Ways to Beat Burnout: Values

“Do it for her.”

This is a great line from The Simpsons. Maybe you’ve seen this one. Homer is stuck at his job that he hates and his evil boss puts up a sign to remind him that he can never leave. But Homer motivates himself to not give up by putting up pictures of his baby daughter and changes the sign to read “Do it for her.”

You’ve probably done something similar yourself; putting up pictures of loved ones in your work area to help you get through the day.

Some times we feel exhausted, like we are running out of energy and motivation, but we don't have the option of stopping to get the rest we need. This can be the beginning of burnout. Burnout is the result of stress reaching or exceeding our ability to cope, over a long period of time. One thing we can to do help relieve or prevent burnout is to identify our values.

Values are defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “a person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.” This can mean being an honest person, a kind person, someone who lives up to their promises, being good at your job, doing work that makes the world a better place, or being someone who is able to provide for their family. They are the qualities or characteristics we want to identify with. The things we want to be known for.

Here is an important point: VALUES ARE NOT THE SAME AS GOALS. A value could be making time for loved ones. The goal would be getting the job that lets you do that. Goals are the product, the milestones we put importance on, values are the process, guiding what goals we choose and how we go about achieving them. Unfortunately, many of us tend to look at our life as a series of milestones to be reached, often postponing our enjoyment or satisfaction until we have reached that goal. We say things to ourselves like "I'll be happy when I finish Blank." Or, "I'll let myself relax once I Blank." When we reach those goals we may feel good for a minute. But there's always more goals. If we're in the habit of feeling like we need to achieve something before we can enjoy our lives we could be waiting for a long time. The alternative is focusing on values. This is the metaphorical equivalent of enjoying the ride rather than waiting to reach a destination to enjoy ourselves. If you are living in line with your values, then you have already succeeded in accomplishing what matters. This makes it easier to appreciate the things you have, or to roll with the punches when circumstances force us to adjust our goals. Focusing on goals can lead to burnout; pinning our satisfaction on whether certain criteria are met. Focusing on values can help to avoid burnout; by appreciating the ways we are living up to our ideals and letting ourselves enjoy that.

Identifying your values can help you to find the strength to keep going even when you feel like you can’t go on. Researchers have shown that when therapists take the time to help a patient identify their values in the beginning of treatment, the patients are more likely engage with even the difficult tasks of therapy and have better clinical outcomes. Sports psychologists, who help professional athletes, also use values to help motivate their clients to push past their limits, in practice and during competition, to perform at their absolute best. Taking the time to find out what is important to you can help you to keep going when things are difficult, or give you the courage to face the things that you would rather avoid.

Several research studies on doctors and other health care providers have shown that those who found meaning in their work also showed lower symptoms of burnout. The same jobs, same workplaces, same responsibilities. But those who found meaning in what they were doing, believing that their efforts supported values that were larger than themselves, reported fewer symptoms of burnout. So, finding some greater meaning in what we are doing can help us to feel less burned out by doing it.

Values can also help you to avoid the motivation trap. We have all experienced having a goal, like wanting to work out more, but then never getting around to it. When it’s time to start we don’t feel motivated so we put it off. Then this happens again and again. This is the motivation trap, waiting to feel motivated before we engage in something. It’s something I talk about with my patients often since a lot of psychotherapy involves building new habits and going outside of your comfort zone. To avoid this common mishap: follow your values instead of your feelings. Don’t wait to feel ready to do something, do it because it’s in your values. Set aside the time, put it in your calendar, then just start. You may be terrible at it, it may be no fun at all, but it is in line with your values. After you get started, often the motivation will follow.

Identifying your values can help you to alleviate burnout. Knowing how what you are doing supports your values can help you to find the energy and motivation you need to reach your goals and build the kind of life you want to live.