In this week’s theme about experiencing burnout and the various ways to resolve burnout, people have asked me questions along the lines of, “I can’t just not do something, because what if others are counting on me?” and “This is just part of my job, so how do I say ‘no’ when my manager or client needs something done?” and “All these strategies are fine in concept, but how can I resolve burnout when the source of the demands is my kids (or marriage or job or other thing fundamental to your existence and function)?”
Let me be clear: Burnout is a condition characterized by feeling overwhelmed and fatigued and failing and insufficient. There are strategies to resolve those feelings and get to a place of clarity in what your options are and how to make decisions.
I am not suggesting you do one thing and not another. I am suggesting, however, that you can make more informed decisions that are right for you. I am suggesting you don’t have to do it all, because the “it”s are not created equal.
I’m suggesting that you can proactively reject burnout as a condition of your life.
If it helps, consider the strategies reviewed over the past week as mindfulness. I don’t use the term because its meaning is foggy and the term is overused, but perhaps that will help! Here’s how to be mindful as it relates to burnout 🙂
- Be mindful of what burnout is.
- Be mindful of how to address burnout.
- Be mindful of the lens through which you process incoming demands.
- Be mindful of the myth of multi-tasking.
Then act in whatever path your mindfulness provides.
This is how you reject burnout. This is how you turn away from feelings that don’t serve you. It is about being conscious, rather than being reactive.
It’s finding your own diagnosis and finding your own prescription.