We live in a time of many possibilities. We can work from anywhere, we're on call 24/7, we have a harder time separating our work and personal lives, and we nod at things we don't have the capacity to do. How poorly defined boundaries can lead to burnout was also the focus of our next debate event, for the first time in a format called Thirty.
May is Mental Health Month, and therefore the perfect opportunity to organise another Nevyhasni meeting with inspiring guests. On May 15, in cooperation with the Prague WorkLounge held the first debate in the new concept Thirtyto which they accepted an invitation Petra Jankovic, co-founder and CEO of Triad agency and president of the Association of Communication Agencies and coach and psychologist Kristýna Cetkovskáwhich specialises in the working lives of clients. Moderated by Dan Trzilcreator of the Against the Current podcast.
When a two-month holiday is not enough
In the first thirty minutes, Petra shared her experience with burnout. "The moment when I said to myself that it was really not okay anymore was after the covid, when I worked for maybe fifteen hours nonstop. I wasn't looking forward to work, the idea of opening my laptop, getting another call, made me physically sick. I planned a sabbatical. It was originally supposed to last two months, but in the end I quit the company altogether and came back after one and a half years." she approached a period when her level of exhaustion, sadness and outbursts of anger had exceeded a tolerable limit. "The first month of the Sabbatical was full of tears and detachment. I felt like I was breaking up with my partner. It wasn't until later that I realized I was going through a profound transformation, started reading more about it, and found a coach alongside my therapist."
One of the problems that contributed to Petra's burnout was her inability to set boundaries. "When I founded Triad with my friends from Slovakia, we didn't plan how we would grow and that we would have big clients. The problem was that we didn't set boundaries at the beginning. Moreover, I identified too much with the company; I took anyone's mistake as my own failure. In retrospect, I realize that I should have had someone to set up a mirror and help me not to be alone in leadership."
It's okay to ask for help
Petra stressed the importance of communication. That it's okay to say that you don't know something, it's too much and you need help. That's what she's been trying to remind her colleagues since her return.. "I have also had the experience of people coming into the company who had the experience of not being able to talk about their boundaries very much, or at least they thought they could, and they let certain things slide. So it's quite a big job for me as a manager to create an environment that everyone is comfortable with."
Energy management and other recommendations
- A shared calendar where he writes down his breaks: "For me, it's more important to manage my energy than my time, because some things are more challenging than others."
- Determine the responsibilities and agenda of individual people in the company and ideally have it written down in a document.
- A change of environment and regular vacation time also helps prevent burnout.
- Setting rules for communication with colleagues and clients (or a work message does not belong in Messenger).
Are they generations of snowflakes?
In the next half an hour Dan interviewed Kristýna Cetkovská, who reminded us that burnout syndrome can affect all of us, be it different professions, parents of young children or people of different ages - the experience of Nevyhasni founder David shows that you can burn out even at a young age.
Burnout is the result of not coping with long-term stress. Its manifestations are very individual. They can be physical and psychological. It is necessary to be aware of how we behave in difficult situations, how we know how to work with stress and to deal with it accordingly. "In order to foster resilience in ourselves, we need to go through stressful situations, to gain that experience," Christine said, adding that you can't raise children "on a pillow" either..
Is Gen Z really as fragile as some keep saying? "The data does not show that the younger generation is more fragile. But the data and my personal experience show that the young have a higher incidence of mental health problems. My hypothesis is that for them this topic is much closer, they talk more about it, they observe themselves. They also choose a job based on whether the company promotes well-being."
Healthy disconnection from work and technology
He agrees that work that is meaningful to a person can delay burnout, but even that has its BUTs. "The moment we give our best and don't take care of ourselves, we come close to burnout. I want to encourage everyone to find meaning in their work, or at least some of it, but also to think about how to set boundaries and find mechanisms to help them disengage from their work."
Along with detachment, when you really manage to put your work behind you, Kristýna says it is important not to keep stress and worries to yourself, talk about it with a colleague, partner, coach or psychologist. You also need to remember that this is a long-term (sometimes lifelong) job and that nothing much will change in a week on the road to a carefree and less burnt-out life. The same is true, she says, with a digital detox. "Disconnecting from technology is good to try, everyone reacts differently, has more or less FOMO (fear of missing out, ed. note). I don't think a week offline will suddenly make a big difference, just as a similarly long diet won't have a long-term effect. But sure, it can help after some more stressful situations."
Digital detox is the theme of our May challenge. Have you ever tried to disconnect for a longer period of time? Try it with us now. Whether it's for a few hours or several days, try what it's like to be without all technology for a while and how it makes you feel. And when you're back online, be sure to share your experience with us on social media.
After the discussion, it was time to take questions from the audience. Thank you again to all participants! A big thank you also goes to the partners of the event - Worklounge for providing the space and F.H. Prager for refreshment in the form of kombucha. We look forward to the next time!
Author Tereza Bartošková
