Coping with COVID-related burnout

The UB community — like all Americans — recently marked a significant anniversary. It’s been one year since the COVID-19 pandemic brought to a screeching halt life as we had known it.

For 12 months we have been walking a line between uncertainty and monotony. We’ve been dealing with fears about our own health and that of our relatives; the pain of losing loved ones; high degrees of social isolation; changing job descriptions; money worries; and endless hours of screen time in the home office/home schoolroom.

It’s no wonder that so many of us feel burned out.

Psychology Today calls burnout is “a state of emotional, mental and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.”

In a survey of more than 5,000 adults published in February in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, 43% of respondents reported at least one adverse mental health symptom, which was roughly double pre-pandemic numbers. Specifically, 33% reported anxiety or depression symptoms, and 30% reported COVID-19 related trauma and stress symptoms.

Faculty and staff at UB are dealing with many of the most common symptoms of burnout, including depression, changes in weight, fitness atrophy, disrupted sleep, forgetfulness, confusion, anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Susan Bagdasarian, a consultant with UB’s Employee Assistance Program, says that during “normal” times, two out of three full-time workers experience burnout on the job, and this number is likely higher due to COVID.

“Because of the chronic stress impacts, burnt-out employees are 63% more likely to take a sick day, and are 23% more likely to visit the emergency room,” she says.

While EAP hasn’t seen a major uptick in the number of requests for help, there has been an increase in the number of employees complaining about high levels of stress.

Bagdasarian and her colleague Neil McGillicuddy listed several factors that make COVID burnout different from the garden variety. These include poor work-life balance, social isolation, change of routine and giving up behaviors that once were important, such as going to the gym, attending social gatherings and traveling.

They note that things like healthy sleep habits, moderation in food and alcohol consumption, and physical exercise have evaporated.

This leads to an endless, unhealthy cycle.

“People who are feeling exhausted, or who feel that nothing is good any longer, don’t take the time to care for themselves in the way they had previously,” McGillicuddy says.

For many UB employees, the increased reliance on unfamiliar technology is a significant stressor. Getting up to speed with new ways of communicating with peers and students has been especially difficult, they say.

“You now have thousands of students at home, so it is easier than ever for them to send an email, phone their adviser, schedule a Zoom meeting,” says Timothy A. Tryjankowski, chair of the Professional Staff Senate and director of research and co-curricular Activities at the University Honors College.

When you consider that professional staff are also juggling day care, home schooling and a spouse or roommate also working from home, “it’s a perfect storm,” Tryjankowski says. 

David Shurtleff, who works in IT Customer Service, says his colleagues are stressed “trying to support faculty with the technology, and faculty seem to be stressed about the integrity of their classes.”

For Melanie Aceto, associate professor and director of undergraduate dance in the Department of Theatre and Dance, not being able to communicate in person has been very challenging.

“In dance, we solve a lot of problems and move many things forward in the hallways in between classes,” she explains. “We all teach in the same building, so we are used to seeing each other often and can typically cover a lot of ground in person. Having to communicate only in Zoom meetings is draining.”

UBIT quickly shifted gears last year to provide faculty and staff with the support they needed.

“In the early-March (2020) ramp-up to moving online, UBIT provided training sessions in our core instructional technologies, both in-person and as live streams,” says Beth Fellendorf, Panopto/Zoom/Webex administrator in Classroom Technology Service, ITCS.

Over the summer, CTS upgraded the technology in dozens of classrooms, and a few days before the fall semester it offered a day of training in a classroom on campus.

“CTS staff worked one on one with educators who stopped by; many of those faculty told me how much more relaxed and confident they felt after just 15 or 20 minutes of training,” Fellendorf says.

Human Resources and EAP also stepped up the number of resources offered to employees to help them deal with the stress of these unprecedented times.

They issue a weekly email with helpful articles about all aspects of wellness, and offer virtual fitness and mindfulness/meditation classes. EAP also can direct faculty and staff to a variety of support groups, including groups for caregivers, parents and those experiencing workplace stress.

EAP also offers a link to a Social Work Self Care Starter Kit that provides tips for establishing healthier self-care routines.

EAP suggests that employees who are trying to cope in a healthy and successful way with excess stress make just one change at a time. “It is easier to focus on changing one behavior than it is on changing five behaviors,” Bagdasarian says.

Stress-reducing behaviors might include:

• Re-engaging in self-care that you may have stopped. “Find ways to do something for the self that brings peace and/or joy, and or that are very enjoyable,” Bagdasarian says.
• Reaching out to people who you trust and care about, and contact a friend or loved one you haven’t talked to in a while.
• Exercising, even if it’s just a 10-minute walk around the block. “Everyone feels better when they move — dance, walk, run, yoga, sports, whatever,” Aceto advises. “We have to move to avoid a downward spiral of stress, burnout and depression.”
• Practicing mindfulness. Don’t multitask.
• Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, including weekend days.
• Eating a balanced diet incorporating more fruits and vegetables, and be sure to drink plenty of water.
• Learning a new skill or hobby

But the pandemic picture isn’t completely bleak.

As Bagdasarian points out, the coronavirus has enabled many people to be able to spend more time with close family members.

Workers who have taken their office jobs home with them and are fulfilling their roles from the safety of their home are not having to deal with traffic, or the cost of gas or lunches out.

Tryjankowski and Shurtleff both note the benefits of interacting with four-legged family members during the day.

And several employees stress that many of the technological changes make connecting with students easier and more personal.

Finally, the lockdowns provide an excellent opportunity to focus on the bigger picture.

“It’s commonly thought that time spent alone provides an opportunity to stop and reflect,” Bagdasarian says. “With social distancing measures limiting people’s lives, it is a good time to think about what really matters.”

UB employees who are experiencing burnout, or who would like assistance dealing with any other personal concern can contact EAP at 716-645-4461, or UB-EAP@buffalo.edu. All contacts are confidential.

To receive a monthly newsletter that addresses topics related to coping with stress and developing resilience, contact EAP.