Three Things I Learnt From Burnout
I was Today Years Old when I learnt Burnout was a blessing in disguise. Burnout is a horrible, soul-sapping experience I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Ever. However, in hindsight it was almost necessary to teach me some valuable personal and professional lessons. In this blog, I want to share the three most important things I learnt that can help you beat, or avoid, Burnout too. *Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional, this is not medical advice*
First things first, no two burnouts are the same. Burnout can occur for any number of reasons and as many colleagues and friends as I’ve spoken to about this topic, I’ve heard different causes. But there are patterns. The overarching theme I heard time and again was losing control: control over your time and life. Does any of this sound familiar: growing to do list, decreasing motivation to complete it, emails stacking up, smaller tasks taking more effort, meanwhile the laundry pile is starting to look like Everest, kitchen plates are growing new life forms on the leftovers (that’s if you bothered to cook at all or put the takeaway on a plate), and the last time you could be bothered to shower was….nope can’t remember. It’s like the external “stuff” is a growing tidal wave around you, ready to swallow you up any moment.
Just as the underlying pattern to Burnout is losing control, so recovery is regaining that control…
