As 2024 comes to a close, many employees may find that they are giving their attention to competing demands. From end of year deadlines and budgeting to holiday obligations and family commitments, employees can feel overwhelmed by the weight of managing it all. In fact, the concept of winding down feels more like a wish than a reality for many who may not be only feeling the stress of the holiday season, but dealing with burnout as well.

The following conversation between Cortney Holder (Director of Business Solutions, WPO) and Davizha White (EAP Counselor, WPO) is dedicated to those in the health and benefits community experiencing stress, overwhelm, and burnout this holiday season.

Cortney Holder, Director of Business Solutions (WPO)

Davizha White, MSW, LCSWA, EAP Counselor (WPO)

Cortney: Davizha, let’s start by talking about stress. Why is it such a big deal for professionals in fast-paced industries like health insurance and benefits.

Davizha: Thank you for that question, Cortney. I think that stress is something that happens to all of us. It’s something that is important to be mindful of, whether it’s good stress or bad stress, but specifically for a fast-paced, high stress environment for insurance brokers, it is important to be essentially intentional and mindful so that we can check our stress levels and decrease our stress levels when we notice them start to rise because it can lead to a number of other symptoms and issues like burnout and fatigue.

Cortney: There’s definitely a lot to unpack there, but let’s start with defining burnout.
What is it and how does it differ from employee fatigue?

Davizha: So, employee wellbeing is on a spectrum or continuum and burnout and fatigue are both up there. And I think they also are used interchangeably when they are really not the same thing. Burnout is a result of chronic and prolonged stress. It’s something you’ve been experiencing for months. It’s exhaustion. It’s where your body cannot mentally or physically handle the stress levels that you’re going through, and it leads to so many different things. Fatigue is a milder version of that where you can be stressed out, having a hard day. You may want to just pop on the couch after a long day of work and maybe a few extra days off from work will resolve that and you’re able to tackle the next day when you return. With burnout, it’s not that easy to do.

Cortney: That’s really important to define that. Thank you for explaining that Davizha. What would you say are some physical and emotional symptoms of burnout versus fatigue?

Davizha: With burnout, you’re definitely going to see the chronic and prolonged stress, maybe six months or more, and you’re going to be experiencing things like headaches. Maybe you’re having tightness in your chest a bit more. And then the emotional symptoms are going to be feeling like you’re pretty cynical. Maybe you used to enjoy time spent with colleagues but they irritate you now and you’re just having a very negative attitude about your work. That is a clear indicator of burnout symptoms.

Cortney: I’m glad you mentioned feeling it in your body. That may be tightness in the shoulders. It could be lower back pain. There could be a number of ways that it shows up with you physically, but I think one of the key things is a lot of people believe these little warning signs that our body sends us is like they’ll go away.

Davizha: Absolutely.

Cortney: Sometimes they don’t go away, and if you try to ignore it, it can get even worse.

Can you talk about things that might trigger burnout? And I want to hear your thoughts on remote versus hybrid work or people who are coming to the office now five days a week. How do you think that impacts burnout?

Davizha: Yes, those are both great things to highlight. With burnout, I think it’s easier to ignore. Like you said, we kind of just feel like those things will go away with time when burnout really isn’t that simple. When people who are working in a hybrid model or remotely, they have to be really mindful about separating themselves from work – being able to disconnect or unplug after a workday because otherwise we start to blur the lines.

We may have a working lunch and we are doing that too often, so we’re gonna be stressed out. You have looming deadlines, right? So, you’re thinking, let’s just get this last thing done and it’s not as simple as going home at the end of the day. When you’re working remotely, you’re in your home. You’re in your safe space. What I would really encourage people to do is during the day take those small breaks and get outside to change your environment. Get some fresh air. Things like that can be helpful for people working remotely and experiencing burnout.

Cortney: Those are very actionable tips. I like that. Let’s talk more about disconnecting.
Is disconnecting just a theoretical concept or are there more practical steps people can take to truly disconnect from work when they’re not at work?

Davizha: It’s certainly something that you can do. It is something that we often don’t think about, but it’s something that is necessary for a healthy work-life balance. I also comes from a matter of differentiating your priorities; putting a list of what is most important versus what’s not as important and what can be done at a later date.
Again, disconnecting for self-care doesn’t have to be as broad or as specific as having, you know, spa day pedicures. It can be as simple as just breathing. Drinking enough water. Eating. Taking the time out to eat during your lunch period. Writing in things that you can delegate to other people. That’s the thing that is helpful when it comes to disconnecting yourself from work, and those are the actionable steps that people can take.

Cortney: Delegating to other people is so important, and many of us are wearing the hero cape where we believe we have to be the one to fix it all. Nobody can do it like we can, and this is to our detriment.

Davizha: Right, exactly.

Cortney: And then we’re like, why are we so tired? Because you’ve been trying to do it all.

Davizha: Right.

Cortney: So, it’s good that you talk about delegating. I think that’s an important thing more people need to embrace. I know that all of this is incredibly challenging during the busy holiday season – maintaining work- life balance like you talked about. There are deadlines and family obligations. What else do you think our listeners can do to take care of their emotional wellbeing during this busy season?

Davizha: I would really encourage listeners to prioritize physical wellbeing because we can experience the high stress that sometimes becomes a clear indicator of those symptoms of burnout. So, getting enough sleep at night. Eating. Drinking water. Those are things that are important. So, just really prioritize your physical wellbeing. Notice what’s going on in your body. When you are feeling stressed, step away. Continuing until that deadline is met is only going to make you feel worse, so take a break if you can. You are doing things that will again also separate you from work, but also set healthy boundaries for yourself in the work environment.

Cortney: Taking a break is important. Earlier you talked about prioritizing things by urgency level and one of the ways that we can delegate is by categorizing them right. You might even want to prioritize something like how can I get higher quality sleep. Because some of us are sleeping, but we may not feel rested when we get up or we might still feel tired or waking up at two or three o’clock in the morning and you can’t go back to sleep.

Davizha: Right. 

Cortney: But those are all very actionable steps that you provided. So often people do think they have to go on this wellness retreat and spend thousands of dollars to get over the burnout. And it’s so much more than that. It’s everyday practices that we need to embrace and make a part of our daily habits.

Davizha: Right.

Cortney: And you talked about this earlier, but making sure that it’s realistic. Focusing on, for example, tasks that we can do. Drinking enough water. Maintaining sleep. Those things can take us very far, right?

Davizha: Yes, make it as simple as you need to. Again, I would highlight that being realistic is the most important thing and being intentional about it. If not, then you’re setting high goals for yourself that you’re just not meeting and you’re going to be disappointed with yourself when you don’t do it. So, if your self-care plan needs to be going outside to get fresh air, turning your phone off at the end of the day, and not allowing work things to impede that, that’s what your self-care plan is, and that’s okay. I think you set the small goals for yourself and once you achieve them, you can make them more robust. But for now just starting simple and being realistic with yourself is the way to go.

Cortney: Yeah, start small. Starting small is better than not starting at all.

Davizha: Right.

Cortney: That was great Davizha. I want to thank you for joining me in this wonderful discussion. Before we close off, I want to highlight Workplace Options’ wellbeing programs and trainings. Through customized programs and a comprehensive global network of credentialed and professionals, Workplace Options supports employees to become healthier, happier, and more productive at work.

Workplace Options also delivers learning events led by professional trainers on topics ranging from managing a multigenerational workforce to managing psychosocial risks in the workplace. For more information on a wellbeing program or trainings for your organization, contact us to learn more.

We invite you all to take this holiday wellness challenge and prioritize your mental health. We wish you a safe and peaceful holiday season. Until next time, take care.