Navigating Stress and Burnout: Insights and Strategies | An Architect’s Story

29 May

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels

There is increasing evidence that work-related stress is on the rise; according to the 2024 Mental Health UK research report, “nine out of ten adults experienced high or extreme levels of stress last year, leading to one in five workers needing to take time off due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress”.

Source: (https://mhukcdn.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wpcontent/uploads/2024/01/19145241/Mental-Health-UK_The-Burnout-Report-2024.pdf)

Against this backdrop of statistical data, I wish to provide an individual story as a reminder of the human experience behind the numbers.

As an architect passionate about quality, beauty, and hard work, I found myself excelling in a test no one wants to pass: enduring burnout and depression. On a Monday morning after a sleepless night, I found myself lying in bed, dreading the thought of going to work. I felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and certain I could no longer continue this way. As the clock struck 7 am, I logged onto the NHS app to seek help. My primary concern was my inability to do my job. I was experiencing foggy thinking and memory loss. Worry and self-deprecating thoughts dominated my mind. These were the culminating effects of severe burnout and the onset of depression. I had missed the earlier alarm bells and didn't realize I was experiencing burnout symptoms, but the signs were there:

Feeling overwhelmed
Having a cynical/negative outlook
Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
Sleeplessness and constant exhaustion
Feeling helpless, trapped, and worthless
Feeling detached, withdrawing from social interaction
Self-doubt
Procrastinating and taking longer to get things done.
Cravings for sweets turned into an inability to feel satiated and binge eating.
Gastrointestinal problems
Compulsive scalp scratching and skin picking.

Ultimately, these symptoms culminated in a depressive state. At this point, recovery was only possible with the help of a specialist. My burnout stemmed from various factors: having to move houses three times in a year, managing Hashimoto’s disease, juggling increased responsibilities at work, and feeling overwhelmed by a chaotic project environment. I felt like I had little control over outcomes, buried under endless to-do lists, looming deadlines, and constant calls and meetings. The isolation I experienced only worsened my stress since I lacked strong social connections for support. Engaging in activities lacking personal meaning made finding resources even harder, further increasing my stress levels.

What followed was my ongoing journey of recovery. I have come to learn the critical importance of recognizing and managing stress in the moment to prevent burnout. In sharing my story and insights, I hope to shed light on the subtle yet impactful ways stress manifests and provide practical strategies to help others prevent irreparable damage.

We all experience stress to some degree. Some stress can be beneficial, pushing us to work hard, but too much stress can make us feel overwhelmed, and prolonged stress can eventually lead to illness. When we encounter a stressful situation, our body's hormonal response kicks in, particularly with the release of cortisol. This "stress hormone" prepares us to handle immediate threats by increasing blood sugar levels and suppressing non-essential functions. While this response is vital for short-term survival, prolonged exposure to cortisol can lead to harmful effects, such as high blood pressure, immune suppression, and metabolic disturbances.

Mitigating the severity of stress reactions is crucial for preventing chronic stress and burnout. To effectively manage the body's physiological response to stress, it's important to become aware of your current state. Without this awareness, control is impossible. Self-awareness is a skill that can be trained. Practices that train awareness include mindfulness meditation, focused breathing exercises, body scan techniques, and mindful walking. These practices involve paying deliberate attention to the present moment, observing thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment.

The length of a stress reaction is directly linked to its intensity. By lowering the intensity of stress in the moment, the probability of one stress reaction triggering another will decrease. Controlling stress reactions involves both cognitive and physical strategies. Physical strategies like regular exercise, progressive muscle relaxation, and adequate sleep lower cortisol levels and promote relaxation.

Managing stress is about self-care and discipline. The skills we apply to organize our work and life are necessary to plan and manage a healthy, stress-resistant self. Reflecting on the daily routine and setting aside time for restorative practices, time in nature and with friends, social media detox, and self-development projects is key.

Being mindful of the negative impact of change when building a recovery plan and considering making gradual, incremental adjustments that are sustainable and balanced is essential. Ensuring that changes are balanced across different aspects of life, including work, rest, and recreation, and aiming for regular, consistent practice rather than drastic, occasional changes is crucial. Maintaining a strong sense of self-awareness to monitor how changes are affecting mental and emotional states helps.

Additionally, building strong social connections and setting boundaries are central for emotional support and preventing overload. Burnout recovery takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight. It is far better to prevent burnout by developing these self-care skills than to repair the damage caused by unmanaged stress. I faced relapses and continue to manage my recovery every day, knowing it’s a long road that is easier to walk with support.