Burnout

[ygolo]

So I am still waking up at random hours. I was thinking about Burnout all that comes with it.

I don't believe I am still depressed, but I think I am still burnt-out.

For school, I keep thinking "just 3 more weeks and then next quarter and I'm done." This isn't right. Grad school was supposed to be a time to focus on what I considered interesting. Why am I just slogging through this, instead of enjoying the learning process?

At work, almost no task that seems to be on the list is inspiring. I tell myself "just get these things done, and the next set may have something better." This field used to hold a fascination for me. How do I re-discover that?

The Four Stages of Burnout
Burnout Rejuvenation and Prevention - Burnout Recovery
Two Burnout Prevention Strategies

I think I've been at stage 4 for a while.
It seems like the main thing I am missing is regular exercise. I already do most of the other things. As far as other transformations, I have been cogitating for a while. Whatever I decide, I think will be very much hobby related, not a work-transition (yet).

Thoughts? Coping strategies of your own?

 

[elfinchilde]

Sounds very familiar to me, unfortunately... I did the one thing you said you weren't ready to do: I upped and left.

No amount of salary is worth my sanity.

otherwise: distraction tactics:

-exercise is good. Although I've found, that I exercise better if I have a fellow companion. It helps with the discipline.

-what I call 'thought replacement therapy'--identifying what it is that triggers me, and then, when that happens, I consciously replace it with happy thoughts. Am normally hypersensitive and nervy (get easily distracted by lights, crowds, sounds), so what I personally aim for is mind control. If I sense myself getting scattered, I try to 'pull back'.

-Avoid toxic people and situations. It's knowing your triggers, and dealing with them appropriately. Not all things can be confronted head-on. If it can, of course, do it. But if not, then, got to find a way to flow around it.

Hope it helps.

edit: i'm an introvert, and an N, too. So most of it is, admittedly, in my own mind. Which is why, I need to fight it within my mind, rather than using external stuff like diet and all to control. Sleep: if you're having shortage of it, it does affect, though.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

I find that taking a vacation helps with burnout. Beyond that if your lifestyle is too intense, then it may be a good idea to pull back on some things where you can (like take fewer classes). If you're there more for the learning than the diploma, then piling on so much that you can't enjoy yourself really isn't accomplishing your goal. And to reiterate my first sentiment, as someone who gets burned out often I can't stress enough the importance of just chilling out in a nonproductive way doing things that you like to do.

 

[ygolo]

Sounds very familiar to me, unfortunately... I did the one thing you said you weren't ready to do: I upped and left.

No amount of salary is worth my sanity.

I've thought about this many times. But, I am not sure if I wouldn't just be transferring my baggage from one job to another.

otherwise: distraction tactics:

-exercise is good. Although I've found, that I exercise better if I have a fellow companion. It helps with the discipline.

-what I call 'thought replacement therapy'--identifying what it is that triggers me, and then, when that happens, I consciously replace it with happy thoughts. Am normally hypersensitive and nervy (get easily distracted by lights, crowds, sounds), so what I personally aim for is mind control. If I sense myself getting scattered, I try to 'pull back'.

This mind-control thing is what I'm after. I can go into a tail-spin emotionally and not even realize it till I'm contemplating...then I I say to myself, "Whoa! It is definitely not that bad. How did I get into this state of mind?"

-Avoid toxic people and situations. It's knowing your triggers, and dealing with them appropriately. Not all things can be confronted head-on. If it can, of course, do it. But if not, then, got to find a way to flow around it.

I am not sure what my triggers are. I'd like to find out. Often, by the time I notice I've become exceedingly negative, I'm already in deep. I don't know how to identify toxic people and situations. It seems like everyone at work is slightly bunt-out and/or recovering.

Hope it helps.

edit: i'm an introvert, and an N, too. So most of it is, admittedly, in my own mind. Which is why, I need to fight it within my mind, rather than using external stuff like diet and all to control. Sleep: if you're having shortage of it, it does affect, though.

It certainly helps, knowing I'm not alone.

I find that taking a vacation helps with burnout. Beyond that if your lifestyle is too intense, then it may be a good idea to pull back on some things where you can (like take fewer classes). If you're there more for the learning than the diploma, then piling on so much that you can't enjoy yourself really isn't accomplishing your goal. And to reiterate my first sentiment, as someone who gets burned out often I can't stress enough the importance of just chilling out in a nonproductive way doing things that you like to do.

