From Burnout to Balance

Burnout is frequently depicted as a hazy, faraway notion that feels very serious but fails to resonate until you yourself have reached it. I was no exception. Only when I was in a very exhausted state, working long hours under continuous pressure to produce work that stood test of time did burnout really hit me. Getting from burnout to balance took me YEARS…and, quick spoiler here — there were no magic pills involved. The silver lining of all that struggle though is I learned a TON about mental wellness and self-care along the way…

The Reality of Burnout

I was always so proud of my work ethic. I was so excited once I got the opportunity to work at a high growth company. It was a dream job, I had been going after it since long and finally won the high post with room for growth. But as weeks became months, the high eventually turned into stress and exhaustion. The hours were grueling, the deadlines were short and the demands kept coming.

I went a little harder, assumed that with an extra hour of work or later nights the sheets would be filled out again eventually. However, the more I took away the clearer everything became. Pretty quickly, I started to see the early signs of burnout: endless fatigue and irritability washed over me like a blanket, only surpassed by an impending sense of doom. Ennui creeped in where once eagerness thrived. I was tired, but more than that I was exhausted.

The Turning Point

It all started one night after a hellish day. Sitting alone in my apartment, and I was numb with a deep-deep sense of hopelessness. I had no particular recollection of when I felt truly happy or at peace. I knew that night, unless I took action to figure out how and fast, not only could my job be put in danger but so too would be the very essence of me!

Steps to Recovery

Acknowledging the Problem

The first step in beating burnout was admitting I had a problem. I waged an unadmitted war with myself, insisting that if I just tried a little harder everything would get better. It was important for my recovery to admit that I could not, and did need help. Once I realized that, it gave me an opportunity to face up front the immediate problem and start looking for a way around.

Seeking Professional Help

So the video is basically me reaching out to someone about my mental health Therapy was a key part of how I came to understand why I burned out and began putting the pieces back together. My therapist helped me begin to reprioritize myself and taught skills I could use with real-life applications. It also helped me change the way I thought about things and to have realistic expectations for myself.

Setting Boundaries

The first thing I did was to establish firm boundaries between work and personal time. I began creating a hard-stop to my work day which also meant no checking emails or doing tasks after hours. I also figured out how to reject more work that I was not able do without only making it harder on myself otherwise. It was hard to do, but setting these boundaries became necessary for getting my time and energy back.

Prioritizing Self-Care

I began making myself a priority like I never had before. So, I focused on things that replenished my mental and physical well being back in. My daily “non-negotiables” included exercise, good nutrition and ample sleep. Practicing mindfulness through tools like meditation and journaling kept me grounded, which also helped with stress-management.

Resetting My Priorities

It was after burnout that I kept asking myself whether my career goals and personal values were in conflict.I thought about what truly brought me joy and ended up realizing that my job was not at all in line with those things. This kind of self-reflection made me re-think my career and decided to go after jobs, that would feel much more fitting with what I wanted to do as a person.

Building a Support Network

It was so helpful to be able to connect with people who did know what I had experienced. I shared my struggles with a select few friends, family and colleagues who had been through the same sort of thing. They provided the support and advice. Hearing others share their experiences, as I did mine, was both comforting and perspective-giving.

Incorporating Stress-Reliever Practices

I tried a bunch of different stress reduction strategies to see what worked the best. Things like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and cartwheeling my way through every available book I own cut down on the stress systemic in me. Being able to enjoy things, and relax was so important for a balanced lifestyle.

Lessons Learned

What I learned about balancing my own life Take a page from Nadia's playbook

Self-Care Is Not An Either/Or : Your mental and physical health are not optional luxuries or things that you can neglect. Practice self-love to avoid burnout It is important that you practice regular habits of care so your wellness does not suffer.

Boundaries are key: Establish and enforce the boundaries between work life → personal life

is crucial. And without them work can creep into personal time, resulting in the type of chronic stress and exhaustion many people are living with.

Asking for Help is a Sign of Strength not Weakness: This refers to getting professional, medical help which only demonstrates that you are self aware enough. Therapy or counseling can give you both them as much needed reinforcement and help in navigating stresses outputStreams.

Take time to sit and think about your actions fairly regularly; Think out what you want in the long-term of course, but also reflect on how things are progressing from short or medium distancing future goals End part 2. Make sure your work always serves what you value most and be willing to pivot if necessary.

Create a Support System: Surround yourself by supporting friends, family, and coworkers. Feeling not so alone: As people share their experiences others offer up encouragement.

Moving Forward

The path that burned through burnout was one of the hardest but also most life-changing transitions we have had. I resurfaced with a better idea of who i was and an even stronger eagerness to keep myself mentally healthy This lesson has showed me that balance is not a one-time acievement but rather it takes constant correction and re-balance.

Now, I face work and personal life in general with a better balance. I am more mindful of my limits, and favor things that contribute to taking better care of myself. As a result of what I have been through to overcome burnout, I am now better able to handle myself when faced with the inevitable challenges that will come my way and speak up for MY health.

If you are tired, struggling with burn-out or feel like your mental health is worsening: it will be ok. We can restore the balance and find satisfaction. Let them know the first step to solving addiction is admitting there is a problem and seeking out professional support, setting boundaries for themselves when it comes to helping or enabling, not neglecting their own care in order for another person soars as they crash (airplane crash analogy), taking much better steps towards self help/love/image-care respectively etc. Just remember, recovery is a journey and it's completely fine to take one step at a time.

Take what you learned and apply it to cultivate a healthier, balanced way for yourself. In this way, you will take care of yourself better and create a work that is more sustainable.