solviNg iNdustry ProBlEMs
By daNa caMPBEll
ovErcoMiNg BurNout: 21 Actionable
Steps to Avoid Feeling Overwhelmed in
your Career and Life
daNa caMPBEll
is the CEO of Optimize
Corps, a change
resilience
coaching and
consulting
firm. She
has more
than 15 years
of experience
guiding some of
the world’s largest
organizations through
change and has coached
hundreds of leaders to
transform their own
relationship with stress.
Recently, Campbell spoke
at the 1st Annual Women
in Wellness Conference.
Learn more at
optimizecorps.com
30
PULSE
■
July 2018
tHE first tiME i ENcouNtErEd
a BurNt-out yoga tEacHEr,
it Was sHocKiNg.
She was an inspiring woman who
embodied the practices of yoga and
meditation on a very deep level. It made
no sense how someone who was so
grounded and spent her days immersed in
mind-body practices could succumb to
what I saw as strictly a corporate-world
epidemic. And yet, it happened.
When researchers started looking at
burnout in the 1970s, they didn’t tackle
the wolves of Wall Street, instead they
turned their eyes on healthcare providers.
What they found was that it wasn’t just
the massive demands on their time or the
pressure cooker environments these
professionals operate in, it was the added
burden of caring for others’ wellbeing that
tipped the scale on workplace stress.
In the nearly 50 years since that initial
research was conducted, workplace
burnout is now wide spread with more
than 50 percent of the American workforce
self-reporting as burned out. Couple this
with the ever-increasing pace of change,
maddening influx of information and
general overwhelm, and it’s no wonder we
are having to redefine what it means to
truly be well. Gone are the days where
your MD was your first stop for advice and
treatment, now the savvy well seeker has
assembled an entire team of experts to
care for their wellbeing, i.e. a naturopath,
massage therapist, chiropractor, energy
healer, life coach and esthetician.
As more and more people take charge
of their wellness and make self-care a
regular practice to cope with the stress of
everyday life, you as spa professionals are
primed to make an even greater difference
in your clients’ lives.
But you can’t support or give to others
if your tank is empty. You must put your
own oxygen mask on before you help