Preventing Burnout

[BJCooperIT]

Some of you may have read several threads I have started in the past few weeks and may be aware of my situation. For those of you who don't here is a brief recap. I am a consultant on a state government contract. I have been put in an impossible position to achieve a relatively simple task that circumstances prevent me from doing. I care a great deal about my work and not being accomplish this is a major stress factor. Compounding this are some family medical issues at home (I travel to my contract on Sunday night, about 250 miles, and home again on Friday afternoon).

I have been in the business long enough to recognize burnout and it is definitely chasing me down the street. Quiting is not an option at this time. Last year I was out of work for 5 months and there still is not much work out there in my state. I was lucky to snag this contract and the hourly rate is good. I need to work and this job was a godsend when it came along.

I know about documenting the problems and my boss is well-informed of the situation here. So it does not seem there is much that can be done to make the 9-5 hours better. So, outside of finding a new job, how do I prevent burnout? I find humor helps but it only goes so far...

So stress-busters anyone?

select * from Life where Brain is not null

Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000
^{When posting code, please use TGML to help readability. Thanks!}

 

[drdebit]

a) Church is helpful to me. Wed night church at contract town?

b) Possible to bail with the family somewhere on a Saturday?
Don't know if "medical" and "kid schedules" permit and
know "more travel" probably not cool for you-but if they could get ready Friday and you could do a SHORT jaunt on Saturday, Holiday Inn w swimming pool, movie-park-museum, nice meal back home Sun AM back to contract Sun PM.
Removed from both your work and dog/cat/yard/uncleaned kids rooms etc.

 

[sleipnir214]

"sleeper" practical jokes.

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

TANSTAAFL!

 

[drdebit]

The other thing I would ask is if there is anything you can do to rethink your attitudes about your situation?

I guess maybe i'm trying to say that it is my personal experience that a person can become very bitter, critical, stubborn, unforgiving, and so on; creating a very stressful emotional environment for themselves as part of the response to circumstances and people around them.

I know this is very flip and easy to say when I'm not in the situation but I can't do a better job of explaining what I'm trying to say without being more personal than I care to be in this public a forum - my feeling is that humor just glosses stuff over, if you could find some attitude changes to make, it might help at a more permanent level.

 

[SF0751]

If your schedule and lifestyle permits, I would suggest some quality time AWAY from anything and everything else.

It can be anything to a few hours or a night away from the spouse and children, to a weekend spent at a cozy bed and breakfast or an out-of-the-way camping site. As long as it is out of your normal routine and you don't spend any time discussing (or even thinking about) the things that are stressing you out.

I've found for myself, that if I can lock myself in the bathroom for 2 hours, with a gallon of Mr. Bubble, a "fluff" romance novel, and some chocolate, I can endure just about anything. If I'm really stressed, I add a glass of wine (or two!) to the supply list.

My husband's "stress-buster" is to escape to the lake with his fishing gear. Sometimes he comes home with a catch, sometimes not - but what he doesn't come home with is the stress and anxity that he left with. Again, it's whatever you enjoy, as long as it is outside your normal routine.

Good luck!


Susan
Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer. - Mark Twain

 

[flapeyre]

I'm on the same wavelength as drdebit; I sing in the choir (with my wife) at church (she's a school librarian).

On occasion I will help out the music director by sequencing songs into the computer, burning practice CD's for the choir, etc. Still work, mind you, but non-stressful work.

The secret to bleeding off stress for me is knowing when to log off.

Start ==> Shut Down once in a while. Make sure you get enough sleep, whatever you do. Resist the temptation to log on from home (unless you telecommute or it's an emergency).


"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for here you have been, and there you will always long to return."

--Leonardo da Vinci

 

[sha76]

The thing that really works for me is having a swim every morning before work (and luckily going in earlier cuts so much time off my commute that I only need to get up 10 minutes earlier!), but I think the main thing is definitely having "me time", whether it's sport, pampering, reading, staring at a nice view or whatever and you need to schedule it into your day/week & make a commitment to stick with it (yes, this can make it seem like another chore to start with, but that soon changes!).

