Burnout on the Frontline

 To save lives you need to put your own Oxygen mask on first

Burnout is a term we are hearing more in the workplace. According to Mental Health UK burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion. It can occur when you experience long-term stress in your job, or when you have worked in a physically or emotionally draining role for a long time. 

It’s an issue facing healthcare workers globally. A recent survey by Medscape revealed that more than half of US physicians said they are feeling burned out, up from 42% saying so in 2018 and 47% in 2021. The same report suggests that 1 in 4 doctors are depressed. In the UK, 1 in 10 healthcare workers quit the profession citing burnout and low pay.

Dr Rola Hallam is an award-winning Consultant Anaesthetist, speaker and trauma-informed coach. As a staunch advocate for front line workers, Dr Rola believes relentless struggle and daily firefighting can fry your nerves and make you feel frustrated, exhausted and overwhelmed. While you prioritise everyone and everything else, you sacrifice your own health, wealth and happiness.

In this interview, Dr Rola discusses her own personal experience of burnout and shares her tips for those who might be suffering from the symptoms to overcome burnout and promote wellbeing.

Tell me about your experience of burnout – What was your job at the time?  

I was the founder-CEO of a humanitarian organisation, CanDo, resourcing frontline health and aid workers in war zones, helping them deliver life-saving health services to their communities. working mostly in Syria. 

One day, whilst giving yet another BBC interview about yet another school bombing about yet another documentary we filmed about ongoing war crimes, I had an out-of-body experience.

I saw myself being interviewed and the watcher exclaimed “what the f**k! I can’t believe that I am still talking about schools being bombed. I can’t believe I am still talking about children and health workers being killed. It’s been 10 years. This was meant to be over in a few weeks. Remember that bottle of champagne you kept for when the war ended? You waited 5 years. Your marriage ended before this war. You threw the bottle away.” 

And with that, I descended into a valley of darkness. The world collapsed around me and I felt like the world’s biggest failure. Sobs that I didn’t know I hid burst out. The confusion and loss I felt were breathtaking. My emotions took control and all I could do was allow, for the first time, for all of it to just come out. I knew that I had to do what I hadn’t done, to feel so I can heal. 

And so began the biggest journey of my personal, spiritual and professional evolution.

 How did your burnout manifest (both mentally and physically)? How did you feel? 

There were days when I just couldn’t get out of bed. Days when I would just sob and sob.  Days when anger would visit and all I could do was just be furious.  

I slept badly, had brain fog, couldn’t think, and my back pain was the worst it had been for 3 years. I felt broken, lost and trapped

What are the main things you learned from burnout?

Compassion doesn’t fatigue.  

Burnout is the fatigue of the Ego. A siren call from our soul to realise that our ways are broken. Yes, we are creators but we are co-creators with The Creator. No, it isn’t our responsibility to fight, it is ours to find peace within so that we can radiate it out. The world is being tended to by wounded healers. 

We are launching ourselves into battle battered, bruised and broken, bleeding all over our planet and those whom we seek to save.  

The 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet said so beautifully: yesterday I was clever so I tried to change the world, today I am wise so I am changing myself. 

We can’t heal the world if we are deeply wounded, we can’t bring peace to the earth with war raging within and we can’t bring down systems of prejudice and oppression when we hate ourselves. 

Physician heals thyself. The planet and all its creatures need us to be wise, not clever.  

What’s your advice to others experiencing burnout?

Be kind to yourself. 

Developing self-compassion and becoming my own best friend was the biggest catalyst of my recovery and now, my thriving. 

Do not allow the self-critical, ashamed and judgmental voice to be behind the steering wheel of your life. Let your wiser, knowing self drive. You are not broken, you don’t need fixing. You are wounded and need recovery.  

Once you have committed to your recovery, retuning your nervous system and getting out of survival mode is the first necessary key. Being burnt out is like being shipwrecked. You can’t do anything till you are safe on the shore. Get to shore. I can support you with some simple yet powerful techniques such as orienting or box breathing to help you begin to give yourself the signal that you are safe. 

 What’s your advice to others who feel they’re close to burning out?

Heed the warning bells and share, get support. 

We can get so wrapped and imprisoned in our issues, our illnesses, pains, whatever it is, and we lock ourselves away. And then we wonder why we don’t feel the love and we feel unsupported. We feel alone and we feel isolated. 

Every time I have been vulnerable and shared with a friend, I have found it so empowering. Every time I’ve written a blog, and shared and then had someone come back and say, oh my god, I needed to hear that. Thank you. Because I thought I was the only one who was struggling with this.  

Share, because you will then know you are not alone. you are absolutely not alone. We are all woven together in this blanket of humanity. And so don’t feel isolated. Know that you are a part of the net, share it whether you’re sharing your struggles with a loved one or whether with others who may need to hear what your story is and what you’re going through. Share. and ask for help and support. Don’t let the voice of shame clutch your throat, there is nothing to be ashamed of. It takes strength to be vulnerable and ask for support and share with others and if you want my support, then reach out. I can assure you there is a light at the end of this dark tunnel. 

My burnout catalysed the biggest personal, spiritual and professional transformation. I do not wish this pain on anyone but I want to remind you that just as I am thriving again, you too absolutely can. You have innate wisdom and healing powers, find someone who can hold a mirror to you and remind you how epic and incredible you are and support you to a vibrant energised and balanced you and if you need my support, i’d be honoured to be of service. 

About Dr Rola Hallam

Dr Rola Hallam is a multi-award-winning physician, humanitarian, campaigner, speaker, social entrepreneur and coach. She’s the first Syrian TED Fellow and the founder of CanDo – a humanitarian organisation supporting frontline health and aid workers to save children’s lives in their war-devastated communities. She has helped build seven hospitals in Syria, including the first-ever crowdfunded hospital, altogether serving over four million people.  

As a global advocate for the health and human rights in conflict, she has shared the stage with presidents, celebrities and grassroots activists. She is a TED and Google speaker, and her work has been featured in most media from the New York Times to The Daily Show, including two BBC documentaries.  

Her online talks have been seen over 11 million times, inspiring thousands to become change-makers. Rola believes the world needs more visionaries, idealists, rebels and troublemakers – people who stand up, speak out and lead for change. 

For more information visit https://www.drrolahallam.com/