CAVO Ep. 39: Avoiding Stress and Burnout in the Virtual Workplace

Research shows that working from home and feelings of being “always on” and available through technology distorts the boundary between work and being off the clock resulting in stress and burnout. In this episode, Janice Litvin, author of Banish Burnout Toolkit, joins Dr. Carissa Smock from the School of Business at NCU to discuss ways to change your responses to stress from the inside out to prevent burnout. Strategies shared in this podcast may help combat stress to create a healthier remote work-life balance.

Transcript

Welcome to the Center for advancement of virtual organization. I'm Dr. Chris usma, professor at North Central University in the School of Business. And today we're joined by Janice Lupin. She's the author of banish burnout toolkit. Janice, welcome. And thank you so much for taking the time to come and chat with us.

00:25

Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. Absolutely. Well, in the last few episodes, we've talked about managing stress and burnout and the virtual workplace. And when you break it down, creating a culture of wellness is directly connected to stress and burnout. And many leaders have found themselves having to rethink about how to manage burnout for their teams. So this really is such a timely discussion. And I'm so glad that you're here with us today to offer us some insight.

01:00

Thank you. Yes, it's it's in the news every almost every day now.

01:04

Oh, it certainly is. And we also know that you're an expert in this area. And I'm so excited to get your perspective on managing stress and burnout in the virtual workplace. But before we get started there, can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

01:23

Oh, sure. Let's say I'm trying to figure out how far back to go. So I just was recounting a story about majoring in math, because my mother wanted me to have a tech advantage. So I used that tech, although I did do computer programming than I did. What I found is that I loved people more than the computer. And so I became a trainer and a consultant for a company called Computer Sciences Corporation. Eventually, I started my own consulting and training business, which turned into more training than consulting because back then, everybody suddenly had an IBM PC, and they didn't know what to do with it. So after several years of training, my old boss from CSC called me one day and said, Can you find me a DB to DBA, I had no plans to become a recruiter. I don't know why he thought I could do the recruiting. But I did. I placed an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle. This was before the internet. And I successfully found a DB DBA. And I thought this was fun. And it pays well. So for 20 years, I did tech recruiting. And then in 2008, as everybody knows, we had a big bad recession, and I had to figure out something else to do. But I wasn't sure what to do. So I went to the gym because I needed to get back in shape from being sedentary. And there, I found Zuma fitness, and became a Zumba instructor. And then that led to the world of workplace wellness. And that is a quick intro to where I am today.

02:54

How interesting, you certainly have lots of perspectives to bring in. And clearly a reason that you were able to write this toolkit. And as you were getting at the world is of course, a very different place than it was a year ago. And we do hear so much about burnout in the news right now. How exactly do you think the concept of burnout has changed over this last year?

03:25

You know, it's interesting caressa, we were already burned out to the tune of 66% of Americans were approaching burnout. According to Gallup. Now, the numbers are even more staggering. I read one report a couple of weeks ago, where parents because many parents have school aged children, the children were schooling at home, the parent would have to stop their work in the middle of the day to make sure the kids could get on zoom and do their work and then do their homework. And then the parents had to go back to their work after dinner. And a lot of people were working into the late hours of the night so they could get it all done. So suddenly, one job sort of became to that certainly adds multiple layers to managing burnout more complex. I understand that the banish burnout toolkit is designed to help folks change their reactions to stress, and really focus on doing this from the inside out to prevent burnout. And I imagine this is a process and doesn't just happen overnight. Can you give us some insights on where you suggest folks start to get to work on this now?

04:39

Well, you bring up a really excellent point. behavior change does not happen overnight. It's a process and you you basically put one foot in front of the other, but I always suggest you start at the beginning. So in terms of my workshops, and my book banish burnout toolkit, the beginning is looking at yourself how you respond to stressors. And you know, a lot of people forget that the stressor is on one side of the table. And their reaction is on the other side of the table. And people forget that their reaction doesn't have to be married to the stressor. For example, if you're driving and traffic and someone cuts you off, and then you scream, well, you chose to scream, you didn't have to scream, it could be separated. And that's what I teach people to do is how to separate themselves from the stressor, how to look at their behavior patterns, and understand where they might be having negative thoughts that need to be interrupted. And then I teach people how to analyze a typical situation. Let's say you're in a meeting at work, and you make a suggestion as to a solution. And somebody kind of snaps back and says, Oh, no, we can't do that. That won't work for us. 

Well, hopefully, you're not going to start arguing and yelling, can somebody in a work meeting, but your body will indicate that you're stressed out if you pay attention. Some of those reactions include knots in the stomach, clenched teeth, the jaw, the neck hurts the headaches, one person even told me she gets rashes. So paying attention to our reaction, starting with physiological, then I use what I call the stress audit to help people understand what they were thinking, what they were feeling, how upset did they get? How long did they stay upset? And what if any addictive behavior did they engage in and when you write with a pen and a paper, you probably know this research shows that when you write with pen and paper, your brain talks to the hand in a deeper way. And things come out that you didn't even know were bothering you. So the more you can start practicing the art of writing your feelings, the more you can understand your patterns. And then you can identify where you need to change.

