“Just because you take breaks doesn’t mean you’re broken.”
― Curtis Tyrone Jones
Career burnout has no textbook manifestation as everyone experiences it in different ways; some with mental collapse and feelings of despair once they open their laptops while some may never have the regular ‘signs’. In my personal experience, it was a years-long slow process from dragging my limbs out of bed to actually running a fever whenever I remember the thought of going to work without any idea of what my body (and mind) was going through.
While working as a Communications Executive, I realised that I was going too fast, trying to beat the speed at which news was breaking and pushing it out on my organisation’s channels in the shortest time possible. If you have worked in digital communications, you’ll understand the break-neck speed at which I was working and the pressure of it all. I worked practically all hours, jumping from 3 different devices of different screen sizes, ate only takeouts as there was almost no time to dedicate to cooking and literally had no time for exercises.
I made a career move to a different organization in a different industry but in the same communications department and guess what happened? Yes, the rat race began all over again; the race to show results, prove that I was a worthy employee and discharge all responsibilities. Coupled with the pressure to hold down a job that paid the bills, guess what happened next? Yes, the symptoms of my career burnout began manifesting with unexpected fever episodes, inability to focus and strike off my to-dos, or even complete previously easy tasks.
Oh! Let’s not forget the worries about being able to keep my job despite how disconnected I felt about it, the fear of being seen as incompetent, and so much more. Then COVID-19 came around and the worries intensified, forcing me to take on more freelance projects on the weekends, jump from one project to the next and work long work hours weekly. Mr. Career Burnout decided to make a full appearance with a vengeance and I was there with no place to hide.
Career burnout for me was putting off responding to emails, becoming nauseous at the thought of opening my laptop to work, passing off scheduled calls to any of my available Assistants, loss of creative inspiration to execute projects and this ever-present fear of thinking of work because I knew that I would stare at my laptop screen for hours with barely a new word or creative thought pushing through. The strange fever continued and after medical tests which detected no illness, I knew that I had to find another way to take care of myself.
“Creative burnout and physical burnout is real. I mean, there are moments when I get home – after overseeing, you know, almost 16 collections a year – where I can’t move.” – Zac Posen
I knew that I had to replace the feeling of incompetence and exhaustion with a feeling of accomplishment and exciting energy. I started with pushing myself to find a fresh source of inspiration; just enough for me to execute the pending projects I had. Then I took a much-needed months-long break from work (only took on projects which did not require my presence) and spent the first few days sleeping in. Now, let’s discuss in detail the steps which you can use to overcome/cure career burnout.
Unplug and sleep
Pretty cliché but sleep is an amazing first step for overcoming career burnout. Taking a break from work and catching at least 8 hours of sleep as the Doctors recommend can put you well on your way to curing career burnout, or any other burnout for that matter.
Build your ‘No’ muscle
Learn to decline projects that you don’t feel ‘attracted’ or ‘connected’ to in a manner that allows you to set healthy boundaries while retaining some source of income that you can always benefit from. This is because the resultant stress of trying to get a new job that will help you to pay the ever-increasing bills can increase the likelihood of you burning out in the nearest future. Trust me, you don’t want that.
Focus on your passions
This is another tip that sounds cliché but working on things that you are actually passionate about could reduce the possibility of you getting bored or unexcited of the job/project. You need to be mindful of the fact that monetizing your passions could diminish the excitement to work on them as that could easily lead you to another episode of career burnout.
Treat yourself
If you were under the kind of work pressure like I was, then chances are that you didn’t always spare the time and resources to treat yourself to some good things before you got burnt out. Indulge a little and as frequently as possible so that you don’t feel like you are only working to pay bills. Retail therapy and self-care activities like spa sessions could do you a world of good.
There isn’t one simple way to overcome burnout. Some of us rely on the perks of our jobs as a source of satisfaction and bandaid over our career burnout while some who have more opportunities can get away with quitting their jobs in pursuit of a cure for their career burnout. Personally, I try to ensure that I maintain a certain minimal amount of money (and investments) so that I don’t get myself in a situation where I have to work to sustain myself. All of these could just be bandaids to a larger problem since career burnout, just like any other type of burnout, is a manifestation of other deep-seated issues. Therefore, it could be beneficial to consult a Specialist for assistance while doing your best to overcome your burnout. A good book to read on this topic is Career Burnout: Causes and Cures.
The content provided in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not to be a substitute for professional career advice and consultation as I am not engaged in the provision or rendering of career advice or services. You understand and agree that I will not be liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising out of the use of, or reliance upon, any content or information in this article.
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