#EveryLittleActionCounts Week 53: Integrate well-being strategies to prevent burnout in academia
Academia often romanticises overwork, making burnout seem like an inevitable rite of academic journeys. However, it does not have to be that way – sustainable academic lives are built through deliberate boundary-setting, critical reflection and active resistance to toxic norms.
Anne-Wil shares ten practical and authentic suggestions for staying sane in academia, from saying ‘no’ with confidence to steering clear of politics. Link to blog post: https://harzing.com/blog/2016/05/how-to-prevent-burnout-about-staying-sane-in-academia
“Academia has a fair proportion of people suffering from burnout…some level of burnout during a particular stage of your career is quite likely.” – Anne-Wil Harzing
Here are three tips that can support the integration of well-being strategies in academia:
Micro-Journaling – write for five minutes at the end of the week reflecting on what strategy you used, whether it helped, and what internal or external resistance you encountered.
Partner with a colleague to each commit to one new strategy or boundary and check in weekly or monthly
Share a burnout-prevention strategy or tip during a teaching or meeting session, blog post, or newsletter to highlight the importance of sustainable academic work.
We would be very happy to hear about your strategies for preventing burnout in academia.
Anne-Wil Harzing & Christa Sathish