Month: August 2023

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How to identify and reduce burnout to improve mental wellness

 

Do you find yourself dreading your day to the point that you find it hard to get up in the morning?  Most people at some point in their lives will experience burnout.  In fact, given that we have all been in some form of lockdown due to the pandemic for over a year, we all are probably experiencing some degree of it now.  

Here are a few other signs of burnout:

  • You have poor boundaries with other people or work life balance
  • You take on too much responsibility for things that are not yours to take.
  • You find that your overall worldview has become more negative
  • You are feeling more anxious than usual about responsibilities.
  • You don’t care for yourself or take breaks even when you can.

© An even smaller heading.

By Yan Lin Tso, LCSW

What can you do about ?  The first thing you can do is interrupt the cycle.  Take care of yourself starting with your body.  Take time to rest and do the things that help to restore your sense of well-being.  That means that you may need to set boundaries between your life and work or with people in your life who may be draining your energy.  Seek out positive influences in your life, whether it be people who are supportive, positive media, nature or enjoying the arts.  You can limit your exposure to negative media. Give yourself time to recover.

Once you have recovered, take time to re-examine how you can take more time for yourself.  This doesn’t have to take a lot of time.  Mainly you probably need to creat structure in your day.  You can start by taking better care of your body’s basic needs more regularly.  That means eating well, staying hydrated, getting enough rest and exercise, taking stretch or wellness checks throughout the day. 

How about your emotional wellness?  Do you feel you have enough social support?  You may also wish to take stock of your boundaries.  Are you overworking?  Do you find that people in your life value your efforts? If not, ask for what you need, even if that means time away.  

 

By Yan Lin Tso, LCSW

 

Burnout is a physiological issue that has to do with having sustained stress that you have been unable to fully recover from.  As you begin to recognize the signs of burnout it is important that you seek mental wellness resources to help guide you in the process of recovery.

If you find that you frequently experience burnout, you may need to speak with a therapist who can support you as you make the changes in your life you need to prevent it. 

 

 

 

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How to work with internalized racism to improve mental wellness

 

How to work with internalized racism to improve mental wellness

Tell me about a time when your beliefs about people of your own race limited what you believed to be your potential in this life? 

So many of us stumble into the stereotypes we have been marinating in our entire lives.  

Maybe you felt your opinion mattered less because of how often you have been dismissed or devalued.  Maybe you believe the work you do is worth less than that of a white person because society tends to devalue it.

Feeling angry? Yes, that’s good!! Anger is a good emotion to have because it allows us to externalize the stereotypes that have affected us.  How do we work with internalized racism?  

Recognize it.  No need to feel ashamed.  It is almost inevitable that someone with a marginalized identity would internalize it, because we grew up as a minority with a majority group in power. 

Assign responsibility where it is due.  Who told you that you were inferior?  To, whomever said that to you, that’s on them.

Next, acknowledge your feelings about the stereotype or belief.  It is good to get angry, good to express rage in a non-destructive way.  Let it out!

When we recognize our own agency to move beyond limiting beliefs, then we own our power.  Stand up, fight back!  You are your own advocate and now you get to throw off those limiting beliefs and take your power back!!

by Yan Lin Tso, LCSW. 

 

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“Pathological Demand Avoidance” from the perspective of an Neurodivergent Person

 

YanLin Tso, LCSW

 

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) has been described either as a type of neurodivergence within itself or associated with other types of neurodivergence (abbreviated here as ND), such as autism and ADHD. What is PDA? It is defined in Wikipedia and elsewhere as a greater than usual refusal to comply with requests and expectations.  In children, it can be associated with Oppositional Defiant Disorder.  I agree with other professionals that it would be beneficial to rename it as the “pathological” descriptor isn’t necessarily accurate or helpful.  I suggest referring to it as simply Demand Avoidance.

Woman holds up hands as a refusal or boundary.

What does Demand Avoidance look like?  Sometimes it manifests as refusal for what someone externally might deem as a “reasonable request.”   Other times it manifests as something that someone avoids doing because they believe it is something they “should” do in order to get what they want. 

What PDA is not.  It is not general defiance towards authority figures, it is not resistance to treatment, it is not laziness, it is not a fixed character trait that cannot be changed and it is not necessarily animosity towards a caretaker (unless a caregiver is doing something that makes it reasonable for a person under their care to be defiant).  It is not necessarily pathological either. 

 

 

 

Could PDA be a way of coping with ableism?

Many ND people, whether diagnosed or not, have had the experience of having someone expect them to be able to do things that they cannot do, or they are expected to be able to do things in the same way that neurotypical people do.  But people who are neurodivergent by definition, may think or experience the world differently.  Thus they may have their own ways of doing things that work best for them.  It is this misunderstanding that can lead people to believe that they are just being difficult, lazy, irresponsible or that they are somehow inferior because they cannot or will not do what is being asked of them. ND people tend to internalize this type of feedback, believing that they are inferior in some way, thus it can be a trauma that is the result of internalized ableism. 

Demand Avoidance can be positive,  as a means of self advocacy.  If one is trying to work with someone who displays Demand Avoidance, it is possible that they are not able to do what you are asking them to do in the way you are asking.  It is possible that they are having a reasonable response to someone who is trying to take away their autonomy or a similar projection based on past experiences.  It is also possible that this behavior is a barrier that gets in the way of their goals and it is treatable.

 

“Burdened”

Reality Redefined.

For the latter situation, I suggest an Internal Family Systems (IFS)  approach. If you aren’t familiar with this framework, see Richard Schwart’s book, called, “No bad parts.”  In the context of IFS, we can view Demand Avoidance as a part, specifically as a protector that helps the individual avoid the feelings that they have historically experienced as a result of not meeting the expectations of others. Perhaps they experienced feelings of shame, inadequacy, or guilt.  In the IFS framework, we can view the part as having the positive intention of helping someone to not have to feel these difficult feelings.  Likewise, neurodivergent people often internalize the authoritative part that says what we “should” be doing and have a demand avoiding part that responds to that part.  In treating Demand Avoidance, in the IFS framework, we would help the client to flesh out the parts and understand the needs of the parts. 

Perhaps the therapist and the Self would try to help the part(s) that are being protected. Then we might find boundaries or an appropriate role for the protector part so that it does not need to be exiled and it operates in a way that is beneficial to the whole Self.  

 

YanLin Tso, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Autistic Person