You may be thinking, why is Jean writing about resentment when her main topic is burnout? And I hope my answer will help you see how these two issues are connected. According to the leading burnout expert, Christina Maslach, burnout is lost energy, lost enthusiasm and lost confidence. It’s bad. It traps us. And many things often lead to this state–both external and internal factors. In our daily lives, at home and at work, we’re dealing with other people. And that’s where resentment comes in, as other people frequently do things that we find puzzling or even hurtful. So what can we do to minimize resentment?

• Act, don’t react. Take time. Breathe. Process the event in your own way, and when you’re ready, talk to the person who has upset you.
• Ask yourself how important is this? Practice compassion and give yourself the distance to gain a balanced perspective.
• Use the name prayer. This is a wonderful tool where all you do is repeat that person’s name to yourself. You don’t have to like them, or understand them, you just say their name, and often this focus on them helps you see the situation with new eyes.

Resentment is a form of poison and it hurts us as much if not more than the person we’re angry with. So to keep from losing energy, enthusiasm and confidence, put yourself on a resentment-free diet and watch what happens.