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Three years into my dental career, I suddenly decided I couldn’t do it anymore. I hated being a dentist. I constantly worried… would my work last? Would it turn out okay? Which patients were going to get mad at me today? Was someone going to sue me? Although I always did my best, I could never guarantee that the results would match the quality of my work. I thought if I could only be MORE perfect, then I’d never have to face those consequences.
I constantly feared. This created a pressure that I couldn’t sustain. It all came crashing down in my 3rd year of practice, as I made my first attempt to address my unhappiness with dentistry. In 2004, no one was discussing burnout anywhere. It wasn’t the buzzword it is today.
It wasn’t until 2019 that I started learning more about burnout. I came across a Mayo Clinic article, and I couldn’t believe how every single sign of burnout matched my experience for nearly all of my dental career:
Are you cynical or critical at work? Duh, yes.
Do you drag yourself to work and have trouble getting started? Mm-hmm.
Are you irritable or impatient with co-workers, customers, or clients? Yes, all of the above.
Do you lack the energy to be consistently productive? Yes.
Do you find it hard to concentrate? Yes.
Do you lack satisfaction from your achievements? Absolutely, yes!
Do you feel disillusioned about your job? Beyond yes!
Are you using food, drugs, or alcohol to feel better or to simply not feel? Does an evening glass of wine (or two) count?
They didn’t mention Netflix. Yes.
Have your sleep habits changed? Insomnia every night, yes.
Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, stomach or bowel problems, or other physical complaints? Yes.
Wait a minute! I was burnt out, and all this time I thought I hated dentistry!?
I began to question if an undiagnosed burnout pushed me out of my career. Other people did too. They asked me all the time, “Do you think you could have liked dentistry if you addressed your burnout?”
Just like in dentistry, without a diagnosis, you can’t find the right treatment. I sometimes wondered if I could have saved my career with a correct burnout diagnosis. If I’d had the right diagnosis, then I could have done the right treatment.
I thought that until I recently began to feel burnt out.
That’s right. I love what I do now, and I still become burnt out at times.
Just like you, I work A LOT! My work includes a lot of behind-the-scenes content creation and business management. My work never ends, and I could always do more. About six months ago, I started to feel like I was burning out.
I wasn’t making time for exercise, I sat at my laptop all day, and I worked seven days a week on this stuff. My life lacked that much-needed balance that we all desire.
However, this felt different from my old feelings toward clinical dentistry. While I felt overwhelmed, I still felt a desire and a passion for my mission.
This felt like burnout like I simply needed a break to get my life balance back.
That felt VERY different from the “burnout” I felt while doing work that made me constantly feel dread, depression, and anxiety.
It’s a fine line between hating your career and feeling burnt out.
That line is so fine that I believe our culture has muddled the two. Are we confusing hating your work with feeling severely burnt out?
The more I experience loving my work despite feeling burnt out, the more I believe we’re sugar-coating a career mismatch by blaming it on burnout.
Why would we do that anyway?
Because it’s the easier thing to do. It’s easier to stick with your career than it is to change.
The problem is, that we might not be creating the right solution for ourselves.
What do you do if the burnout cures aren’t working?
Now is the time to properly diagnose your dental career.
If you think you’re burnt out, but in reality you hate your career; you’re giving yourself the wrong treatment plan, and it won’t work! It may help a little, but your burnout will never really go away
.The good news is, there’s a safe way to diagnose yourself: fix your burnout, and if it works… great! You’ll know it was true burnout. And if it doesn’t work, then you’ll have your answer: you may just be in the wrong career.
Here are 5 steps to help treat your burnout:
Take care of yourself again. Maybe you’ve gotten out of the groove. Many of us get so caught up in taking care of everything and everyone else, that we neglect ourselves. The low-hanging fruit of burnout recovery is exercise, yoga, eating healthy, sleeping, and meditating. That alone will help give you a boost.
If it works, you were burnt out. But, if yoga only works while you’re in class, or the burnout comes back after a few weeks, you may not really be burnt out.
Change jobs if you can. For dentists and hygienists alike, tolerating a dysfunctional work environment can be soul-crushing. You feel like you have no control over the decisions you make, yet you have this responsibility to show up and be a leader and a team player. That adds a lot of pressure and will surely drive your burnout.
Don’t stay stuck! Make a change, and if that doesn’t work, maybe it’s not enough to make you happy in this career.
Take responsibility for your situation. If you’re a practice owner, you can control your work environment, and it all comes down to you. If you’re an employee, what can you change? Can you change your work schedule and cut down days? Which leads me to…
Have some fun! Create that balance that you need in your life. Be outside, get some fresh air, and connect with your creativity. Connect with friends or family while you’re at it. Not only will this help your burnout, but you never know what doors this will open for you in your life. If taking a vacation leaves you refreshed and energized, then you are burnt out. If a vacation reminds you of how much you hate your life, and you count the days dreading going home, then it’s probably not burnout.
Create mental boundaries. Letting go of perfectionism and people-pleasing will be the key to freeing yourself up. Get therapy or work with a coach. You don’t have to do this alone, and having support will give you the clarity and the accountability, so you can actually create change. Getting dedicated support will save you years of your life, so you don’t stay stuck spinning your wheels. And if the mental boundaries don’t protect you from burnout, well, you know what I’m going to say.
And if none of that works…
…then you have your answer.
Finding out you are in the wrong career isn’t such a bad thing, you know. Knowledge is power, and making the right diagnosis allows you to find the right treatment.
Whether you’re burnt out in dentistry, or you actually hate your career, you have to do something. You have to make a choice to fix this. Staying here is not an option because it’s not sustainable. And besides, do you want to look back on your life in your final days knowing that you did nothing about the pain your livelihood cost you?
What are you waiting for? You deserve to live a congruent life that aligns with who you are.
Visit Lolabees at: https://www.lolabeescareercoaching.com/
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