Dealing With Burnout
Burnout—I think it’s safe to say this is something we’ve all been through. It can stem from several things, such as overworking yourself, dealing with the pressures of everyday life, and other stressors that many of us have experienced. Burnout can make you feel completely clueless as to how to face and fix it. However, I’m going to talk about burnout and give you some ways to deal with it head-on.
Hi everyone! My name is Francesca Gonzalez. Thank you for tuning in to my podcast article today.
I’m a sophomore at LIM College, and I am studying Fashion Media. I also have two internships, I’m the art director for The Lexington Line, and I have my own digital magazine called Concrete Jungle Magazine. If it isn’t obvious already, I’m a very busy person. As a result, I sometimes go through phases of burnout. That’s what we’re going to be talking about today, so, stick around for a while.
If you are ever feeling drained more than usual, find yourself losing motivation for most things, and possibly feeling like a total failure, you may be experiencing burnout. For those of you who don’t know the definition of burnout, it's described as a state of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive amounts of stress. There are so many things that can cause it. Maybe it’s working too much or way too hard without any type of recognition, you’re putting too much on your plate, or just struggling with the pressures of being and maintaining your successes in life. Everything becomes very exhausting very quickly, even things like going downstairs to eat dinner with your family, as sad as it sounds. All the work you do feels like it makes no difference in your career, and you may even start to resent the world. All these things are the negative results of burnout.
Here, it gets tricky because burnout gets confused with stress. Stress makes your emotions hyperactive and causes physical damage, whereas burnout suppresses emotions and causes emotional damage. When I’m stressed, I become a lot more, I guess you can say antsy, and I tend to run around like a headless chicken trying to figure out everything all at once. Whereas when I’m feeling burnt out, all I want to do is to never get out of bed.
I did some research on how burnout affects people my age and around my age. An article from Metro.co states that almost 6 in 10 people, which is 58% of workers in Generation Z, feel the strain of the “always-on” culture. I searched what “always-on” culture is, and thanks to Ringcentral, I found that it’s this underlying pressure of always doing something. Whether that’s getting a job or doing well in school–you never stop working. Metro.co also stated that nearly half which is 49% of those in Generation Z have quit a job due to stress.
When I saw these numbers, I thought it was pretty crazy. Then I realized–I’m a part of them. I quit my job as a result of stress. It was impacting my other responsibilities and my mental health in a negative way. I also felt myself becoming unmotivated to do the things I actually wanted to do. For me, burnout feels like mental paralysis. You have lots to do but can’t get yourself to do any of it. On top of that, things you want to do and know will make you feel better, seem daunting, and require too much energy. When going through these phases, I tend to oversleep and have a harder time staying focused on anything. I still push myself to complete the work that I need to do, but then it makes worse. Eventually, I just end up fizzling out and not being able to do anything for a day and a half, maybe two days. I’m a very punctual person, and I get even more frustrated when I miss a deadline or two as a result. I feel like my whole process ends up in shambles because of it.
It’s overwhelming because sometimes it feels like it’ll never end, but that’s not true. Burnout comes and goes, it’s just a matter of how you handle it, and I happen to have a few tricks up my sleeve to share. The first thing to do is to accept the fact that you are burnt out and to give yourself a break. Have a day of pampering yourself, try a new cooking recipe, or just allow yourself to do nothing all day. Whatever it is, make sure you take a day to prioritize yourself and what you need. From here, try to slowly get yourself back into the swing of things. I start with completing smaller tasks, and then I work my way up to bigger ones. For example, you can start by reorganizing your desk, and then you could clean your room. One of my favorite things to do is to go on social media, like Instagram or Pinterest, and look up inspiration for future photoshoots for my magazine. The process calms me down and helps me collect my thoughts. I also enjoy looking at the artwork, photos, and anything else that ends up coming my way when doing this.
Find hobbies that are enjoyable yet challenging. You can start painting, exercising, creating new music playlists, reading a book, etc. You can also institute this hobby into your everyday life to wind down after a long day or to calm yourself when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Finally, the last tip I have is to surround yourself with more positivity. That can be hanging out with friends more, spending more time with family, or even dedicating time to yourself. When I do this, I tend to find myself with family or by myself because I feel like I need to recharge. Also, family is very important to me, so I of course love spending time with them. You have the best judgment and know yourself best, so whatever you want to do, and feel is best for you–absolutely do it. It’s important to surround yourself with things and people that make you happy, otherwise, the world can easily become a sad place.
Burnout is scary, especially when it creeps up on you. It can be a confusing time, but it’s nothing you can’t beat. It can make you feel like a quitter, but I know that’s not who I am, nor is that who you are. If you’re going through burnout right now, know that you aren’t alone and that it happens to the best of us. It’s like a plant that’s been beaten down by the weather. Even when you think the plant won’t grow back, it still does, as healthy as it did before the storm.
I really hope you guys enjoyed listening to this podcast article. Again, my name is Francesca Gonzalez and thank you for stopping by!