There may come a time when one finds him/herself in the middle of conflict between 2 individuals personally or professionally. This can lead to the development of burnout due to attempting to provide support for both individuals who are at odds in the conflict. No one wants to see people who they enjoy spending time with get into a disagreement. Sometime people may feel it is his/her responsibility, as the person not involved in the conflict, to spend fair time supporting both perspectives of the individuals involved in the disagreement.
The attempt, to be supportive for both individuals involved in the conflict, can cause development of burnout from exerting extra time and energy. There is a possibility of the one in the middle of the two individuals in the conflict becoming alienated. The individuals in conflict may become paranoid and lose trust in the one in the middle and develop accusations of “being messy or unfair” due to spending time separately with each individual in the conflict. The best possible actions when dealing with relationships that have disagreements or conflict is to step back, implement boundaries, and focus on self-care.
It is okay to communicate, to both individuals involved, that you appreciate the relationships and you will not allow oneself to become tangled up in supporting one side over the other. If sharing your emotions and providing self-care cause individuals to end the relationship then one needs to ACCEPT and MOVE forward. It is not mentally or physically healthy when one is involved in a relationship with others who are expecting “loyalty” or “blind agreement”. This could mean walking away from a job position or a loved one, to gain a healthy mindset and reduce burnout development.
Voices of Burnout (VOB) 