Burnout doesn’t have a written-in-stone clinical diagnosis. In most cases, it is usually physical, mental or emotional exhaustion that makes it difficult to navigate life.
Photo: Paola Chaaya/Unsplash
Burnout is caused by prolonged or excessive stress. It can leave many feeling detached, cynical, and indifferent towards work or other activities.
by Tim Ditman OSF Healthcare
ALTON - Burnout.
It means different things to different people. But one thing’s for sure: you should know the skills to cope with burnout to avoid a mental health crisis.
“Things are really expensive right now. People are looking for jobs. There’s a political climate with a lot of changes. It’s all created a lot of upset,” says Sara Bennett, an OSF HealthCare psychotherapist, commenting on the prevalence of burnout today. “And social media has a big role in how we feel. We see everybody’s problems. Or the opposite: Everybody’s life is so great and rosy. It leaves us wondering what we’re doing wrong.”
Causes and symptoms
Bennett says burnout doesn’t have a written-in-stone clinical diagnosis like, for example, the flu does. But generally, she describes it as physical, mental or emotional exhaustion that makes it difficult to navigate life. Issues with your job, school, finances, health and relationships can all lead to burnout.
Photo provided
Sara Bennett
“You’re probably going to feel a lack of concern. We call that apathy. You might not care if something’s going on. You might have a lack of interest in things you usually enjoy,” Bennett explains. “You might not be sleeping well. You might get stomachaches or headaches. You may be irritable.”
A sense of hopelessness can also occur. You might feel like things will never get better, or you can never get ahead of your problems, Bennett says.
Treatment
From your home to the doctor’s office, there are ways to navigate burnout.
First, Bennett says you should take stock of the situation you’re in. Is it one that will resolve itself soon? Or do you need a bigger plan? For example, Bennett says accountants can be stressed during tax season. But after all the filings are done and the chaos dies down, their mental health will likely get a boost.
Take care of the basics. Get good sleep. Eat a healthy diet. Exercise regularly.
Ask someone for help. For example, if caring for an elderly family member causes stress, ask a neighbor to man the house for an hour so you can get some fresh air or take a nap.
Learn to say no. You can’t be all things to all people. So, recognize when you don’t have the bandwidth to take on a task.
“Learn to prioritize,” Bennett suggests. “Figure out the things you can’t say no to. The things that are really important. Or maybe there’s some suffering involved, and you’re the person that can help.”
See a health care provider.
“Doctors can prescribe something that might help you through a short-term experience,” Bennett says. “Therapists can engage you unlike others in your life. They can process stressors with you. They can give you good coping skills and relaxation techniques.”
For example, Bennett says she may work with someone to identify what they can and can’t control in their life and encourage them not to get hung up on the latter. Journaling can also help avoid bottled up emotions. And, Bennett implores people to be grateful for the good things in life.
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Five-count lawsuit filed by a Chicago law firm on the behalf of parents of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly was assaulted repeatedly by a 14-year-old student in the Taylorville School District.
by Jade Aubrey Capitol News Illinois
SPRINGFIELD - The parents of a 10-year-old girl who allegedly was assaulted repeatedly by a 14-year-old student in the Taylorville School District have filed a federal lawsuit against the school district and the school bus company.
The lawsuit, filed by a Chicago law firm, contains five counts against the Taylorville School District and Durham School Services, including violations of the victim’s Title IX rights, of her right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment, willful and wanton negligence, and infliction of emotional distress.
The victim is identified in the suit as Jane Doe, a minor. Her parents are named in the suit, but Capitol News Illinois is not using their names because it would identify the girl.
The victim's mother said that over the course of a week between late January and early February 2024, her daughter was sexually assaulted by an older student on her daughter’s school bus and at her bus stop. The court filing alleges that the assaults ranged in severity from fondling to digital penetration, most often taking place on the school bus where the perpetrator cornered the girl.
On three separate instances, the perpetrator chased the girl away from a bus stop, held her down, and covered her mouth while he sexually assaulted her, according to the suit.
This young child was so confused and distraught by what was occurring that she did not even understand what was occurring.
The lawsuit also alleged that the perpetrator told the girl that he would harm her and her family if she reported the abuse, and that “the perpetrator admitted that he did not even know (her) name when he repeatedly assaulted her.”
The girl is a special needs student living with autism and ADHD, according to the suit.
“We are talking about one of the most vulnerable members of our society — a young, 10-year-old, special needs girl,” the lead attorney on the case, Cass Casper, said during a news conference about the lawsuit Tuesday. “This young child was so confused and distraught by what was occurring that she did not even understand what was occurring.”
A spokesman for the school district did not respond to a request for comment by CNI.
After reporting the incident, the mother said she obtained an emergency order of protection for her daughter and brought it to the principal of Taylorville Junior High School, who made a “safety plan” for her daughter. She said the plan prohibited the accused student from coming into contact with her daughter at school, which the order of protection already called for, and simply relocated him to another part of the school building.
“This safety plan was shared with the bus company, my daughter’s fifth grade teacher and office staff,” the mother said during a news conference in the Statehouse in January. “No one else knew of the assaults. No one else knew of the safety plan.”
During that news conference, Peden also said that after several meetings with the school board and multiple court orders, the student was removed from her daughter’s school and sent to an alternative school for the rest of the spring semester. However, in August, she received a phone call about the student’s reentry into her daughter’s school and again asked the school to remove her daughter’s perpetrator.
“We have laws where a student gets expelled for bringing a weapon on school grounds, but what about cases like this, when the student’s body is the weapon?” the mother said.
Casper said the school district conducted what he called a “radically deficient” Title IX investigation. He alleged the school district was “more concerned with absolving the school district of responsibility” than of fleshing out what events took place when and where.
Title IX is a federal law enacted in 1972 that prohibits sexual discrimination in any education program or activity.
The court filing alleged that once the assaults were reported, the parents were informed about several other young victims in the community that the perpetrator had previously inappropriately touched.
“We do have specific information from three other sources that there were similar, not the same, but similar acts that should have raised questions within the community and within the school officials,” Casper said.
Most of what the family has pursued in Taylorville has fallen on deaf ears
The lawsuits also mentions a previous Illinois court case decision, which ruled that a school district is responsible for child abuse occurring on a school bus, alongside the section in the Taylorville School District’s Student Disciple Code that says student conduct on school buses, at extra-curricular activities, on any property within 1,000 feet of school grounds, and “prohibited conduct that is plainly visible to a person situated on school grounds even if the misconduct occurs off of school property” is enforceable.
The lawsuit also seeks compensatory damages for the cost of the girl’s psychological treatment and for her emotional distress, as well as the implementation of new policies that will “prevent future harassment and abuse.”
“Most of what the family has pursued in Taylorville has fallen on deaf ears,” Casper said.
During the news conference, Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, spoke about the failure of a bill he sponsored seeking to expel students who sexually assault another student at school. That bill had 31 co-sponsors in the Senate, 13 of whom were Democrats.
“There are legislators that do not believe that there should be any expulsion or even suspension for any student at all,” McClure said. “There's a focus too much with some legislators on the perpetrator, we got to look after the perpetrator. What about the victim who can't even go to school without seeing someone that attacked them on a daily basis?”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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