Eradicating the Burnout Epidemic Among School PR Leaders

Why do communications professionals struggle with taking vacation?

Communications professionals frequently suffer from "vacation guilt," falsely believing they must always remain accessible during a crisis. To eradicate burnout, leadership teams must relentlessly protect sleep hygiene, refuse to work through lunch, and proactively schedule paid time off six to twelve months in advance.

My school public relations friends, you have played a significant role in keeping us alert, aware, and safe throughout COVID-19. Despite all the challenges we’ve faced, I’ve never been prouder to be part of this family of professionals. Thank you for all you’ve done. That said, we must ensure we are prioritizing our well-being heading into 2022. Earlier this year, I surveyed 100 public relations professionals on the state of their well-being. Some of you may have taken the survey, and I want to share a few key points and recommendations. We are not taking our earned vacation: Fifty-one percent of respondents said they only took 0-3 uninterrupted vacation days, while 29 percent said 3-7 days were uninterrupted by work. Some of us “have too much work to do,” “feel bad to leave work for others,” or “have nowhere to go, so I might as well work.” I’ve heard all these excuses; I want you to get selfish with the time you’ve earned! - Recommendation: Take your vacation! Your employee benefits are there for a reason. My twist: consider scheduling your paid time off 6-12 months in advance. It might seem a little strange, but this approach will help you later by ensuring you take vacations. Of course, unexpected things may arise that require you to reschedule your time off, but I’ve found it’s the exception, not the norm. We’re not sleeping well: Seventeen percent of the respondents said that thinking about work impacts their sleep daily, while 46 percent said at least once per week that work affects their sleep. - Recommendation: One of the first things we recommend to people who aren’t sleeping well is to drink their water. The systems in our bodies are working while we’re sleeping and need water to process! Try to give yourself a 1–2-hour gap from your last drink of water before you go to bed, and limit alcohol and caffeine in the evenings. The lack of wellness resources is still high. Fifty-six percent said they do not participate in any program dedicated to improving mental and physical well-being. Related, people want to make time to exercise as most respondents said they would spend an extra hour out of their day to exercise. - Recommendation: Get with the program! Give yourself one month to challenge yourself to do the same exercise every day. Whether it’s walking for 30 minutes, doing pushups, dusting off your bicycle, or taking a swim at the local pool, find something that you can do every day for a month. Record your measurements and how you feel before and after your challenge. You’ll be surprised how much a simple change can have a positive impact. We are working through lunch. Thirty-one percent of the respondents said that they take uninterrupted lunch breaks away from their place of work. However, 20 percent said they never take lunch breaks. Because we are working through lunch, we often don’t focus on how quickly we’re eating. We need to slow down to eat our meals; we should give ourselves at least 15 minutes so our bodies have time to digest our food correctly. Eating too quickly can be hard on our stomach, PLUS our brain hasn’t caught up, which might cause us to overeat. The opposite issue can happen as well; we forget to eat. Forgetting to eat or skipping meals has its own mental and physical challenges. - Recommendation: Start with identifying 2-3 days per week that you can block off 30 minutes over lunch to focus on nothing but taking your time to enjoy your lunch, listen to a podcast or audiobook, and prepare mentally for the rest of the afternoon. Focusing on just these four things is a step toward improving your well-being and preparing your mind and body to tackle 2022. Finally, thank you, School PR leaders, for all you’re doing! I’ve never been prouder to work with this collective of trusted advisors. You are indeed my heroes. Most of all, you have done so with a level of empathy and humility that is truly inspiring.