Sharon

 

[DonQuichote]

BJCooperIT,

I'd suggest you do look for another job. Just to keep your options open. The looking itself can relieve you from stress and, frankly, that's the way to take away the source of your stress. You need a way out of this situation, so create one.

In another thread you mentioned that you have no problems with you (consulting) company. But as long as your boss does nothing after he is well-informed, I think you do have a problem there. My personal suggestion: have a good chat again with your boss and convince him that the situation is really more than an inconveniance and that it will cost you your health.

If he respects you and your work, I'm sure he will try to help. If he has no suggestions, the personnel department of your company might have.

If really nobody at your company wants to help, it's time to quit.

Best regards

 

[CajunCenturion]

I think you need a diversion, one that allows you to remove all thoughts of the job and allow you to relax and enjoy what your doing.

The previously mentioned ideas of getting involved in Church activities like singing in the choir are great ideas. Athletics is also a great diversion, as is fishing. My personal favororites are playing golf and woodworking.

The idea of looking for another job is certainly worth considering for a number of reasons, but it also may increase stress by einforcing the notion of you being trapped, considering the state of the economy and IT markets. I would certainly keep your eyes open for other opportunities, but I would not consider that as a reasonable stress-busting activity.

Whatever your hobbies and passions lie (outside of the IT) are where I think you'll find the stress-busters.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[jrbarnett]

Hi

Make sure that you take your tea/coffee breaks in the morning and afternoon as well as your full lunch entitlement during working days. Take them away from your desk, if necessary go out of the building that you are located in.
This is especially important if you are in any sort of customer facing role where they could phone up, email or drop in on you.

John

 

[KornGeek]

There are several good stress-busting techniques listed above. One of the best, IMHO, is exercise. Not only does it help remove stress, but it helps get your body healthier in the process. A punching bag can be one of the best stress relievers. I mean a real punching bag, not a spouse/sibling/co-worker/intern that you use as punching bag. Those relieve stress as well, but can lead to other problems.

However, I have a question for all of you. What should you do when stress-relief stops preventing burn-out? I have been in the situation of complete frustration over my work, and despite working off the stress, the feeling of impending failure can lead to rapid burnout. How can this be avoided, and what are some suggestions for recovering from burnout?

 

[drdebit]

korngeek
In my opinion, there comes a time when you have to go.
I don't get jobs easily, so when I have one, leaving is an act of desperation, but sometimes....

Once upon a time, after several months of unemployment, I took a job finding jobs for computer programming students.
The job started with horrendous piles of paperwork and dealing with interpersonal issues between students and teachers. It went on to require marketing skills which I did not have very well developed. It concluded with a need to place high percentages of students, regardless of their aptitude, in order to maintain accreditations. I found myself, like our thread originator, in an impossible situation-I had to get out-but I'd used up all my money during prior unemployment so I suffered for awhile-and then found an out (in a company which went broke-but that's another story.).

In short-sometimes you just have to jump and fight the battles as they come.

 

[BJCooperIT]

Thanks for all your responses.

drdebit:
Church is a possibility I will consider.

Short jaunt is a wonderful idea, but not realistic at this time. I have to travel 8.5 hours to pick up my dad from the hospital this weekend and bring him to our home (another 8.5 hours) & I will be on a short leash for a while. *Then*, I have to drive back to the contract.

Actually my attitude is pretty good and I am still striving for success. The problem is that my blood pressure is out of control, I am sleeping too much, and I am starting to make mistakes. For instance, in my original post I said that I travel 250 miles. That is incorrect (sorry all), I drive 150 miles which on the interstate takes about 2 1/2 hours. Somehow in my mind I translated the 2 1/2 hours to 250 miles. That is the kind of mistake I make when the job is stressing.

SF0751:
It already feels like I *am* away from everything...talking to my husband each weeknight is the only thing that keeps me connected to my family. A long aromatherapy bath definitely on my agenda!

flapeyre:
Start ==> Shut Down" is advice I really need to take.

sha76:
I would like to find an art class to take. Good advice.

DonQuichote:
My job search agents are all active. I do have one possibility in the works but it may not materialize, and if it does it will be after my deadline here. My personal problem is that most employers here who need Oracle Forms skills also want Unix and Oracle Applications (I have neither as a Windows custom forms developer). I can go back to my previous government client and work for them in an OPS position (not guaranteed to continued funding and has no benefits) at about 60% of my current hourly rate. I am considering it but failing this contract will cost my current client several million taxpayer dollars. I cannot reconcile myself to causing that.

