Burnout

I’ve seen a lot of burnout this year, lived with the impact of burnout - which is often very subtle at first. And I’ve seen the beauty that emerges when people recognise that it is real and choose to take another path, to live a different way.

Burnout is gradual, tiny embers are burning away at the good stuff inside you,  you are snappier than usual, you can’t get to sleep even though you’re exhausted, perhaps you start to forget things you agreed to do. You brush it off, and yet it’s still there. Often described like a fog or a cloud, it hangs over you.

You are not alone in this, so not alone.

Burnout is not inevitable, if you can see that it's ahead of you, then it means you have time and space to make some changes, to make some different choices. The easy deflection is ‘I just need a holiday or two weeks in bed, then I’ll be fine!’ .....well how realistic is that right now, in this busy period, in the lead up to Christmas?

What else could you try - a walk round the block at lunchtime, a conversation with your boss about your workload, switching off your phone before 8pm tonight, working one day less next week, using your mindfulness app. Pick one thing and try it, it’s a start, a first step.

The other end of burnout is horrible, and for many it can result in serious health issues, relationship break ups and misunderstandings, job loss and unhappiness.

And there’s lots of support out there, coaches, CBT, HR and occupational health, your colleagues and family, and google has lots of articles on what to do if you recognise signs of burnout!

One thing won’t work and that’s a head in the sand approach! Go on try something, it will be a good thing, trust me!