3 ways women can prevent post-pandemic burnout

This year the Women’s Health Week (5-11 September) is dedicated to raising awareness for the health and wellbeing of women including the mental load and strain facing them. And there is no better time with reports suggesting women need to start putting themselves first.

Women’s mental health is hurting

According to the second instalment of the InstantScripts Mental Health Tracker 2022, women reported more negative mental health symptoms than men in the last six months, with 78 percent of women selecting at least one negative symptom that applied to them, as opposed to 71 percent of men. 

A Deloitte survey released early in 2022 had similar findings. Over half of the women surveyed for the report said their stress levels were higher now than they were a year ago, mid-Delta. While 45 per cent of respondents said their mental health was poor or extremely poor.

While much has been made of ‘the great resignation’, whereby workers all over the globe are quitting their jobs in droves, one Australian academic thinks there’s actually a better name for what’s happening: ‘the great exhaustion’. 

Leisa Sargent, Senior Deputy Dean of UNSW Business School, Co-DVC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion spoke about the issue in late 2021 and stated that not only are we burnt out to the point there is “nothing left in the tank,” but due to structural pay issues, gender segregation of work in the home and mother-centric parenting responsibilities, women are being disproportionately affected.

How can you prevent burnout?

If burnout is one of the biggest mental health challenges facing women in 2022, it makes sense that taking action to ‘burnout-proof’ your life is the best line of defence.

1. Flex your boundary muscle

Feeling taken advantage of at work or at home is the quickest way to breed resentment, and when it comes to burnout, resentment is fuel to the fire. 

Many of us have been raised with the idea that putting ourselves last is a sign of selflessness  – only to come to realise that with no one else to put the oxygen mask on for us, we’re suffocating under the weight of our own responsibility. 

Learning to set healthy boundaries is not going to happen overnight; instead, work daily on flexing that boundary muscle until it becomes stronger. Perhaps it’s as simple as saying ‘no’ to the catchup you don’t have time for and prioritising an early night instead. Or maybe it’s gently pointing out to your manager that what you’ve been asked to do is actually outside your remit. 

“It is important for individuals to reassess their priorities and distinguish between what is in and out of their control,” explains Dr Andrew Thompson, Medical Director at InstantScripts.

“For instance, could speaking with a professional for budgeting advice ease financial stress? Knowing when to say ‘no’ to a certain task or a commitment could help reduce the risk of burnout.”

Over time, asking for what you want will become easier and more instinctive … and that boundary muscle will be protecting your hard-won inner peace.

2. Streamline

An overflowing to-do list does not help an already burnt-out brain, which is why taking non-essentials off the calendar for a while is an excellent antidote. 

Do the kids really need to be in three different sports this year? Is the awkwardly-timetabled gym class really worth it? By consciously creating more space in your life, you allow rest and relaxation to creep back in.

3. Name it – and seek help

It is as profoundly simple as it is illusive: arriving at a place of self awareness that allows you to identify the fact that you are burnt out has incredible merit. 

Symptoms of burnout aren’t always immediately identifiable as such; you could be feeling bursts of anger, sadness, teariness or apathy, as well as exhaustion, brain fog and anxiety. Naming what’s going on – and perhaps why – is an excellent tool for keeping the bad feelings at bay. Visit sites such as RUOK? to help guide you in these conversations.

Dr Thompson says the findings from InstantScripts’ survey suggest that a worrying amount of women aren’t reaching out for help.

“The majority of survey respondents (83 per cent) aren’t currently seeking, or have never sought, support from a mental health professional, which is also a concern,” he explains, “I strongly urge Australians to speak to their doctor as a first port of call, who can establish a mental health plan with strategies to combat symptoms and can refer them to a psychologist or another mental health professional for more extensive advice and actions.”

For more information on the state of the nation’s mental health, see the InstantScripts Mental Health Tracker September 2022.

This article is written by Bek Day, a writer and journalist with over 15 years of experience in the health and lifestyle space.