What we need here is a long discussion of consulting in a government environment - fodder for another thread. The problem is, as a consultant, my time is rented out to a client. What the client chooses to do with my time is out of the consulting firm's control. As long as I am billing hours the consulting firm is happy. It is my client's heirarchy in the state government that is causing the problems (no support from the IT group).

CajunCenturion:
I enjoy reading and arts & crafts, but my eyestrain level is high right now and I cannot do this at night. I am listening to books on tape and am totally addicted.

jrbarnett:
Good point. I usually eat at my desk at lunch, take no breaks, and "work" right through. This is because I try to get most of my 40 hours in from Monday-Thursday between 7:00am-6:00pm (client's hours). This frees me up early on Friday for the travel home. On this contract "work" often equates to looking busy because the client has me "handcuffed" as far I getting real work done.

KornGeek:
Punching is not realistic for me (arthritis in hands) but I understand it is a good release. Recovering from burnout? Bermuda, definitely a Bermuda bed & breakfast.

select * from Life where Brain is not null

Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000
^{When posting code, please use TGML to help readability. Thanks!}

 

[drdebit]

bjcooper
after reading your last post something else popped into my mind--
again-if you still have awhile in your contract town--and extending the helping hand is important to you-maybe you could find a community service activity to help with for awhile.
Scouts? if girl scouts have a variety of badges like boy scouts do, you might be able to help some girls with direction to get a badge they might not otherwise be able to figure out?

Help with an evening meal at a soup kitchen?

clothing distribution programs at a church?

That could be a two edged sword - the wrong one could be an additional drain like your job and your dad

but the right one might offset some of the mental intensity of following tape books, the emotional strain of the job, and sleep as a drug by letting you see quick results in someone's life of help extended.

I don't know what's right-just wanted to pass on the idea.

Wish you the best.

 

[BJCooperIT]

Thanks drdebit...point well taken. Many years ago I used to do adult literacy tutoring at my local library. I got as much from it as my student did. While I cannot make a long-term commitment, occasional volunteer work might be possiblility.

select * from Life where Brain is not null

Consultant/Custom Forms & PL/SQL - Oracle 8.1.7 - Windows 2000
^{When posting code, please use TGML to help readability. Thanks!}

 

[Lozbinator]

Hi All,

Those are all great suggestions and I hope that they can be effectively used to make life easier.

Reading this thread has made me want to ask you all, what would you consider to be the signs of burnout ?

(Just a question from a young, naive programmer).

 

[CajunCenturion]

Signs of Burnout

I think the first sign is a Lack of Self-Motivation. You no longer look forward to doing what you usually enjoy doing. When you have to force yourself to do the job. You tend put things off without a valid reason.

Other signs may include a lack of concentration, or failure to stay focused on the task at hand. A general apathy towards work, but not one towards your employer.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[Lozbinator]

Thats helpful. Very interesting.

What happens if you feel apathetic towards everything - work, employer, and even the list of things you're supposed to do to avoid burnout?

And does anybody know of any physical side effects?

 

[jrbarnett]

Last year I spent 5 months working as a temp in IT support covering for somebody who was off sick with stress.
He had no spouse or family or other home life to do so and was routinely doing 3 hours unpaid overtime every evening, although some of it was refurbishing old systems to give to charity. The fact that he lived 10 minutes walk from work made it easy to do this, with no need to think about public transport issues.

The reason he did this without thinking about it was that it gave him something to do, and also helped keep the workload down.
Since then I have tried my utmost to ensure anybody I know makes sure they arrive and leave on time and take breaks and lunch.
The fact that many people would approach us in the canteen to ask computer questions didn't help matters; the IT people ended up eating out every day. Yes, it was more expensive in purchase price but worth it for our health.

John

 

[Lozbinator]

Thanks alot everyone, very informative. Being relatively new to full-time IT work means I have a lot to learn about so many things like this, and you've all helped.

Of course if anybody else has anything useful to add then I'm still interested to read more.

Lozbinator.