Canary in the Coal Mine?
The Hidden Health Risks of Burnout
Does your job or housework leave you feeling burnt out? If so, you aren’t alone.
in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, the professionals’ guide to diagnostic standards. However, the World Health Organization recognizes it as a factor in people’s health. Some doctors use the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a scale measuring a person’s level of exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy, to diagnose burnout. Items include, “I feel emotionally drained by my work.” The symptoms of burnout can serve as the canary in the coal mine — an early warning that overload, overwork, or stress may be on the verge of harming your health. Consider an extended break from work to ease the strain.
Burnout is a common affliction in our technological age. An estimated 48% of employees and 53% of managers claim they’re burned out, according to a 2022 Microsoft survey of 20,000 workers, and stress levels have worsened since then. Career-driven people, overworked employees, and working people from all walks of life can experience alienation, extreme exhaustion, loss of meaning, and reduced performance, all hallmarks of burnout. The term was coined in the 1970s to denote the exhaustion often experienced by people in the helping professions. Burnout is not listed
a vacation or long weekend isn’t likely to help. Clinical depression or anxiety requires different treatment by a therapist or mental health professional. The bottom line: If you’re feeling burned out, it’s time to put on the brakes, check out for a while, and tune in more closely to your overall well-being!
If your ennui deepens into low self-esteem, guilt, hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide,
FROM PUFFY TO POSITIVE
KAREN’S EYELID EVOLUTION
For at least 10 years, I experienced droopy upper eyelids on both eyes. My left eye had been drooping to the point that I often had to hold it up to make it look better. I tried Botox as a possible solution, but it didn’t improve the situation. Last year, I decided it was time to put the problem to rest. I hoped for a natural look with any surgeon I chose. I didn’t want anyone to know I had my eyes done; I just wanted to look like me , but younger and healthier. An acquaintance’s husband had a blepharoplasty performed by Dr. Scott and looked terrific afterward! I soon contacted Dr. Scott for a consultation. To be honest, I was nervous about the possibility of the surgery. When you read Google, you see warnings about how certain eye operations can cause blindness and other issues. During my initial consultation, Dr. Scott assured me he had years of experience and had performed thousands of similar surgeries. He added that the procedure would likely take 10 years off my appearance. He got me into the science of it by explaining the procedure thoroughly. I felt included in the process and comfortable having Dr. Scott address my concerns.
Dr. Scott was also the first doctor to point out that the fat pad above my eye, under the browbone, had slid down into the corner of my eye, leading to that eye looking puffy and swollen. He proposed stretching the pad back up and anchoring it back to where it belonged as part of the surgery I scheduled for early last December. The recovery process was smooth — there was no pain or discomfort, and only minor swelling. I barely needed Tylenol! I started to look like myself again in about a week. No one would know I had surgery. They say, “Wow! You look great!’’ but no one says, “You had eye surgery” or, “Did you get your eyes done?” They just see me looking fresh and awake. I’m so happy with everything Dr. Scott has done for my eyes, and I especially appreciate his office’s willingness to schedule me around my demanding work schedule. Dr. Scott said I might need the surgery again in 15 years. If he’s still working, then I’ll definitely do it with him! –Karen Saverino
2 EyePlasticMD.com
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