I have a sabbatical (2-months) I can use. But I haven't planned anything. I kind of wanted to go traveling, and make sure the whole trip is enjoyable. I'd also like to be done with school. I had initially planned to use it for honeymoon, and other things, but then canceled when I got dumped. There is still a bit of bitterness associated with planning my sabbatical. I am otherwise over her.

Also, I still like to learn. The things I am learning in my classes are interesting. Maybe, I am overly busy. I have put a lot of time into this particular master's (took a lot of non-degree counting classes for pre-req. too). My company has made it a policy not to allow breaks anymore when giving reimbursements. The school itself has a policy that requires that I graduate sometime this year. I figured I'd aim for after spring quarter.

 

[elfinchilde]

I've thought about this many times. But, I am not sure if I wouldn't just be transferring my baggage from one job to another.

This mind-control thing is what I'm after. I can go into a tail-spin emotionally and not even realize it till I'm contemplating...then I I say to myself, "Whoa! It is definitely not that bad. How did I get into this state of mind?"


I am not sure what my triggers are. I'd like to find out. Often, by the time I notice I've become exceedingly negative, I'm already in deep. I don't know how to identify toxic people and situations. It seems like everyone at work is slightly bunt-out and/or recovering.

It certainly helps, knowing I'm not alone.

I have a sabbatical (2-months) I can use. But I haven't planned anything. I kind of wanted to go traveling, and make sure the whole trip is enjoyable.

Also, I still like to learn. The things I am learning in my classes are interesting. Maybe, I am overly busy.

Transferring baggage: that's why time out always helps. The one no-no is to jump straight from one job into another, without working through your feelings first. I always take a hiatus between jobs. May seem unproductive, but it actually helps to clear the mind, and get rid of any emotional baggage.

Mind control and identifying triggers: ok, these two are definite musts. Identifying your triggers--be they situations, emotions, or people--is a necessity. Simply put: if you can define your enemy, you'd know how better to fight it.

From the identification of your triggers, only then can mind control come into play--where you actively seek to control your emotions. Three tactics here: avoid what you cannot control, defend what is necessary to defend, and let the rest of it go. It means being discerning enough to pick your battles: which is why you must figure out first what is most important for yourself.

Triggers: try being more self aware in your workplace. When you start asking 'how did i get into this state of mind', reflect back, try to figure out the how--what led you here? A word, an emotion, a face/gesture from another person?

Then seek to control by the 3 methods i listed above.

We're INTPs. so rationality is our forte. Use it here. Use Ne to support--intuitively, you likely know something is wrong already, that's why you're seeking for advice. Hang in there.

And yes, take that vacation. Don't think too much, just think of some place you'd really like to go to, and go there. And when you're there, be determined to leave all else behind, and just have fun.

yeps, you're not alone.

PS: the above is entirely from my own personal experience, i'm thinking it may give some help as you're an INTP too. But if any of it sounds silly, just disregard, k? INTPs, we tend to be very imaginative, so it's just getting a system that works for yourself.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

I have a sabbatical (2-months) I can use. But I haven't planned anything. I kind of wanted to go traveling, and make sure the whole trip is enjoyable. I'd also like to be done with school. I had initially planned to use it for honeymoon, and other things, but then canceled when I got dumped. There is still a bit of bitterness associated with planning my sabbatical. I am otherwise over her.

Also, I still like to learn. The things I am learning in my classes are interesting. Maybe, I am overly busy. I have put a lot of time into this particular master's (took a lot of non-degree counting classes for pre-req. too). My company has made it a policy not to allow breaks anymore when giving reimbursements. The school itself has a policy that requires that I graduate sometime this year. I figured I'd aim for after spring quarter.

If you taking classes because of work then there is not much you can do there. However from this post it seems like the source of burnout is really that you just ended a major relationship. If you're already working hard then that can cause major burnout. I know I've been in situations before where it felt like I was working at capacity and then something stressful and unexpected happened I ended up being burned out toward everything (even things I normally enjoy). I personally am trying to be more careful about the amount of responsibility I take on just so I can handle life's little curveballs, but it can be hard since I naturally want to do so much.

