Understanding Academic Burnout: Why We Need a Conscious Education Approach

“I am depressed because I can’t retire yet.”

“It’s just so demoralizing.”

“I can’t sleep because I keep thinking of all the grading I have to do.”

“I’m burned out.”

Sound familiar? The term “burnout” gets tossed around quite a bit in academic and other service professions; sometimes we use it when we are tired and overwhelmed in the short term, and other times it speaks to a greater underlying condition that won’t go away on its own.

The World Health Organization (2019) provides a very specific definition of burnout (particular to the workplace context), which is characterized by 1. exhaustion, 2. detachment or cynicism, and 3. reduced efficacy.

Depleted energy or exhaustion can be cyclical: maybe it’s tiredness at the end of the semester, maybe it’s needing a nap on Friday at the end of a busy week. To be characterized as part of burnout, we’re really looking at a persistent, chronic lack of energy. For example, have you started the semester tired and worn out? Are you coming back to work after a winter or summer break already feeling beat down and without much to give? This might be a symptom of burnout.

The detachment or cynicism piece I have started to see more and more as higher education turns to more bureaucratic, corporate models. Many of us chose academia as our profession because of the opportunities for autonomy and creativity: it was a place to serve the world in line with our values and passions. But as efficiency models rule more and more of our working lives, the opportunities to be authentically engaged and intrinsically motivated seem to be disappearing. Many of my colleagues report not recognizing the institutions and roles they signed up to serve, which leads to less engagement and more feelings of detachment. No longer are faculty seeking and sharing knowledge to inspire their students and improve society; instead, a top-down approach leaves faculty performing administrative tasks and feeling like cogs in a machine.

Finally, the energy drain and detachment leads to reduced efficacy. Without the intrinsic motivation to share what we are passionate about, with more and more meetings, with less and and less autonomy, we lose the will and energy to perform our teaching, research, and leadership roles to the best of our ability. We begin stepping back, drowning in our email inboxes, and too overwhelmed to do things at our peak capacity. A morale problem can only persist for a short period of time before it starts affecting the ability to do a job well.

The conscious education framework (Adams 2022) is designed to prevent and treat burnout for faculty members in higher education and other service roles. First, we must have the intention to change; then we underpin our efforts with mindful awareness and compassion to identify opportunities, take new perspectives, and ensure we don’t engage in self-blame that further perpetuates the problem. Next, we look at where we are out of alignment with our values, examine outworn beliefs, and identify where our needs are not being met: this helps us realign to reclaim energy and vitality. With this knowledge, we start to identify places where we can set boundaries in an unhealthy academic culture that encourages competition and self-sacrifice.

The conscious education framework and approach are designed to help faculty members reclaim their joy, energy, free time, and motivation, inside or outside of academia. I hope that my work in this area will help liberate my colleagues from the tyranny of self-betrayal and help them restore balance in their lives.

Some questions to consider:

· Are you experiencing any of the 3 symptoms of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, and/or reduced effectiveness in your roles?

· Do you see others experiencing these symptoms?

· What aspects of your job lead to these feelings?

· Where are you out of line with your values? What beliefs no longer serve you or your purpose? What needs are not being met?

· Where might you be able to step back, say “no, thank you”, or take a break?

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