07:10

How interesting I think I need to start doing some of this. Definitely. And, and I also see that this book is based on a workshop. So as you're working through all of those steps, that sounds so helpful and interesting. Can you share with us how you might be able to work through some of this on your own time, or maybe even connect with some virtual communities?

07:39

Absolutely. So the book banish burnout toolkit, and I will be giving away to your listeners a free chapter of the book at the end, remind me to tell people how to get that. And you can work the book on your own the book is, is written as a workbook. So people can not only understand the concepts, but then they can actually do the steps. I love it when people work with a partner. And I do talk about the process of finding an accountability buddy, because you get so much more out of it if you can find somebody to work the steps with if possible. And whether you do the workshop or work the book, you will still gain a lot of insight into your own behavior. And then how to change it I identify basic stress reactions like overreaction and overgeneralization that I teach people how to reality, spin them. And then I talk a little bit about setting healthy boundaries, either at work or at home. And then in terms of virtual communities, I offer a free, deep dive, banish burnout book club once or twice a month, the next meeting is March 12. And again, if people email me they can join my book club for free.

08:59

Oh, how wonderful. That's great that there's, you know, specific recommendations. And there there are these communities to really help become engaged and talk through different challenges or, you know, just the impact that this is having on folks. So this is certainly complex, and there's a lot for folks to work through. As you were developing all of this, are there any theories that you base this on? You know, being at the University of North Central Of course, when we have our students write their their doctoral dissertations. We have them base these on theoretical or conceptual models. Is there one that you based this work on?

09:51

Well, it's interesting, you should ask that. My work is based on cognitive behavior therapy which was developed by a few different psychiatrists together, one of which was Albert Ellis. But in terms of historical models, the one that comes the closest to, to cognitive behavior therapy would be the transtheoretical model, which helps people assess their readiness to act on a new healthy behavior, because negative thoughts create negative behaviors. And so even though we don't necessarily see those as an addiction, although sometimes that is a symptom, just the process of knowing you need to change your thoughts, hopefully means you're ready. Now, I'm clearly aware based on my own history, that just because you know, you need to change something doesn't mean you're going to change it, you might have to hit your head against the wall a few times more, or a few weeks, a few months, or a few years, till you decide you need to change. But the teachings that I give, based on cognitive behavior therapy are easy, and I'm using that word very loosely. They're easy in that all you have to do is pay attention to how you're feeling and know that you want to change. And this is especially true with interrupting negative thoughts. S

o I'll give you an example of how this worked in my life. And I had been working on this basis, by the way, everything I teach, I've worked on and changed myself. So let me give you a little story. I was in the grocery store, looking for a gift card for my son's girlfriend for her birthday. And I was running tight on time I had gone to the gym, I actually called this particular store to make sure they had her favorite gift card, I get to the store, I can't find the darn gift card. And this is such a huge grocery store that they had two long aisles of gift cards. So I'm walking back and forth, looking through all the gift cards not seeing the one I wanted. So I started to get irritated because I was in a hurry. And I started running this whole dialogue in my head, oh my gosh, these people are so stupid. Why did they tell me they had the gift card now I'm going to be late, and I'm not going to have to not gonna be able to get the gift card, I'm gonna have to go somewhere else. 

Oh my gosh, they're so stupid. While I'm walking to the front of the store, I stopped myself. And I this is a completely true story. I said to myself, this is all nonverbal. I said to myself, Hey, wait a minute. Is this situation really worth getting this angry with knots in your stomach? Are you really that angry? Has anybody broken their legs is anybody in the hospital, let's put some perspective on this. I want you to turn your attitude around, I want you to go to the front of the store with a big smile on your face. And I want you to say to the clerk, how's your day going? And take it off your own head and be happy and treat people with respect. And that is kind of a little illustration of how you can learn to interrupt your negative thoughts.

13:07

How interesting and helpful. I think I need someone following me around telling me to do this at various point.

13:17

Well, I'll tell you something, just becoming aware that you would like to change your thoughts is a huge door opener, making yourself aware and saying boy, I was sure would like to change my negative thinking, you will begin to catch yourself using the stop process, which I didn't talk about yet. And the stress audit that I did talk about. At first you'll notice your behavior after the fact. But eventually, you will start to catch yourself sooner and sooner and sooner. And you'll begin to catch your negative thoughts almost as they're happening. And you'll say to yourself, wait a minute, is this situation worth getting this upset over? Is anybody in the hospital? No. Okay, you can choose to be positive, you can choose to be happy.

14:07

And so eventually you can learn to do that for yourself.