I hope you make the most of that sabbatical.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

I'll respond better when I've done my chores for today, but as a fellow (former) burnout case I'll just give my two cents for now. The stage four, as I gathered, is the failure point of one's harsh, success-orientated coping strategies. I felt that time very crushing indeed. I was the person who had headed for success and they knew it, and at the time I knew I couldn't complete my business idea with the mental strength that I had. It was a collapse.

If I could have avoided the burnout, it would only have been possible in one way: I would have let go of the burden of the image-conscious business-starter, I would have accepted the shame that comes with greatly delayed schedules, and I would have started to act humble and accept criticism and shame from day 1. Instead, I feared the image of failure so much that I pushed and pushed, even though I could have just taken a more relaxing path, recovered my energy and continued later.

What kind of a background you have for your burnout, Ygolo?

 

[ygolo]

Mind control and identifying triggers: ok, these two are definite musts. Identifying your triggers--be they situations, emotions, or people--is a necessity. Simply put: if you can define your enemy, you'd know how better to fight it.

From the identification of your triggers, only then can mind control come into play--where you actively seek to control your emotions. Three tactics here: avoid what you cannot control, defend what is necessary to defend, and let the rest of it go. It means being discerning enough to pick your battles: which is why you must figure out first what is most important for yourself.

Triggers: try being more self aware in your workplace. When you start asking 'how did i get into this state of mind', reflect back, try to figure out the how--what led you here? A word, an emotion, a face/gesture from another person?

I think what it is is that everything feels like a chore--even getting up in the morning. So when I have a lot of work, it just seems like a lot of chores to do. I want to enjoy doing something (anything) again. I play chess, but what I enjoy is spending time with people I know, not the actual activity.

If you taking classes because of work then there is not much you can do there. However from this post it seems like the source of burnout is really that you just ended a major relationship. If you're already working hard then that can cause major burnout. I know I've been in situations before where it felt like I was working at capacity and then something stressful and unexpected happened I ended up being burned out toward everything (even things I normally enjoy). I personally am trying to be more careful about the amount of responsibility I take on just so I can handle life's little curveballs, but it can be hard since I naturally want to do so much.

I hope you make the most of that sabbatical.

It's been over a year since my breakup. I don't have a lot of relationships, however, I believe I'm over her in particular. Actually, I was showing burnout/depression symptoms before she left. That is part of the reason she left. I was severely depressed for a couple of months after that, but I haven't been that bad in a while.

I cannot really take a break this quarter, and next quarter is another 10 weeks. I may revisit my study-list and see if I can graduate with just one class instead of two next quarter.

I need to give a few months notice before I take my sabbatical. Probably should do that soon.

I'll respond better when I've done my chores for today, but as a fellow (former) burnout case I'll just give my two cents for now. The stage four, as I gathered, is the failure point of one's harsh, success-orientated coping strategies. I felt that time very crushing indeed. I was the person who had headed for success and they knew it, and at the time I knew I couldn't complete my business idea with the mental strength that I had. It was a collapse.

If I could have avoided the burnout, it would only have been possible in one way: I would have let go of the burden of the image-conscious business-starter, I would have accepted the shame that comes with greatly delayed schedules, and I would have started to act humble and accept criticism and shame from day 1. Instead, I feared the image of failure so much that I pushed and pushed, even though I could have just taken a more relaxing path, recovered my energy and continued later.

What kind of a background you have for your burnout, Ygolo?

I think, I may have been holding on to an image of some form of hot-shot from college--even if that wasn't accurate. I don't like feeling like just one of the crowd. I want to be "special" somehow.

 

[Seanan]

I am not sure what my triggers are. I'd like to find out. Often, by the time I notice I've become exceedingly negative, I'm already in deep. I don't know how to identify toxic people and situations. It seems like everyone at work is slightly bunt-out and/or recovering.

When I went through a cognitive therapy class after divorce (free experimental program at a local college) they had us keep a journal for a few weeks noting, mostly, when we felt good and when we didn't. It didn't take long to see that I felt down after talking to certain people or that I felt good riding in the car listening to music for instance. It doesn't have to be elaborate... just a note pad will do... the thing is to have it handy to write down how you feel and what just happened.