Derval O'Rourke: Gobble up my recipe for turkey meatballs

Plus: how burnout can happen anywhere - from the track, to the office

Derval O'Rourke's turkey meatballs

BURNOUT is a mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion that can be caused by continued and excessive amounts of stress. We’ve all heard of it, and many of us have probably experienced this at some point in our life. This often happens when you feel depleted and overwhelmed and can happen either in your personal life or in your professional life.

I spent years running down tracks and chasing results: I can look back now and be honest about feeling burned out at times as a professional athlete.

While the contexts are different — high-level sports versus the professional environment — there are some fundamentals between burnout in athletes and office workers. Here are a few:

• Stress: Both athletes and office workers face high levels of stress, whether it’s the pressure to perform at a world-class level or meeting tight deadlines and managing workloads.
• Expectations: Just as athletes feel the weight of expectation from others and their personal aspirations, office workers often grapple with expectations from supervisors, peers, clients, and their own ambitions.
• Exhaustion: Feeling drained and emotionally depleted is a hallmark of burnout in any setting. Both athletes and office workers can feel like they’re running on empty, lacking the enthusiasm and passion they once had.
• Reduced performance: Athletes may see a decline in their sports performance, while office professionals might notice a dip in their productivity, creativity, or problem-solving abilities.
• Physical symptoms: Overtraining can lead to physical ailments in athletes, and constant office stress can manifest physically too.

According to the Harvard Business Review, employee burnout has risen by more than 30% over the last 20 years, and more than 50% of people observing that they are often exhausted due to their work. This review also revealed that burnout is not exclusive to strictly “high-pressured” jobs but can happen to anyone in any type of job.

Tips from the experts

• Find ways to recharge outside of your professional life. It can be really easy to fall into a rut and feel overwhelmed at work, which is why it is essential that you prioritise getting fulfilment from outside of work. Having an activity or hobby that you dedicate time to that you enjoy is also a good way to maintain positive wellbeing and help avoid burnout.
• Reach out to someone. Talking to people can be great for alleviating stress. When you say your problems out loud, it can help to make them feel not as big or stressful. Having social interaction and connections outside of work is an important part of keeping a work-life balance and maintaining positive wellbeing.
• Focus on your mental and physical health. Making sure you are getting enough sleep, getting regular exercise and eating well all go a long way in maintaining your wellbeing and avoiding burnout.

Achieving positive wellbeing for employees in the workplace

If you are an employer, it’s important that you are taking time to think about your employees wellbeing and doing what you can to help them. As an employer you have the ability to really help your people and make a difference to them.

• 1. Promote a culture of inclusion and empathy. The hybrid working structure has brought a lot of advantages for employees, but it also brings with it challenges such as feelings of being isolated both socially and professionally.
• 2. Create space for employees to build positive networks. It’s important that employees have a place to turn to for advice and support when dealing with tough times at work. Consider where this is for your employees
• 3. Ensure you celebrate success and positive engagement. A successful company is reliant on successful and happy employees. A positive workplace can allow employees to feel appreciated and valued.

We all experience stress in life, being cognisant of it and how it impacts you in all the different areas of life is really important. Prioritising your work-life balance is essential in a busy world.

Derval O'Rourke. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

Wellness Tip: Have you considered whether you have a good work-life balance? Taking time to review life outside of work and what matters to you is really important.

Fitness Tip: Pay attention to your thoughts: are they positive or negative? Changing your mindset can be a great way to focus on the positives of fitness.

Turkey Meatballs

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

A lean and mean take on a comfort classic.

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tins chopped tomatoes

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ a medium onion, diced

• 500g turkey mince

• 2 tbsp Cajun spice

• 1 tbsp dried tarragon

• 80g grated parmesan

• 3 tsp dried oregano

• Salt and pepper

• To serve: Wholemeal pasta

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4.

2. Put tomatoes, garlic and onion in a pot and simmer over a medium heat for 10 minutes, this is your sauce.

3. Mix the turkey mince with the cajun spice and tarragon and roll into small bite size meatballs.

4. Blend the sauce with a hand blender and pour over the meatballs.

5. Place in an ovenproof dish, top with Parmesan and oregano and bake for 15 mins.

6. While the meatballs are in the oven cook the brown pasta as per the instructions on the bag.

7. Remove the meatballs from the oven and scoop them onto warmed plates with a side of wholemeal pasta.