Coping with burnout
May 14th, 2008 by spaceagesage
You know when your garden hose kinks or crimps and you lose water pressure? I think burnout is like that, except it usually happens more slowly.
Somewhere in our lives we start to feel restrained or restricted, and pressure builds in the form of stress. We feel unsupported, put upon, and overwhelmed. Maybe we bury ourselves in more work or become passive aggressive to try to cope.
With burnout in the past, I felt an undefined pressure in my heart and head. Since it seemed so global in my life, it was hard to pin down. Looking back, the strongest impression I remember is a total sense of disconnect: between heart and head, between other people and me, and between my skills and my desires.
Finally, I started to narrow down the specifics of the burnout because I saw parts of my life where the garden hose worked just fine. I also noticed when I thought about my dreams and goals, instead of my current situation, I could get motivated again. But when I thought about staying in a certain position or working on my novel, I felt the water pressure drop to drip, drip, drip again.
Changes had to be made, so I made them. I got out of the pressure-cooker situation and started a blog to take a break from the novel. I just have to remember the garden hose is always on full, and all I have to do is watch for kinks forming. Knowing the energy, motivation, and drive is within me helps me try to keep it flowing.
How do you deal with burnout?
If you want a great overview of burnout, including a test to see if you are burned out, go here.