Burn out is real, but you can recover from it…and here’s how:

 Burn out.  It’s not a new term, nor a new concept… however, in my opinion, it keeps getting rebranded every year because the problem is still running rampant… Personally, I think that this year the ‘new’ trend of “Quiet Quitting” is quite simply a new generations response to burn out.

If you haven’t yet heard about “Quiet Quitting,” check out the New York Times article Here. In summary, it’s essentially an employee who is no longer buying into hustle culture, and instead doing the bare minimum of a job’s responsibilities versus going above and beyond.  I personally think that’s a symptom or response to many different issues…. potentially a new generations response to work/life imbalance for one… but also poor management, lack of inspiration, and the detriment of hustle culture, which ultimately leads to burn out.  

I would have a hard time believing any leader or CEO if they said that they have never experienced the symptoms of burn out… why? Because in the year of 2022, if you are passionate enough about your job (and have worked long enough), you have eventually made the mistake of burning yourself out simply because the world hasn’t TRULY adapted and adopted the concept of balance at its core. Even if its starting to adopt the concept, it hasn’t quite figured out how to train leaders on how to avoid burn out until they have made that very mistake themselves… (hey, if you haven’t experienced it... I applaud you and ask that you get on stage to do a Ted Talk to teach the masses…I’ll sit front row…) 

Now, I am going to share a big secret. I am a CEO, and I too have experienced the symptoms of burn out. GASP. Yes, it’s real. As in love I am with my business and our people and clients, I have at times felt so exhausted with the weight of the world, weight of life, and weight of business that it has worn me into the ground. The result?  Lack of inspiration, brain fog, ultimate exhaustion, self doubt, lack of confidence and the worst yet… your team seeing you hit a level where your energy and excitement is no longer visible, which has the most detrimental impact on a business…especially as a “startup”. Plus…no one ever talks about the shame you feel for feeling less than superwoman at all times. If you own a business, you are supposed to be passionate about that business 24/7 right? Wrong. You are human. Don’t let the experience of human feelings bring you shame. I had to learn the hard way.

So I am here to tell you that it’s possible to recover…You too can pull yourself out of the ground before its too late and before you want to “quietly quit.” Here are my personal steps (use what you can, leave what you can’t):

Step 1) Rest. Immediately. And I mean a TRUE rest…. Not a “I’m going to take the day off and spend it on social media or just email or still take care of the house” type of rest. But a truly unplug and decompress type of rest..and from experience, this takes more than a single night. Sometimes you might need several days to decompress depending on the level of burnout… and that is okay.

Step 2) Spend time to evaluate why. Are you exhausted because of just your professional life or is your personal life impacting you too? Have you lost sight of what makes you happy or what you enjoy with your work? You really have to sit and go inwards (not fun for everyone, I know) to determine why. Where can you release the pressure valve? Are you putting the pressure on yourself unnecessarily? Write it down. Get honest.

Step 3) Once you have RESTED (again, #1) fuel your mind, body, and soul with things that truly inspire you. For me? That is hiking for hours in the mountains with friends, long walks with Milo, live music with friends, yoga, home cooking, bubble baths, and a glass(es) of wine at sunset.

Step 4) Remind yourself why you were/ARE passionate about what you are doing in the first place… is it because you love your team? Love the mission? Love the product? Love your role? Is it because your clients make it fun or that your voice is heard on a day to day basis?  Maybe it’s simply the money? Get honest with yourself, and get positive.  No position, job, or experience is “perfect” but it can be powerful depending on how you think about it.  

Step 5) Rinse, wash, repeat.   Burn out doesn’t go away overnight. Give yourself the patience and the grace to know that you will move through this and it’s a process and it’s not ever lasting. You can overcome this…you are not weak. You will learn how to avoid this in the future now, and with the right steps, you will come back stronger than ever.  (Pro Tip: Being honest with your team and with your leadership might not hurt as well. Of course this doesn’t work for every work place and employer, but the goal is to find one who values your wellbeing more than the profits of the business. I for one would rather have someone be honest with me about what they are going through so we can all rally behind them before its gets to a place where they want to leave.

The good news: New generations are starting to put their foot down against hustle culture. New generations are valuing balance without equating that to weakness. The less than good news: It takes time for a society to adopt that mindset as a whole. Give it time. It will happen. Mark my words.

So before you get to a place of quietly quitting, AND if you believe you have selected your career path a reason, then I highly recommend you go through steps 1-5 multiple times to get your mind clear so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your teams.

Life is short. Happiness matters. And burn out isn’t permanent. Learn how to recover, and teach your friends how to do the same. And let’s all hope for a future where we don’t have to rebrand “burn out” because it will no longer be existent.