Burnout in STEM
Vector by Genko Mono
Defining Burnout
According to the World Health Organization, Burnout is a term used to describe the physical, emotional, and mental depletion that can build over time as a result of chronic workplace stress. It is typically marked by:
Physical exhaustion or fatigue
Increased negativity or cynicism
Reduced efficiency in your work
Burnout can be hard to recognize when you are swamped with work and the demands keep increasing or changing. Combine this with broader fears of economic uncertainty, political stress, and inflation and it can feel daunting to think outside of “survival mode.” In fact, survival mode is often a mode that can be easily channeled into productivity and accomplishment for high achievers, like STEM professionals.
STEM Careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)
The landscape of STEM careers is a rapidly changing one. This has always been the case, to be on the cutting edge in your field requires you and your team to push hard to not just achieve your goals, but to do so before your competition does. What was once an environment focused on creativity, breaking the mold, and fostering environments that are conducive to growth has morphed in the past ten years to focus more heavily on profits at the cost of personnel. The exciting perks of working in STEM have slowly dissipated and the demands placed on individuals have crept higher with exacting and punishing responses for not “keeping up.”
Now with AI, more and more simple work tasks are being automated and outsourced, job scarcity and fear of layoffs are abundant, and a rapidly changing landscapes around what a “normal” workload is has made measuring success nearly impossible. Since the pandemic, medical staff are seeing consistent increases in demand for services across the board, reduced compensation for services, and higher pressure to ensure high profit margins for the companies that employ them. The examples are endless, as each branch of STEM faces their own crises as technology changes, climate change hastens, and the wealth gap widens. And the rates of burnout appear to be correlating with these changes.
Many individuals in STEM study for years, often giving up nearly a decade of their lives to pursue their passions and hone their skills, only to arrive in a work environment that is unwelcoming, discouraging, devoid of agency or creativity, and perpetually dissatisfied with the output. It is easy to believe the lies of Imposter Syndrome, push oneself to work as hard as possible to prove they deserve to be here, and subsequently burn out. At this point, many people end up questioning whether they ever really enjoyed this work in the first place and fantasize about walking away and doing something “simple.”
Are You Experience Burnout?
Burnout comes as a result of being in a chronic state of heightened stress. And most STEM jobs are inherently stressful. Unfortunately, heightened stress is something that affects us physically, as much as it does mentally and emotionally. You might notice increased pain, digestive issues, sleep problems, trouble concentrating, a sense of dread, decreased frustration tolerance, or increased procrastination. You might have trouble relaxing or enjoying your hobbies and you might not be able to acknowledge or celebrate your achievements. If burnout goes unaddressed, it has been shown to correlate with chronic health conditions (e.g., autoimmune disorders, heart disease, chronic pain conditions), increase imposter syndrome and self-doubt, mood disorders, and substance abuse disorders. Does this sound like you? If so, learning how to respond to, manage, and frame your stress can be an empowering way through. It will not remove the stress, your job feels hard because it IS hard, but it is also only one piece of who you are.
There is a Way Out
The way out of burnout looks different for everyone, but it comes down to a simple formula of not functioning at a deficit. Another way to frame that is budgeting your internal resources. You need to be replenishing your resources at least to the same degree you are spending them, but hopefully bringing in enough that you have a surplus to help you manage unexpected stressors when needed. How are your reserves? If you had to “dig deep” today to get through something difficult, how hard would it be to recover? Managing burnout is not about removing all sources of stress, it is about finding a workable balance of stress and recovery, the ebb and flow that keeps life interesting, engaging, and doable.
In my workshop, I take people through what internal resources might be drained by work and stress, ways to disrupt these patterns, and methods for long-term prevention. In the same way that you can build financial health and wellness over time through budgeting, you can do so with your physical, mental, and emotional resources. I cover tools such as using non-judgmental awareness to assess your budget, managing grief as you budget, helpful self-help resources you can access on your own time, and self-reflection exercises and journal prompts.
To sign up for the workshop, head over to the Education page and sign up for the October 12 workshop.
