SALLY GATT

Christmas anxiety

30/11/2019

CHRISTMAS ANXIETY. As we march into the Festive Season, with many people are looking towards the break and the slower pace of the holidays, yet not everyone finds Christmas joyful. Christmas is also a time of overwhelming financial and emotional stress, in fact Christmas is considered as one of the six most stressful life events, along with divorce, moving house and changing jobs. Those more affected by the Christmas stress are more likely to suffer deleterious health and mental health effects at this time, and it is also a time where relationship strain is at its peak. This is because social bonds are so important to our well-being as humans, that when these bonds are strained or broken we suffer.
The theme of connectedness, family and joyful communion with others that surrounds Christmas for some people is in stark contrast to the reality of their strained relational bonds with family and friends. The contrast increases distress, feelings of loneliness and isolation.

The distress of feeling disconnected from others leads generally to two types of behaviours:
1.) Withdrawing from others, in order not to feel the acute pain of the separateness, such as keeping away from Christmas family events.
or
2.) Protesting to re-establish the connection, this is seen in the active conflict such as arguments and fighting amongst spouses and family members.
In family systems, the relationship dance of the withdrawer triggers the protest in the pursuer and vice versa, and relationship cycle gets stuck in this negative loop. For the individual stuck in this cycle it can increase the likelihood of depression and anxiety; for the couple it increases the chance of separation; and the family it may result in estrangement between family members.

Getting help early in December to support you and or your loved ones through this period may be help in developing strategies to manage the stress around the Christmas period and also longer term improve relationship patterns in the family system.

BURNOUT in Young Professional Woman

17/10/2019

In an ABC (Australia) news article this week was the topic of BURNOUT in young professional woman, which prompted my musing. In my practice I am noticing an increase in these young woman presenting with symptoms of burnout early in their careers due to the enormous amount of stress experienced in the workplace, coupled by their own high and unrelenting standards to achieve often above and beyond normal work expectations. As stress increases beyond manageable levels, their personal life, relationships, health and overall well-being are impacted heavily. And their work - the career that is so important to them – suffers as they spiral to a point where they are no longer able to cope in any part of their life, and typically it is at this point they seek help.

I had my own personal experience with BURNOUT. In my early thirties I was working full-time as an emergency nurse, studying a full-time load in my psychology degree, divorcing and raising three children. At the time I was driven by a belief that I could be some sort of superwoman and do it all. (NOT dissimilar thinking from the young women I now see in my practice.)

Whilst this was sustainable (at a cost) for a period of time, inevitably I burnt-out, and then every aspect of my life suffered and recovery took quite some time (and I'm not talking of a few weeks or even a month or so). Now a decade or more later I have a healthier and more integrated relationship with my sense of self at work and am wiser about how I manage my work-life balance. The insight from my own personal experience of burnout and recovery assists my understanding when caring for these women in therapy as they struggling to navigate through the stress experienced in their working lives.

Whilst BURNOUT is often talked about, there id silence around the seriousness of its longer-term effect. Without intervention burnout can lead to physical and mental health illnesses, insomnia, relationship breakdowns, and problems with engagement in employment. Early detection and intervention helps to prevent BURNOUT turning from a manageable smoulder to an out of control wildfire.

Often your local family doctor is first port-of-call when seeking help for burnout distress. Overwhelmed, seeking time-off work may be the immediacy of need, however also consider a referral to a Clinical Psychologist for therapy. Good therapy will to give support through burnout recovery, to gain skills in managing the workload in a more sustainable manner and to help loosen the harsh internal taskmaster that maintains the unrelenting standards that is often the driver to the point of BURNOUT.

Wondering gently

Christmas anxiety

BURNOUT in Young Professional Woman

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