14:10

Yes. And I didn't talk about stop. Let me throw that in. So stops is an acronym that stands for stop. Take a breath, observe, and then proceed. So when by the way this acronym was developed by Jon Kabat Zinn, I'm sure you're aware is considered the father of modern day mindfulness. And the whole idea is that when you take that deep cleansing breath, the parasympathetic nervous system is actually relaxed and those jittery knots in your stomach and the clenched jaw and the neck and the shoulders all begin to relax. And then you observe That's it, that situation where I observed my thoughts, and then I proceeded making a decision to change my behavior.

14:56

Okay.

14:58

Can see how this is Have a priceless training and workbook to really go through. So I appreciate you sharing all of those insights in the real life application as well. And it's, it's wonderful for students to think through how to really connect those theories to really valuable real life application.

15:27

Right. Totally agree.

15:30

Yes. So you mentioned some interesting work in wellness. How does this come to play within your toolkit?

15:42

Well, it's interesting, the world of workplace wellness a lot. First of all, a lot of companies think that if they set up a physical activity program, they're done. And that's wellness. Well, physical activity is critical and important for health, for heart health, for mood for muscles, for blood, for the cells for everything, but it's only 1/5 of the puzzle. The other the other very one other very important piece of the puzzle is the mental health care mental health. And so, my process, my banish burnout toolkit is all part of the mental self care paradigm. But I do want to add, that a lot of times the physical and the mental are married. 

So every Prop, everyone probably knows that when you work out aerobically, you get endorphins, which is a feel good happiness chemical. So the feel good part, there's the mental that has the impact on from the physical. Other, there are other ways to activate self care. For example, did you know that spending time in the sun or even just being outside in the shade can activate happiness chemicals, dopamine is released, vitamin D is activated the skin, your mood is enhanced, your clarity is enhanced. And a lot of physiological processes in the body are helped. And I think that's why a lot of people when they think about their dream vacation, they think about going to a beach in Hawaii, or going out skiing waterskiing or snow skiing. It's because time in nature makes us so happy. And look how easy it is even during the pandemic to go outside and take a walk 10 2030 minutes will help relieve so much stress throughout your day on a daily basis.

17:40

Wonderful, it is so interesting how your physical and your mental health connects and how much impact time and nature can have and in physical activity and even when you do them both together at the same time.

17:57

Right, right. That's right. Yes.

18:00

So thank you so much for all of this fantastic information you shared with us today. Are there any other pieces of advice or wisdom you could leave with us today?

18:13

Well, yes, thank you. I'm sorry if I interrupted. So something that I've been thinking about lately, I did a workshop for a Sherm chapter Society of HR management a couple of weeks ago, and one thing that came out of that process for me, is helping I call it find your happy. So we get all bogged down with all of our big to do list and our power list. And we've got to write this report, write my dissertation, I've got to study for this exam. And I'm thinking now of your audience of your students. And we have so much to do, and so little time. But if you can take a moment, every single day, and find a spark of joy or happiness. 

Now, a minute ago, I talked about getting outside in nature, of course, that's one way to find it. But if you're in a snowstorm, or in a you know, it's raining and you don't want to go outside, there are ways to find those sparks of joy throughout your day. For example, when you finish a big project, or you've read a chapter and you've studied for your test, and you're feeling like you've done everything you can do rather than just slamming the books closed and going on to the next thing or going to bed. How about stopping and acknowledging to yourself, wow, I just finished this huge report or this just finished studying for this huge exam. I'm drained but I feel good because I accomplished something the brain loves its happiness, chemicals. And when you have a completion, the brain is really really happy. So if you focus on that happiness for five minutes, you will feel in general so much happier and your mental health. We'll be obviously much better off. So that's an important thing that I've just been thinking about recently.

20:08

Wonderful, how interesting and important to apply right now? Well, Janice, thank you so much for joining us, and support of the Center for the advancement of virtual organizations, we really appreciate your insights. And we know our listeners will really benefit from your experience and expertise as well.

20:27

Thank you, I just want to let everyone know, they're welcome to a free chapter of the banish burnout toolkit, which by the way, is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble anywhere you want to buy books, it's also on my website. So if you go to Janice littman comm slash book, and scroll all the way to the bottom, you can click on, get my free chapter, then your name will be added to my mailing list. And if you just I don't do very many emails, but if you don't want to be on the mailing list, you can always unsubscribe after you get the first one. And also, if you want to join my banish burnout book club, email me at Janice at Janice Lipson and just remind me how you found me and I'll be happy to invite you to my book club. I'm also very, very active on LinkedIn. So find me on LinkedIn and I will be happy to connect. And thank you guys so much for having me. This is a wonderful, wonderful podcast.

21:24

Thank you. Hopefully each and every one of our listeners take advantage what an excellent opportunity.

21:30

Thank you.