> Plenty of researchers have looked for ways that individuals can ease their burnout, > but many don’t seem to work. A 2022 research review analyzed 30 previo

> Plenty of researchers have looked for ways that individuals can ease their burnout, > but many don’t seem to work. A 2022 research review analyzed 30 previous studies on burnout interventions for doctors. Many of the programs—free food, subsidized gym memberships, weekly meetings with a psychologist—didn’t yield significant results. Do these studies genuinely look at individual results, or at aggregate effects among all of the individuals as a group? If you're validating based on group average results, you can't have the unitary person as your goal (and vice versa). This may be, in part, why "Nearly all of those that did involved a group element, like wellness classes or mentorship programs." The thing I personally find the best cure for burnout is not mentioned in their list "socializing, exercise, meditation, and arts and crafts.". That thing is getting a new job, that isn't identical to my previous job. Whether this be a promotion, or a new employer. > If the framework proves effective for people in a wider swath of health care jobs, Moss says CORAL’s approach could feasibly be adopted by burned-out workers in any industry. That depends on the psychological diversity of people in health care jobs compared to the psychological diversity of workers in total. > Even as an aggressively uncrafty, professionally skeptical person, I felt calm and happy during my time with CORAL—a combination, probably, of getting away from my daily routine, paying attention to my emotions, and trying something new. Yep, sounds like a nice vacation. Structured so you don't have to figure out what to do or fall into a habitual rut. No time pressures - just go with the flow. > The program’s magic, its facilitators said, is in bringing people together to feel the solidarity and community so often lacking in modern life. Which means it's not applicable to the non-social. Given the intense social nature of health care work that would tend to repel the non-social, this is, again, maybe something that wouldn't translate perfectly to other industries. > if the CORAL curriculum could be distilled into something I, or any individual, could do on my own, I was met with a resounding no. I also think this "no" is likely wrong. What's the point of non-real-time interaction on a web forum if not to interact with others as an individual on one's own? > My editor—tipped off to my burnout when I pitched the story you’re reading—encouraged me to take a step back from the COVID-19 news cycle and pursue other topics. And there we go, my own solution mentioned above. A change in job. The cure (not treatment) for job-related burnout.