Time Out from Burn Out
A call from a distraught colleague — let’s call him Ted — raised one of those oft-heard, vexing issues that so many of us must eventually face in one way or another.
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Burn-out: Rekindle or Redirect Your Energy |
“I’m so burned out I can’t stand it,” he lamented. “I have no energy, no desire, no interest to do what I’ve been doing for so many years. And I’m afraid to start over with something new because I make good money doing what I no longer enjoy.”
Ted is neither a pessimist nor an alarmist. He’s an energetic, self-motivated achiever who owns his own business and has created a unique career for himself. This challenge wasn’t a passing mood.
“When was the last time you had a vacation?,” I asked.Burn-out often can be thought of as temporary fatigue or boredom.
“I went to Cancun for several days some months back,” he said. “I don’t think I need a vacation, I need a change.”
“Maybe you first need a break,” I suggested.
Here’s the thing, sometimes we push so hard we just deplete ourselves. A vacation — with all its planning, travel anxiety, and exhausting activities — doesn’t always refresh us. Sometimes it further depletes us. So the “cure” adds to the malady.
Here’s what I recommended to Ted: Re-energize and eventually re-evaluate your career. While he no doubt feels very much in a rut right now, that may not be a permanent condition. After all, this career, up until a few months ago, brought him satisfaction as well as ample compensation. Running from it prematurely could be self-defeating.
Specifically, I urged Ted to provide his little grey cells with new stimuli. Give your brain some new experiences, I suggested. Activities such as these could help immensely:
- Read a novel by a favorite author
- Take a course at the local community college
- Do some volunteer work
- Reconnect with some people you like but have fallen out of touch with
- Go to some plays, concerts, museums
- Take a couple days to catch up on household projects you’ve been putting off to serve your career priorities
- Flip through some books on your shelf you love
- Read a book or two you bought but haven’t yet read
- Rent some funny movies
- Eat in some new restaurants, try a cuisine or two you never have before
- Exercise more — especially engaging in activities you enjoy
- Reacquaint yourself with a neglected hobby
- Invite some friends over for a party, or intimate gathering
- Do something nice for some deserving people — anonymously
Such activities can catalyze your brain, help you shake off that “trapped in a rut” feeling, and gain fresh perspective.
Then, after earnestly reinvigorating your life, consciously assess your career. I suggested that Ted turn to Dick Richards’ superb new book on discovering your true gift and deploying it purposefully.
Burn-out often can be thought of as temporary fatigue or boredom. It need not be a permanent condition requiring drastic measures. Trying a few, enjoyable tactics may be all you need to re-energize and reconnect with work you once loved.
Explore posts in the same categories: Motivation, Career, Time Off
December 8th, 2005 at 4:02 pm
Wow! this amazing, although they never sounded like new tricks but the kind of effect is much on and i can only tell that that was a great one cause i did tried a transfer to a branch office from the main office where i work but couldnt do the magic till i took time off as you suggested doing some of those things.
December 8th, 2005 at 6:08 pm
Hello, Gabriel, thanks for sharing your experience.
Yes, there are few “new tricks” but if we haven’t used them, they’re new to us!
Continued success in your post.
More power to you!
Don
March 15th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
[…] Don Blohowiak calls for a Time out from burn out. I have no energy, no desire, no interest to do what I’ve been doing for so many years. And I’m afraid to start over with something new because I make good money doing what I no longer enjoy. […]