We’ve listened to so-called experts giving us burnout prevention and remediation advice for years now. Yes, we can always get better at self-care, life balance and thoughtful prioritization of our values. But for those of us who have maximized what we believe we can do on the self-improvement spectrum, it’s time to also recognize that those who control the politics of policy, financial incentives and overall system design have not done a good job protecting our interests.
It’s time to move from attempting to respond to a poorly designed “system” and recognize that it needs to be changed at so many fundamental levels. Our “poor” work-life choices have not burned us out; we have been burned out by the system in which we practice.
There aren’t a lot of choices – you can leave by career change or retirement, you can struggle and become bitter and resentful and take it up in psychotherapy, or you can step up and lead it to an alternative configuration. Leadership is the only way I know of to make these changes. By holding the reins of influence, power and design we can make the differences we need to create a healthy environment for practice.