Month: September 2019

Tech work can strain mental health. But a psychotherapist says there’s a way to prevent burnout.

It’s all about creating your own work-life balance.

Creating your own work-life balance is not what you’d expect to read in a tech employee’s job description.

But it might be one of the most important parts of the gig, according to Sandie Leistiko, a psychotherapist with Pacific Medical Centers who sees many clients who work in the tech industry affected by its pressures.

“Whether gaming or marketing or working for a specific company, we want to give our customers what they want, and they want it now,” she said. “They want it quick and they want it flashy.”

This can lead to some tech workers struggling to find work/life balance, and eventually burning out.

Other jobs, like those in the medical field or banking, for example, have a built-in time-management system. You clock in, you take a break, you clock out. The rest of the day is yours.

“They provide meals, they provide beverages. They provide us with items of comfort, making it really comfortable for us to be there. It doesn’t really seem like there’s a starting and ending point,” Leistiko said.

The ability to work remotely, as provided by many tech companies, can also make some workers feel as though they should work remotely — answering an email or two while away on vacation, for example, doesn’t allow for someone to totally unplug.

These conflicts were documented by a 2015 New York Times exposé where Amazon workers said they had been emailed and texted by coworkers after midnight, for example, or had been seen crying at their desks.

CEO Jeff Bezos later invited workers to email HR or him directly if they experience such treatment in a memo shared with GeekWire. A then-software development manager at Amazon also wrote in a post on LinkedIn: “During my 18 months at Amazon, I’ve never worked a single weekend when I didn’t want to. No one tells me to work nights. No one makes me answer emails at night. No one texts me to ask me why emails aren’t answered.”

And Amazon is hardly the only company to have workers feel this kind of pressure. The increase in workers being plugged in 24/7 has also lead to greater burnout — a 2018 study by Deloitte shows 77% of 1,000 respondents reporting burnout at their current job. Nearly half of millennials surveyed in that study said they left a job specifically because of burnout.

Even sought-after benefits like unlimited vacation come with a bit of an unseen caveat. If you’re never around, you might miss out on getting assigned a major project, for instance.

“People are taking less time off because of that competition,” Leistiko said.

But the way Leistiko sees it, it’s not entirely the company’s fault.

“If (workers) have flexibility with where we work, how much we work, is it in our home or not, then it’s up to that person to create boundaries for themselves,” she said. “No one is the bad guy. It’s up to the worker to determine ‘What do I value? What is good for me? What is good for others?'”

This can be a struggle for some. Perhaps a worker just moved to Seattle for their new tech job. Without a support system here, they might stretch themselves in an effort to be a team player or to fit in.

It’s undeniable that jobs at large tech companies are some of the most coveted and offer unique benefits. Getting hired is likely to be celebrated by a new employee.

So, what steps can they take to make their transition a success?

The two most important steps, Leistiko said, are self-awareness and boundary setting: self-awareness of a person’s values and what makes their life meaningful, and being able to set boundaries in order to create a sustainable lifestyle.

At some point, she added, it might be worth evaluating whether an employee’s values mirror those of their company.

“Because it might not be a good fit,” she said.

We all have things we want when it comes to our health: lose weight, be more fit, manage chronic diseases—the list goes on and on. But sometimes, turning that goal into a reality can be tough! We know where we’d like to end up, but getting there seems like an impossible task.

When setting new health goals, most people start off inspired and energized with a solid plan in place; they’re having salad every day, easily ignoring the donuts in the break room and happily going to the gym a couple times per week. But then the excitement starts to dwindle, and they miss a couple workouts. They start to tire of salad and look longingly at their coworker’s General Tso chicken. A new project pops up at work, requiring late nights fueled by tacos and energy drinks. Before they know it, they’re back where they started, upset with their apparent lack of willpower.

Sound familiar? The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way! Focusing on a few key steps can make all the difference.

Discover Your Ultimate Objective

I’ll be honest; eating healthy all the time isn’t always easy, even for a dietitian. Sure, at this point it’s become almost second nature for me, but I still have days when I want to throw in the towel and switch to an all-pizza diet. Eating healthy is important to me, but it’s not enough to keep me motivated all the time. What I rely on during those pizza-dreaming days are my two ultimate objectives: I don’t want to spend money unnecessarily, and I want to feel good. Both are extremely important to me and can get me back in action when my motivation starts to waver.

Being able to identify what’s most important to you gives you a safety net for your goal. For example, when a goal of losing 30 pounds is no longer motivating, you can fall back on your ultimate objective of feeling comfortable no matter what you wear.

Manage Your Expectations

Have you heard the saying it takes 21 days to form a new habit? As encouraging and straightforward as that sounds, the truth is, it can actually take up to 240 days. Still feel like packing your lunch is a chore after a couple weeks? That’s ok! Turning a new behavior into an automatic routine is supposed to take a while. Forming new habits doesn’t follow a linear path of progress; slip-ups and forgetfulness are bound to happen along the way. Give yourself permission to make some mistakes as you go and learn from them.

Consider the Cost

When it comes down to it, setting a health goal is actually the easy part. It’s easy to think about what you could do or what you want to do—who wouldn’t want to run a marathon or get 8 hours of sleep every night? The hard part is determining what you’ll need to sacrifice in order to get what you want. Before setting a goal, spend some time thinking about what you’ll need to give up to actually achieve it. Will it be time with your friends, Netflix bingeing or your coworker’s famous double chocolate brownies? Or will you be embarking on a complete lifestyle change where all your old habits and foods will be left behind?

Once you have a clear idea of what you’ll be giving up, ask yourself: Am I willing to accept this sacrifice? Your answer will give you an indication of the likelihood that you’ll accomplish this particular goal. If the costs are too high, it’s unlikely you’ll experience success. If that’s the case, you may need to hightail it back to the drawing board and come up with a goal that’s more realistic.

Plan for Bumps in the Road

Remember those mistakes and slip-ups that are bound to occur? One way to reduce their frequency and minimize their effect is to identify what could cause them to arise in the first place. Maybe your goal is to go for a walk outside every day, but you really dislike being in the rain. Here in Washington, you know there will be plenty of days when it might not be feasible for you to accomplish your goal. For those instances, it’s helpful to have a back-up plan already in place: find a treadmill with a view or a workout class that keeps you moving. When it comes to setting goals, be realistic about your lifestyle and preferences.

Assemble Your Team

Last but certainly not least is sharing your goal with others—putting it out there in the world is what makes it real. Until you let people in on what you’re up to, the only person you’ll have to be accountable to is yourself. And while that may work for some people, most of us are just terrible at holding ourselves accountable. Be honest with yourself about your limitations and find people who can help fill in the gaps. Ask them to be your cheerleaders, support systems or accountability buddies. Have people you can brainstorm with, or even vent to. Having supportive people around you will give you that extra push when you need it and could even make accomplishing your health goals a more enjoyable experience.