MHM Magazine

The average working adult human brain can concentrate (to focus on a particular topic, task, or stimulus) for up to two hours before needing a 20-to-30-minute break. The average working adult human brain can pay attention (to remain interested for the benefit of understanding) between 20 and 50-plus minutes before needing a break. The human brain has biological limitations and the importance of taking a break before returning to a task or stimuli increases the ability to function at optimum. How long then does it take before someone needs to go on leave for them to function optimally? Not only just the break at the end of a workday or the break during the weekend but a complete switching off, before returning to work or even their daily home life. According to the South African Labour Relations Act full time employees are entitled to 21 days annual leave (consecutive or in segments) and 30 days sick leave per 3-year cycle. There are also some other leave provisions such as family responsibility leave, maternity or paternity leave, study leave, unpaid leave, and sabbatical that vary per company or institution. Despite the aforementioned leave that South Africans are entitled to, I have seen a strong pattern of severe burn-out in the adult working population in psychotherapy. For those who have not chosen to work longer hours or for longer periods of time, or for those who don’t fit the picture of being a workaholic, burn-out can be clearly linked to not taking enough breaks from work. In South Africa, school or tertiary teachers (despite common debates about their low salary and needing to mark papers during their break) have been the envy of most when is comes to the amount of breaks they are afforded due to their work hours or responsibilities coinciding with the school or tertiary SN Mthembu Clinical Psychologist sn_mthembu@centeredconsciousness.co.za www.centeredconsiousness.co.za @centeredconsciousness BURNOUT IN SOUTH AFRICA: IS THERE ENOUGH LEAVE? Issue 6 | 2023 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 13 MHM