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Popular Press
Intervening Into Burnout
Inside Higher Ed
(2023)
Abstract
Burnout is never just about burnout. Collectively and individually, our nervous systems are overtaxed by continuous crises and denial of how much violence we’re facing. Intervening into burnout, therefore, can involve actions like blocking institutional harm or moving from denial to recognition. It can also involve a lot of self-inquiry and self-work.
In order to navigate and intervene into dehumanizing systems, interventions will often require us to engage in career discernment. We may face questions of what’s in and out of our hands, where and when we can make changes, when instead we need to walk away—and why. Interventions often invite curiosity about commitments, habits and practices. They can highlight unmet needs, hurts and longings. And they can teach the wisdom that the absence of a strong yes is actually a no.
The more I learn about burnout, the more I realize how much hurt and wrongdoing underlie burnout and, therefore, how many multidirectional interventions are needed. Luckily, we can learn from how other academics are intervening into burnout. Examples of interventions can expand our sense of what’s possible.
Keywords
- burnout,
- career discernment,
- higher education,
- collective action
Disciplines
Publication Date
July 7, 2023
Citation Information
Beth Godbee. "Intervening Into Burnout" Inside Higher Ed (2023) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/beth_godbee/69/