Burnout's silver lining

Burnout can be a distressing experience. However, I considered my experience with burnout to be an eye-opening one. Firstly, I learned that burnout can happen to anyone, and that no one should be ashamed of it. Therefore, I opened myself and discussed it with my colleagues and I got some precious advices from people who went through the same path. Secondly, I learned how important it is to take care of both our mental and physical health. So even if we are overwhelmed by our workload , this can be dealt with by good time management techniques, that can be improved and/or adapted to new professional and personal challenges. I also emphasize on how important it is to do some physical activity, get connected with nature and regularly enjoy clean air and sunlight while walking in a park, keeping healthy eating habits, and getting the right amount of sleep. Thirdly, it is very important to create a support system that can include our loved ones, people with similar experience, who we can learn from and get inspiration. Also, it is crucial to get professional help whenever it is needed to deal with the burnout at the beginning. Although burnout can feel insurmountable, we should keep in mind that it’s ephemeral and can be used as a learning opportunity to better understand ourselves and discover what are our limits and develop individual strategies to prevent it from reappearing in the future. Therefore as healthcare professionals, we should educate people about burnout and its effect on health in general and share efficient strategies to prevent it and overcome it.