Kesiena felt lifeless but how could that possibly be if she could hear and feel everything around her? She had heard of people having out-of-body experiences but was this she was experiencing? She was drifting and seemed weightless, yet felt tethered to what she presumed was a bed frame. There was this beeping sound she vaguely recognised. It was slow, it was measured; it was constant. Where had she heard it before? It seemed familiar yet rather alien to her.
Kesiena was warm; cosy was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time and it brought back memories of the comforting embrace of her Nana whenever she had bouts of malaria as a child. She wanted to go back to that time, a time where she had no responsibilities and zero obligations – a time where her only concern was if she would be having plantain with her favourite meal – fried rice and spicy chicken.
She tried to make out where she was by opening her eyes but her lids were heavy; too heavy. She was tired; lethargy had set in and she was exhausted. Deep within her, she knew she could move her limbs if she really wanted to but she was drained. The weight of her emotions and her struggles seemed to be bearing heavier and heavier. Kesiena wanted to be harpooned into the abyss forever and sleep for a million years.
An overwhelming smell of antiseptic mixed with citrus bleach enveloped her. It was an all too familiar smell. What was it? Kesiena felt a deep sense of foreboding. What happened? Where WAS she? That beep again… a welcome distraction from the wave of emotions she was feeling. It was all coming back to her in flashes. The panic attacks, the deadlines, the frustrations, pressure, the anxiety at work; then going home to meet even more responsibilities.
The beeping became louder and faster, with more intensity. She could hear footsteps and muffled voices of people hurrying quickly towards her. There was a blurred vision of someone crying, shouting her name in the background. Kesiena don’t leave me! Exhaustion and fatigue had once again set in. Kesiena closed her eyes.
The beeping stopped.
Combating Burnout
Burnout is real and getting worse globally. McKinsey and LeanIn.org’s latest Women in the Workplace report indicated that 42% of women and 35% of men in Corporate America felt burned out; an upward trend on both genders from the previous year.
We are slowly approaching the beginning of the end of the Covid-19 pandemic and through it all, women have been shown to feel the burdens of the pandemic disproportionately due to the additional responsibilities at home, from remote learning to basic household chores. So how can we combat burnout? Here are a few tips from the Cleveland Clinic.
- Take off that “superwoman” label – accept that you can’t be super amazing at everything, every time.
- Breathe and move – the constant pressure from doing it all results in excess stress hormones (cortisol) which causes memory deficiencies, mood swings, and weight gain. Take slow, deep breaths throughout the day and take time to do some exercise.
- Learn to live with the mess – things don’t have to be perfect all the time.
- Get help – the benefits of a support system (relatives, friends, domestic workers) cannot be overemphasised.
- Just say NO – learn to re-evaluate your responsibilities and become okay with letting things go.
- Make time for yourself – prioritise your wellbeing.
- Develop meaningful relationships – with family, friends. Dedicate time to quality face-to-face interactions.
In the words of Dalai Lama and Curtis Jones – if you feel “burnout” setting in, you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. Just because you take breaks doesn’t mean you’re broken.
Be kind to one another,