foundations of mental health are important and need to be a priority all the time, but especially when experiencing burnout:

Good nutrition and hydration
Good sleep and rest
Exercise – anything that gets you moving
Mindfulness, meditation, spiritual connection
Social support

Remember that if you are not well, nothing else matters. Make your self-care a priority.

If you need help developing a plan to address burnout, please reach out to the EAP. Johnson team members can contact the EAP by calling the office directly at (281) 483-6130 or emailing jsc-employeeassistanceprogram@mail.nasa.gov. Voluntary contacts with the EAP are kept confidential unless there is a need to prevent a clear imminent danger to yourself or others. Job and promotion opportunities are not jeopardized by a request for counseling or a referral from the EAP.