Parting Thoughts XIV: Burnout
Abstract
LEISURE SCIENCES 2023, VOL. 45, NO. 2, 219–220 https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2022.2142341 Edward Loveman Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, England Mixed Media on Wood Board 30.05.2022 CONTACT Edward Loveman eloveman@bournemouth.ac.uk Bournemouth University, Bournemouth, England 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 220 E. LOVEMAN It is no secret that the academy is sometimes a relentless, hostile, isolating environ- ment. Empirically or anecdotally, there exists a dearth of sources that evidence the nega- tive impacts on mental health and well-being that can come with “being” an academic. For myself, the experience of being a postgraduate teaching assistant resulted in the occupational phenomenon of “burnout”– a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Dealing with it was difficult and resulted in moments of raw vulnerability as I felt my way through thoughts and emo- tions. I found the act of “process art,” whereby the creation of art is more important than the outcome, a beneficial tool of reflexivity (Miller 2012; Dean, 2016). A well- established psychotherapeutic practice, it meant that my leisure practice became a means of expressing my feelings. In this way, the reality of “burnout” brought together the many entanglements of working “with” leisure: Of using leisure to