Feeling constantly drained, or noticing changes in your sleep or appetite may be more than stress – it could be burnout. The World Health Organisation classifies it as an “occupational phenomenon”, but Juanita Lambe believes it is a reality for many working women here.

In her 25-year career as an occupational therapist she saw how burnout impacted females employed in “caregiving, education and health-related fields”, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It led her back to school, where she completed a master’s degree that focused on “the systems that contribute to burnout among women, and how institutional leadership can foster healthier work environments”.

At Massachusetts’ Endicott College, where she works in the School of Education, Ms Lambe has designed a mental health programme for students with “anxiety and depression who are having a difficult time coping”.

Building on that experience, she hopes to offer similar guidance and support to people here in Bermuda.

“With Bermudians I feel like I'm in a position where I can perhaps offer some positives as well as support,” she said.

“Everybody's experiencing different levels of stress or feeling overwhelmed. What I learnt about burnout is that most often, people don't even know they're in a burnout situation — they don't know what it is, they can't put words to it.

“But, when I'm able to talk with them, and we're able to break it down, then they're saying, ‘That's exactly what I'm experiencing.’ I think what happens with women, from time to time, they’re just overwhelmed with the burden of doing everything and I don’t think they realise that they’re neglecting themselves.”

Because it comes on so gradually, burnout is often mistaken as regular exhaustion but it is far more serious.

Often caused by prolonged, heavy workloads, it can increase the risk of strokes and other chronic diseases, and lead to mental health issues and reduced work productivity.

“Just feeling exhausted — that could be a sign. Not being able to sleep, struggling with diet, or having no energy, and not realising why, could also be signs.”

Seeking medical advice doesn’t always provide the full picture, as the underlying causes of burnout aren’t always obvious and symptoms are often treated individually rather than holistically.

“It could be the type of food we're eating. What worked when we were younger doesn’t always work as we get older; we need vitamin D, we need magnesium, and the doctors don't always tell you that,” Ms Lambe explained.

“We find ourselves going to the doctor a lot because the symptoms are obvious. The doctor will say, ‘Oh yeah, I could give you something for anxiety.’ But it's not addressing what's really happening.”

Her path was fuelled by a passion sparked through volunteer work at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital shortly after she finished high school. At the time, occupational therapists on the island were “rare”.

“I've always been passionate about people and helping people,” she said. “I didn't know anyone who was in the profession, and I took an interest in it because it wasn’t nursing per se, and decided to go that route,” Ms Lambe said.

“I left Bermuda and lived in New York with my great aunt who encouraged me to pursue whatever my career goals were. And at the time, occupational therapy was what I thought I wanted to do.”

The pandemic hit 25 years into her career. As an essential worker, Ms Lambe was distressed by all she saw on the frontline.

“Having to go through the experience of not having protective equipment or not having enough; watching my patients die — patients who perhaps didn't need to die — observing the lack of care and concern for the families and then most often we, the rehab staff, were left to try to put the pieces together,” she said.

“We were dealing with being in the throes of Covid-19 and then also having to encourage our patients and families with very little support.”

Burnt out, she decided it was time for a career shift.

“I decided to go back to school and complete a master's degree. My master's degree is in organisational behaviour and leadership.

“I decided to take that route in particular because I wanted to understand the behaviours that would lead one to the point of burnout,” Ms Lambe said.

“I discovered that a lot of the issues were related to systemic problems [and] also related to a lack of support and then also, perhaps a lack of self-care.”

Fascinated, she decided to record her findings. With guidance from her professor, Ms Lambe’s research was documented and is now waiting to be “published as a book at some point”.

“As women we put so much into our families, our careers, whatever we do, and as we're climbing the ladder, we don't have the support.

“I started observing women quitting. In the rehab clinic it was just a few of us remaining … They were depleted.

“They had nothing left. And so it was at that point when I said, ‘Well, that's not going to happen to me. I have to figure this out.’

“I consulted with mentors and others and decided to take another route. I started to write, I started to talk about it, and I shared it with friends, I shared it with colleagues, and I haven't stopped writing.

“It led me to the point of mental health wellness and how we as women can, perhaps, help ourselves and not just wait for the organisation [we work for to do it].”

• Anyone in need of help with burnout can contact Juanita Lambe by e-mail: shethriveswithconsulting@gmail.com