What to do if you are reaching burnout, like Antonio
The stress of Antonio Horta-Osorio has helped focus minds on the stress of everyone else. Antonio has gone away to a medical facility at which he will have zero contact with Lloyds for at least six weeks. But what if you can't do this? What if you are stressed like Antonio but you have to come back to work on Monday morning?
Ideally, you need to lie down all weekend in a darkened room. Philip Hodson, a counsellor and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, says Antonio is likely at the point where he needs bed rest.
"You can reach the stage where you cannot deal with another problem," says Hodson. "You need a time of rest, with no thought."
Antonio is not the only one who's suffering. The Evening Standard said yesterday that London Clinic Capio Nightingale has started a new service targeted at patients suffering from 'Professional Stress' and symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. Individuals are treated using a "biofeedback techique" through which they measure their heart-rate and take remedial action to control their emotions.
Hodson says stress in the financial services sector is always high and is increasing. "The problem with banking is that there's no relief," he says. "Humans are diurnal: we need tension and relaxation. We're made to live on the savannah and aimlessly do one thing at a time before fighting or running away from danger."
When stress is constant and persistent, Hodson says cortisol and adrenaline cease to have any effect and that individuals compensate for this by eating sugar or using alcohol and drugs. "You have trouble sleeping, and then you hit a brick wall," he warns.
There are various online tests that help intimate burnout. We suggest this. We also suggest you post your results below.
What should you do if you complete this test and achieve a score in excess of 50?
Hodson suggests a dual-pronged approach. In the short term, do less in your working day. "If you start the day with a list of things to do, put down 3 instead of 15," he advises. "If you finish those, add some more." But in the long term, he says you must do something else: "You can try to take the pressure off, but if the industry is going downhill and things aren't going to improve, you need to get out."
