Working women risk burnout

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Dec, 1996

Professional women of the 1990s face a particular challenge - burnout - as they attempt to balance career and personal interests, notes Victoria L. Rayner, author of The Survival Guide for Todays Career Women. "Today, working women are particularly prone to burnout because of all the demands that are placed on them. The popular belief is that women can sustain a successful career and private life without sacrifice." Rayner believes that this constant demand on women to be successful both on the job and at home creates an additional demand not necessarily made on their male counterparts. "Rewarded for their dedication to hearth and home and often punished for separating from it, many professional women feel that they must constantly prove that they can maintain control over both their family life and their professional life."

Women who are seriously over-stressed and facing burnout often deny their exhaustion. They have the characteristic of overdoing it. Determined to succeed professionally, they easily become over-involved and overextended. For a career woman to get ahead, she must exert an almost superhuman effort just to achieve parity with her male colleagues."

Those who reach the burnout stage feel a depletion of energy. "Their inner resources and ability to cope with the emotional strains of life are no longer functioning." Rayner suggests 10 ways to combat bat burnout: * Break free from your everyday routine by viewing problems in your daily life in a more creative way. Find a different approach to unpleasant situations. * Be careful not to overextend your energy. Learn to pace yourself. Take more time out for relaxation. * Give yourself credit and reward yourself when you accomplish something. * Eat properly. Consuming the right foods will help you think and feel better. * Participate two or three times per week in a vigorous exercise routine to clear the mind and help let off steam. * Expand your social life. Plan and spend more time with friends and loved ones who offer support. * Rest and replenish your energy. Not every minute must be accounted for. * Take time to find and participate in activities you enjoy. Create a "play sheet" to list all the things like doing - and do them * Set short- and long-term goals to improve your situation. Start by separating your needs from your desires. * Focus on your needs vs. the desires of others.

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