Stress levels spiking: If only we could all be like Jacinda

But not everyone can do a Jacinda Ardern: Go on holidays, take stock, then come back and resign because they no longer have “enough in the tank”.

Not everyone can do a Jacinda Ardern. Go on holidays, take stock, then come back and resign because they no longer have “enough in the tank”.

Most muddle on the best they can. They aren’t afforded the financial luxury of being a former politician so they suck it up and keep going – until they crash and burn.

Judging by the spike in calls for help to a Brisbane healthcare group, more and more people are wrestling with workplace angst.

The Banyans has seen a 167 per cent jump in inquiries about chronic stress and burnout. Comparing 2022 to 2021 figures, psychologist Peter Hayton tells me the increase is “staggering”.

“Post-Covid blues is where the economy is at – workplaces are struggling and people are feeling they can’t make a difference anymore.

“Jacinda Ardern citing burnout in her resignation speech resonates with so many people.”

Mr Hayton says workplaces are increasingly insecure and people’s “emotional regulation” is suffering.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces her resignation at the War Memorial Centre on January 19. (Photo by Kerry Marshall/Getty Images)

But Australians, unlike in other countries, are less likely to become “quiet quitters” and walk away from their jobs. They hang in there, often to their detriment.

“We forget that stress can build up inside us, but it also lingers in our body – simply leaving a stressful situation doesn’t mean we’ve completed the stress cycle and moved on,” he says.

While it’s encouraging to see people reaching out for help, many fail to see the warning signs.

Three things to look for, he says, are exhaustion (“you’re really worn out and emotionally overextended”), cynicism (“you’re feeling a lack of empathy, and bleakness”), and decreased sense of accomplishment (“feeling there’s no value in going to work, or spending time with family”).

Maladaptive coping methods, such as drinking too much, are unhelpful.

“What we know is that it takes a lot longer to recover from psychological injury than physical injury,” Mr Hayton says. “It’s a lot more costly in terms of running a business, and in the personal cost to the employee.”

Unresolved stress stemming from work is creating family problems.

Ways to curb stress and stave off burnout include doing something physical, being more social and eating and sleeping better. “Go for a walk, a swim or give someone you love a long hug – you’ll feel the change kick in,” he says. “We are built to do life with other humans, so a good laugh or cry can be hugely beneficial.”

The bulk of the calls to The Banyans Healthcare are from managers and business owners.

Unresolved stress stemming from work is creating family problems.

This dovetails with national research that reveals more than one in five Australians experienced suicidal behaviour last year and that “middle-age, middle-wage” people, earning between $100,000 and $149,000, were most afflicted.

Sharing the alarming statistic back in January, Suicide Prevention Australia CEO Nieves Murray said our country was “at a tipping point” in terms of mental healthcare.

“We need to wake up and take action … we can’t afford to bury our heads in the sand,” she said.

Yet this continues to happen. This week, the Albanese government came under fire for gaslighting industry peak bodies. It follows its extraordinary decision to slash Medicare-subsidised psychology visits from 20 to 10 per year.

Both the Australian Association of Psychologists (AAPi) and Australian Clinical Psychology Association lambasted Health Minister Mark Butler for failing to consult them about Labor’s plans to reform the struggling mental health sector.

Makes you wonder if there ARE any plans. The AAPi has heard diddly squat since the government’s big-noting Mental Health Equity and Access Forum in January, and says many “distressed” people have already run out of their 10 annual sessions and have “nowhere to go”.

Mark Butler’s response: “The Australian Government is committed to expanding the range and supply of psychological services for everyone.”

Hang on, haven’t you just contracted supply?

And in what sounds like an attempt to deflect responsibility and delay action, Mr Butler went on to say the government’s commitment hinged on “building the mental health workforce and developing new digital and direct models of service”.

That will take time many people simply don’t have. Being verbally committed to addressing Australia’s mental health crisis is useless – and we deserve better from a government that has long promised to get serious about helping people.

Kylie Lang is Associate Editor of The Courier-Mail

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