Best Of Kandi Wiens' "Burnout Immunity"

Here is a selection of memorable quotes from Burnout Immunity: How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Build Resilience and Heal Your Relationship with Work by Kandi Wiens

Whatever our profession, we want to know that we matter and that our work makes a difference. Knowing that you matter and are valued has an stress-lowering effect, while feeling that you don't matter or are not valued raises your risk of depression, and contributes to feelings of cynicism and withdrawal. 

Second, there is a direct correlation between well-being and income. According to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 49 percent of workers who were financially stressed said that worries about money had a severe or major impact on their mental health in the past year. 

Third, feeling "seen, respected, needed, and valued" has an outsize positive effect on well-being. According to recent research, "Regardless of their position, when people feel appreciated, recognized, and engaged by their supervisors and coworkers, their sense of value and meaning increases, as well as their capacity to manage stress."

p. 35

As a matter of fact, experts agree (and my research repeatedly confirmed that one of the most powerful ways to protect yourself from burnout is to focus on what you can control. Why does that make such a difference? Well, think about the converse: we know that one of the key drivers of burnout is experiencing a lack of control at work, and dwelling on what's not within our control can leave us feeling helpless and hopeless. It eats away at our sense of agency, our energy, and our belief that things can change for the better. It amplifies our stress. It can leave us thinking, Why bother? I can't do anything about that anyway, or This is just the way things are, and if I can't deal I must not belong here. Plain and simple, focusing on what you can't control is inherently stressful, and it's disempowering and self-defeating.

p. 71

Whatever the reason, few things will propel you into burnout faster than a threat to your core values. So it goes without saying that first and foremost, you've got to have an accurate read on your core beliefs and guiding principles. 

Knowing what truly matters to you and motivates you, what forms the contours of your purpose and how you go about enacting it, and what you are (and aren't willing to sacrifice for your job, is all essential information. Further, there's hardly a more potent way to be effective at work and to avoid burnout than to gain alignment between your values and the enacted values of your organization.

p.167

Hope is so powerful, in part, because it affects our nervous system. When we experience hope, points out author and researcher Annie McKee, the stress response diminishes, resulting in slower breath-ing, lower blood pressure, less muscle tension, and a stronger immune system. All of these physiological benefits help us manage our emotions. "When we are hopeful," McKee writes, "we are better able to access our knowledge and intellect, use our emotional intelligence, and rely on our intuition. We are more open and willing to consider new and different ways to reach our goals and have the emotional wherewithal to deal with challenges and problems. 

Further, hope fuels courage, which allows us to take risks. And when those risks pay off, we feel emboldened, and more in control of our own destiny. Hope, McKee concludes, fuels energy, creativity, and resilience, and makes it possible to navigate complexity, deal with pressure, prioritize, and make sense of our lives. It inspires us to reach our potential.

p. 190

Stay laser focused on what you can control versus what you cannot control. Dwelling on what's beyond your control undermines hope and optimism. Remain rooted in what you can control-and make sure to follow through, which reinforces your sense of self-efficacy.

p. 192