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Me, exhausted? Once the diagnosis is established, the battle is not over. Burnout
is not recognized as a "professional disease" in every field of work.
It's rare to be able to present a doctor's note with the mere mention
of burnout and get a paid leave of absence. For this, the proof of the
link between this illness and the work functions would have to be established,
which isn't always easy to do. For obvious reasons, it can be difficult to ask the boss for a leave
of absence due to burnout. For example, Susan faced her employer's stubbornness
for months as they insisted she continue working. "I didn't know what
was wrong. I only slept three hours a night. And when my boss started
harassing me to come back to work, I became a total insomniac. It was
as if I was falling apart from the inside." As far as the other interviewed women are concerned, Joan got a 30-day
leave of absence motivated by a doctor's notice, while Paula found a
part-time job. Martina and Lois did not take any time off. Lois also
believes had she insisted on leaving her job to take a break, her employer
would have probably given her job to someone else. But both Lois and
Martina openly admit they found some comfort in staying active in the
job market, despite the state they were in. "I told myself that if I
stayed home all day thinking, it would be even worse," recalls Martina. Of course, not every woman can afford to leave her job to recuperate.
But whether they take a leave or not, women must give themselves some
time to rest. Burnout is not a lurking, contagious illness that comes
from nowhere, pouncing on us. It's the result of everyday activity and
an overly busy lifestyle.
Often, friends and family of the burnout sufferer think it's just a
matter of getting over it and moving on. But this type of advice isn't
the best way to get someone on the road to recovery. It's better to
give them some time off to rest and just re-energize. Jenny would have had a hard time doing otherwise. Now 23, she suffered
from burnout five years ago, when she was a college student. "I was
so exhausted that, overnight, I became completely unable to walk. I
spent two full weeks in bed. The mere thought of having to get up seemed
unbearable." Amy spent long hours sitting in front of the television:
"Sometimes, I didn't even have the strength to get up to change stations." With a period of rest comes the opportunity to let our feelings run
freely. Then, as physical strength returns, the need for intellectual
stimulation gradually returns. For example, Jenny started reading again;
she also went back to drawing and walking outside, two activities she
used to love. On the other hand, Joan, who was never much of a reader,
took advantage of her break by going to the city library. Some books,
such as Self Love by Robert Schuller, accompanied her during
her recovery. In fact, this down time is very healthy because
it gives us the opportunity to reflect on our life, to see it like a
slow-motion film, and become aware of the pressures of everyday duties,
whether at home or at work. "At the time of my burnout, I had been accumulating
frustration for two years," confirms Joan. "I had stopped smoking, followed
a weight-loss program and went through a breakup, but I never took the
time to completely express my feelings. It made me realize stress isn't
just about running after the bus to get to work on time. There are other
factors that are much more insidious."
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