Burnout - part I

Burnout!!

https://www.themuse.com/advice/13-ways-the-busiest-people-ever-avoid-burnout

Recently I have bumped into people suffering from burnout.  

For this topic, I am using this definition: “physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.”  and "high levels of professionalism that may result in burnout".

I have seen people so tired and burned out, that they make mistakes in judgment and in their professional work.  I also have known people with extreme burnout that end with mental issues.

So, let’s look at these suggestions to avoid burnout:

1) Take a vacation and unplug!

This might be easier said than done for high profile people.  During the last presidential campaign, Harriery Clinton suffered burnout.  That may have been a fatal blow to her campaign. Did people view her as frail when she needed to take a few days off to recover from a hard campaign?  

For some type-A people, they “must keep going”.  Projects “must” be finished - but it can be hard to finish projects when the person has a heart attack and dies.  

Guess what, we are all going to die someday - and somebody is going to take our place.  By the nature of jobs, we have to be replaceable (even if we think we are irreplaceable!!).  

BUT, when that point is reached where you just can’t take another step - when your mind is ceasing to work, mental breakdowns can happen - and humans need to avoid that.  

Get away!!  Get out of town - and DON’T TAKE YOUR WORK WITH YOU!!!  Turn off your phone, post an automatic reply on your email “Jane Doe is out-of-town and cannot return your call and cannot return your email.” And, only tell one (or two) very trustworthy people where you are and where you are going.  

2) “Forget balance, find harmony”

The concept here is that while “Work-life balance” is important, it might be better to have a career/occupation that feeds your soul.  What makes you happy? Can you find a position that fulfills that part of your life? Yes, every job has some negative aspects - but with passion you can rise above that.  

As a professor, I LOVED my work.  I LOVED being with students; I LOVED seeing students learn, grow, get good jobs and find the good life.!!!  But, I didn’t enjoy grading or those that whined about their grades. Thinking back, I think a job as a corporate trainer might have fit me better.  I enjoyed the days when I taught Meta-View to those clients who bought into the package.  

The article says this:

“I think people who say it’s all about work-life balance are wrong. I value finding passion and harmony in my work by being connected to and caring about my team and my customers and making a big difference in their lives. I would burn out way faster working five hours a day at a job that was hurting my soul than I would working 15 hours a day at a job that's feeding my soul.”

I like the adage “Find a job that you love and you will never have to work for the rest of your life” (which to me implies that something you are passionate about will not really be a ‘job’ but a vocation - a calling!!!

We will continue this series for the next few days.  But, as we go into the weekend, maybe this IS the weekend that you will unplug and unwind!!

Have you been burned-out?  What was it like?

Karen