Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Feeling Burned Out at Work? Here Are Some Tips to Feel Better

Image of Feeling burned out? Tips to understand and avoid burnout. . To avoid burnout, experts recommend taking stock of your work-life balance and making the time to engage in leisure, fun activities, sports, and hobbies you enjoy. (Photo: U.S. Army Maj. Demietrice Pittman)

Feelings of burnout are common – when work and other demands in your life get too intense, or if you don't get enough time to rest, you can start feeling physically, emotionally, or mentally exhausted.

The symptoms are real, yet doctors say burnout is not a clinical disorder.

"It's not a diagnosable condition," said Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel Gross, flight commander at the 633rd Medical Group at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, in Hampton, Virginia.

Instead, it is "a syndrome that results in response to running out of energy and emptying the tank," Gross said. It occurs when an individual has an imbalance between "responsibility and task compared to the opportunity to rest and recharge."

Some service members may be at high risk for burnout, regardless of their career field, especially when individual or unit "op-tempo" gets very high.

The good news is that burnout can be mitigated. There are numerous steps that individuals and leaders can take to reduce burnout and its impact.

Diagnosing Burnout

How can you tell if you're burned out?

"You might see reduced stress tolerance, increased irritability, decreased job performance, or relationship stress as a result of running on empty as a result of burning out," Gross said.

Additionally, you might be at risk for burning out when you don't take time to take care of yourself, set emotional boundaries, or establish a healthy work-life balance, said Nancy Skopp, a clinical psychologist and lead researcher for the Health Services & Population Research program at the Defense Health Agency's Psychological Health Center of Excellence.

There are three "key dimensions" of burnout, she says:

  1. An overwhelming exhaustion.
  2. Feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job.
  3. A sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.

Skopp describes burnout as an "individual stress experience within a social context."

Burnout "appears to be particularly common in unsupportive work environments characterized by low morale and teamwork, inefficient workplace processes, excessive workloads, and negative leadership behavior," Skopp explained.

Any part of the military community can pose a risk for burnout.

"Every career field has unique challenges and unique resources," Gross said. "I don't know that there's one particular area, which is at greater risk or vulnerability."

What Can Leaders Do?

It's especially important that leaders pay attention to their teams.

Leaders should make sure that they "have a good understanding of the demands on their troops," Gross said, and that "they do a good job of helping mitigate that burden on their troops, at the same time as managing the downtime and the recovery time for their troops."

Skopp says some tips for leaders trying to minimize burnout might include:

  • Monitor work environment and morale
  • Cultivate workplace cohesion and a culture of teamwork
  • Use rewards and incentives in a consistent and fair manner
  • Provide resources to promote self-care
  • Monitor workloads and ensure enough time in the workday to complete required tasks
  • Reduce inefficient workplace processes
  • In some cases, a key step might be asking a simple question.

"Ask them what they need and help them to get it," Gross suggests.

"All too often, I think that, as leaders, we give airmen what we think they need in order to be okay, and what we think they needed is not what they need."

Noticing Burnout

It's important that individuals recognize the symptoms of burnout and address them when needed.

"When a person begins to notice fatigue, physical and mental exhaustion, poor motivation, and emotional withdrawal, these are signs to seek help and guidance from a mentor or mental health professional," Skopp said.

It's also important for colleagues, friends, and family to support people who might be displaying those symptoms, Skopp said.

Symptoms may vary among individuals.

For example, you might have a person who's very outgoing and gregarious who becomes withdrawn and quiet. "That could be a sign that they're burning out," Gross said.

"But you also might have a person that's always just a quiet person, so that person being quiet wouldn't necessarily be a sign that they're burning out," he said.

Key warning signs would include "a marked negative change in mood or interpersonal interactions or ... decreased work performance," Gross said.

Skopp said "irritability and frustration" are also signs of burnout. And since workplace problems often can "bleed" into a person's personal life, burnout can fuel negative behaviors such as alcohol misuse, overeating, or prompt withdrawal from healthy activities socializing or exercise, Skopp said.

