From mental burnout to mental workout – Changing careers in later life

Who hasn’t dreamt about changing their career? Sometimes it’s related to a sense of overwork and chronic stress.  Sometimes it’s related to wanting more fulfilling callings. The Covid-19 pandemic has given people a chance to reflect on what they want out of their lives. The monotony of enforced hibernation over the last 18 months without the interaction with colleagues has encouraged some people to press the pause button. A lucrative but stressful career that leads to anxiety and feeling overloaded has led some employees to think “what am I doing to myself?”

Burnout is the name given to the host of symptoms caused by an overwhelming stressful environment. These symptoms include, stomach problems, headaches, fatigue, palpitations as well as the psychological effects such as hypervigilance, listlessness, loss of motivation and depression. The impact of burnout is not just how we function in our jobs but can also influence our relationships outside of work. We reach a tipping point and start to question our place in the world and what we want. Eventually those characteristics of burnout that we have been ignoring can’t be supressed anymore. There is an increasing desire to challenge the “Be strong” messages that we have internalised from society and to think about what is better for our mental health. Maybe we need a profound acceptance of who we are as opposed to constantly striving to become someone “better”. Counselling can facilitate that acceptance but we have to be open to it and ready to do the work. What messages have we received from our past and from society that have led to getting stuck to the extent that they are causing us harm?

So where does that leave the stressed employee? Techniques such as self-compassion, setting boundaries, delegating tasks, and reviewing workload can all help but sometimes those aren’t enough. Leaving your job isn’t necessarily an immediate cure but moving to a new environment, seeking more job satisfaction and finding a role that fits better with your values can kickstart a new zest for living. The mental workout might take time but if you make enough changes, you can transform your life for the better.