Addressing Burnout and Secondary Trauma

1. Addressing Burnout and Secondary Trauma Presenters: Christine Gendron, Executive Director Lyric Wardlow, Program Specialist

2. What is Burnout? • Emotional exhaustion - the fatigue that comes from caring too much, for too long • Depersonalization - the depletion of empathy, caring, and compassion, and; • Decreased sense of accomplishment - an unconquerable sense of futility; feeling that nothing you do makes any difference • Herbert Freudenberger, 1975 Content from Emily Nagasaki, PhD and Amelia Nagasaki, DMA

3. What is an Emotion? • Emotionally exhaustion is most strongly linked to negative impacts on our health, relationships, and work - especially for women. • What is an emotion? • Release of neurochemicals in the brain, in response to a stimulus • Automatic and instantaneous • “Emotions are tunnels. If you go all the way through them, you get to the light at the end.” Content from Emily Nagasaki, PhD and Amelia Nagasaki, DMA

4. Emotional Exhaustion • Emotionally exhaustion happens when we get stuck in the tunnel. • We may get stuck because: • We may be constantly exposed to situations that activate the emotion, day in and day out. • We may not be able to find our way through without help. • We may be trapped in a place where we are not free to move through the tunnel. • Human Giver Syndrome Content from Emily Nagasaki, PhD and Amelia Nagasaki, DMA

5. Stressor, Perception, Stress • Fight • Flight • Freeze strongbyscience.net

6. Strategies to Address Burnout • Strategies to “complete the stress response cycle”: • Physical activity • Breathing • Positive social interaction • Laughter • Affection • A big ol’ cry • Creative expression • Completing the cycle is a physiological shift, not an intellectual choice. Just telling yourself that everything is okay will not work.

7. What is Secondary Trauma? • Indirect exposure to trauma through another’s firsthand account or narrative of a traumatic event • Pain we experience from observing pain of others • Compassion fatigue is a state of tension and preoccupation with the suffering of those being helped to the degree that it creates a secondary traumatic stress for the helper. (Dr. Charles Figley, Tulane Traumatology Institute)

8. Symptoms of Secondary Trauma • Isolation • Anxiety • Dissociation • Physical ailments • Sleep disturbances • Confusion • Helplessness • Symptoms may be more severe than traditional symptoms of burnout.

9. Strategies to Address Secondary Trauma • Self-Awareness • Understand your own trauma history and how it impacts you • Assess your lifestyle and how you take care of yourself • Recognize negative coping skills

10. Strategies to Address Secondary Trauma (Slide 1 of 2) • Self-Care • Set boundaries and realistic goals • Nutrition, sleep, exercise • Make time for leisure and an identity outside of work • Allow yourself to fully experience emotions

11. Strategies to Address Secondary Trauma (Slide 2 of 2) • Connection • Connect with and support your colleagues • Listen to feedback from those close to you • Spirituality may be a helpful tool

12. Group Activity: TRIZ (Slide 1 of 2) • Imagine that you are overwhelmed by your never ending “to do” list at work. You are also worn out and you no longer feel like what you do makes a difference. You find yourself snapping at people and you are having trouble sleeping. • What are the worstpossible things you can do for yourself in this situation? Make a list.

13. Group Activity: TRIZ (Slide 2 of 2) • Go through your list and determine whether there is anything on it that you or your colleagues are doing currently. • Decide what first steps will help you stop what you know creates undesirable results.

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15. CONTACT US OR JOIN OUR MAILING LIST! cgendron@tnoys.org, lwardlow@tnoys.org www.tnoys.org/subscribe