Self-care

Individuals should try to take care of themselves to prevent or reduce burnout. Skopp provided the following tips:

  • Eat well – maximize nutrition, minimize processed foods
  • Make time for relaxation, leisure, and fun activities
  • Exercise regularly – even if it's just 10 or 15 minutes on a busy day
  • Develop good sleep habits – aim for between seven and nine hours and set up a wind-down ritual to facilitate rest
  • Establish protective boundaries and respect your emotional needs
  • Separate work life and personal life
  • Cultivate a sense of humor
  • Build strong working relationships with co-workers
  • Recognize the signs of distress and seek help when needed

If you or someone you care about feels burned out, talk to your health care provider or someone you trust for help. Find out how to optimize your performance to prevent burnout and reach total force fitness by connecting your eight dimensions of fitness.

You also may be interested in...

Transformed U.S. Army Pharmacy Readiness Training Course Enhances Force Sustainment for Future Combat Operations

Article Around MHS
5/31/2023
U.S. Army Capt Lauren Kaminski of Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson and U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Rosalinda Bermea-Arriaga from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, log controlled substance medications in the pharmacy at the training field hospital at Camp Bullis, Texas. Proper management of controlled substances is vital to the safety, security, and legal compliance of our forces. (Courtesy photo)

U.S. Army pharmacists and pharmacy specialists from across the country traveled to Camp Bullis, Texas, this week to participate in a 40-hour deployment readiness course hosted by the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence. The course is designed to prepare personnel to provide efficient pharmaceutical in an austere, multi-domain, large-scale operating environment.

Good Sleep is Key to Heart Health

Article
5/30/2023
Good Sleep is Key to Heart Health

How regularly you sleep, not just the length of sleep, has a connection to your heart health.

Changes in Behavior, Personality or Mood Following Concussion/mTBI Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet
5/22/2023

This TBICoE fact sheet can be used by health care providers to educate patients with a concussion, or mild TBI, on how to manage changes in mood related to their injury. Patients and caregivers would also find this information useful.

Medical Exercise Certifies Mission Ready Casualty Receiving Treatment Ship

Article Around MHS
5/16/2023
U.S. Navy sailors from Fleet Surgical Team 6 treat a simulated patient aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan in the operating room during a medical mass casualty drill. Sailors from USS Bataan and Fleet Surgical team 6 participated in an all-day medical training evolution to increase operational readiness. (Photo by U.S. Navy Mass Comm.  Spc. Seaman Apprentice Levi Decker)

Sailors from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Portsmouth enhanced a casualty receiving treatment and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and conducted a three-day certification exercise as part of a continued commitment to mission readiness, March 21.

Local Health Care Partners are Critical to Blanchfield’s Medical Mission

Article Around MHS
5/3/2023
U.S. Army Col. Vincent B. Myers, commander of Blanchfield Army Community Hospital talks with TRICARE network providers from the local community about the hospital's medical mission during a network partner event on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on April 13. Regional TRICARE contractors provide health care services and support beyond what's available at military hospitals and clinics for eligible beneficiaries. (Photo by Fred Holly, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital)

Army Medicine, Defense Health Agency, and TRICARE East region contractor Humana Military representatives welcomed local TRICARE network health care providers to the Sabalauski Air Assault School on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on April 13.

Ultimate Caduceus 2023 Tests Defense Health Agency Readiness in Emergencies

Article
4/27/2023
Ultimate Caduceus 2023 Tests Defense Health Agency Readiness in Emergencies

For the first time, medical representatives from the Defense Health Agency participated in a combatant command movement exercise, the Ultimate Caduceus 2023 held in March. The objective was to test the Department of Defense’s aeromedical evacuation and critical care transport capabilities.

86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Makes History

Article Around MHS
4/20/2023
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brendon Bowman, 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight examiner and emergency medical paramedic, unloads medical equipment from a C-21 Learjet at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.  (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Jordan Lazaro)

The 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron embarks on the U.S. Air Force’s first-ever AE paramedic-led flight in charge of an all-enlisted medical crew.

