More than one third of working Canadians are feeling burnt out: study
A new study shows, nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, more than a third of working Canadians say they feel a sense of burnout.
“We’re basically designed to handle acute, short-term stressors,” says Halifax-based psychologist Dr. Dayna Lee-Baggley.
“We’re not great at these kind of chronic, long-term stressors.”
The research, which was commissioned by Workplace Strategies for Mental Health, points to five industries experiencing burnout at a higher rate than the national average.
- Health and patient care: 53 per cent
- Transportation: 40 per cent
- Finance, legal and insurance: 39 per cent
- Education: 38 per cent
- First responders: 36 per cent
“The elements that are usually present with burnout are emotional exhaustion,” says Mary Ann Baynton of Workplace Strategies for Mental Health.
“That we just become more cynical about people, and that our productivity and our performance is affected at work.”
The numbers are more alarming within health and patient care. Mental health professionals reported a burnout rate of 61 per cent and nurses 66 per cent – statistics the president of the Canadian Nurses Association calls “staggering” but not surprising.
“Before the pandemic, nurses were already reporting that they were having symptoms of burnout,” says Tim Guest.
“Throughout the pandemic we’ve just seen a significant deterioration of that.”
So what can be done to treat burnout?
“Part of the intervention and the evidence-based intervention is that the antidote to burnout isn’t rest,” says Dr. Lee-Baggley.
“It’s actually re-igniting a sense of meaning and purpose and reconnecting with things that are important.”
Baynton says the key is to find things that “fill you up” and then purposefully add them into your life.
“You won’t want to, because you’re trying to hard just to keep up,” says Baynton.
“But take that step back, and start to look for who and what can give you energy.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.