Raise your hand if you have the burnout blues
It is clear that I am burnt out.
I am also quite clear that I am avoiding two things:
admitting that I am burnt out
sitting in the feelings that come up with my burnout reality
Thank you to another mind-racing 3am wake up call for that wisdom.
What I realized last night is that I had unknowingly been giving myself what we call the one, two punch.
The first “punch” sounds like: “Shame on you for being burnt out.”
The second one sounds a little something like: “It’s not OK to feel burnt out when I have a career I love. How dare you!”
So I turned on the light and sat up to dig in.
I looked at how some key systemic influences were driving my burn out. And how they might be driving my behavior. Shocker — they are.
👋🏼capitalism
👋🏼1st generation immigrant mentality
👋🏼Jabbar family
I asked myself two questions:
What have these influences taught me about productivity and value?
How am I responding (with action and inaction) to those teachings?
Once I cleared out those cobwebs, I could view myself with more grace and self-compassion. This gave me the space to look at what is really going on for me.
Everything that I am doing looks very different from ways I have done things before.
A lot more of my thinking and energy is in zoom out territory versus tiny details and to-dos.
When I do tend to details, it is for things 3 months from now compared to those right in front of me
We are delegating work to people who can do things better than the hacks we've developed to keep our business running.
We have given our programs a 180 this year - from short in-person programs to longer virtual programs
I am delegating real, substantial work for the first time
And part of that second “punch” I am giving myself is because these are all good necessary things. Our business is doing well and we are finally focussed on maturing it for the long haul.
But add in the general chaos of 2020 and a major life transition of pregnancy (and soon to be motherhood).
It is no wonder that I am spent.
The bigger picture learning that applies to everyone is:
When we make significant changes to how we work, everything takes more capacity and energy. This year has required us to unlearn many of our obvious ways of doing and to re-learn new ways.
Continuing to think we should be able to do the same amount of things is unrealistic. An expectation reset is a benefit we all need.
So...If you find yourself having some of the burnout blues, take 5 minutes to do the following:
Write a list of all the ways you have adapted and adjusted to what life has required of you this year. All the ways you are doing things different than last year.
Read the list over.
Acknowledge your brilliance. Let out a big exhale. And give yourself a big hug of self-compassion.
Then step away from your desk and pause to re-coop.
Shine On,
Alicia