Project 112 SHAD

FAQs
4/19/2023

Questions and answers about Project 112 SHAD

Human Subject Research at Fort Detrick

FAQs
4/19/2023

Questions and answers about Human Subject Research at Ft. Detrick

New Center a ‘Seismic Shift’ in Army Fitness

Article Around MHS
4/7/2023
U.S. Army Col. Kent Solheim, 165th Infantry Brigade commander, pauses for a moment while climbing a rope during the “Kay Workout of the Day” at the Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center. (Photo by Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office)

The Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center, “represents a seismic shift” towards how the U.S. Army approaches how troops are trained, evaluated, and sustained, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, Fort Jackson’s commander. “It is an investment in individual soldier preparedness.” The Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center, “represents a seismic shift” towards how the U.S. Army approaches how troops are trained, evaluated, and sustained, said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, Fort Jackson’s commander. “It is an investment in individual soldier preparedness.” U.S. Army Col. Kent Solheim, 165th Infantry Brigade commander, pauses for a moment while climbing a rope during the “Kay Workout of the Day” on March 24 at the Drill Sergeant Timothy Kay Soldier Performance Readiness Center. The workout was part of the facility's grand opening. (Photo by Robert Timmons, Fort Jackson Public Affairs Office)

New Training Course Offers Medics and Nurses Hands-On Experience in Austere Environment

Article Around MHS
3/14/2023
U.S. Army Capt. Morgan Bobinski and U.S. Army Capt. Lauren Blake, burn intensive care unit nurses, treat a simulated patient during the Tactical Trauma Reaction and Evacuation Crossover Course at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. (Photo by Jason W. Edwards, U.S. Army)

Battlefield trauma simulations, evacuation procedures, and trauma care are just a few of the scenarios that medics and nurses experience in a new training platform. Find out what makes the TTREX course so impressive that participants are volunteering to teach it.

Medical Capability Development Integration Directorate: Training Vital to Army Health System

Article Around MHS
3/9/2023
Multinational partners conduct medical training as a part of Project Convergence 2022 at Fort Irwin, California on Nov. 6, 2022.  (Photo by U.S. Spc. Collin S. MacKown)

The Medical Capability Development Integration Directorate is critical to sustaining the motto of the Army Medical Department: “To Conserve the Fighting Strength.”

Operation Blue Horizon Fosters a Joint Medical Environment

Article Around MHS
2/24/2023
U.S. Air Force, Army and U.S. Navy service members carry a mannequin to an Army UH-60 Blackhawk for a casualty evacuation during Operation Blue Horizon 2023 at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Derrick Bole)

They say teamwork makes the dream work, and it's happening at MacDill AFB. Find out how Airmen and Sailors are collaborating to save lives.

Medical Surveillance Monthly Report Volume 30 Number 2, February 2023

Report
2/1/2023

This issue of the peer-reviewed monthly journal published by the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD) features the articles: Changing of the Guard: MSMR’s Second Editor-in-Chief Retires; Brief Report: Hospitalizations Among Active Duty Members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Fiscal Year 2021; Historical Perspective: The Critical Role of Disease and Non-Battle Injuries in Soldiers Isolated on Pacific Islands During the Second World War; From the Editor’s Desk.

FLOTEX-22

Photo
1/31/2023
U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Dante Horner, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, performs tactical combat casualty care during Spanish FLOTEX-22 near Rota, Spain, June 9, 2022. This exercise features tactical level actions ashore, combined with joint training and planning, aimed at increasing overall bilateral interoperability between nations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman Dante Horner, a corpsman with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, performs tactical combat casualty care during Spanish FLOTEX-22 near Rota, Spain, June 9, 2022. This exercise features tactical level actions ashore, combined with joint training and planning, aimed at increasing overall bilateral interoperability between nations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Megan Ozaki)

Page 1 of 43 , showing items 1 - 15
First < 1 2 3 4 5  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: February 01, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery