A Message for Burned Out Workers
Before I left the corporate world in 2019, I used to get what I called the “Sunday sighs.” Every Sunday, it would hit me that the weekend was coming to an end. As the realization took hold, I’d let out an audible sigh. My husband knew immediately it was the dread of Monday coming to the surface.
I’m sure you have a version of the “Sunday sighs.” Maybe yours looks like staying up late on Sunday night because you don’t want the weekend to end. I’ve done that one, too.
Work is hard right now. Especially if something about your job doesn’t really fit you anymore. So much has changed over the last two years. Many of us have been in a reflective place, wondering if we have the life we really want.
We can see the toll our personal and collective hardships have taken on us. A recent survey of U.S. workers by the American Psychological Association showed:
79% of workers experienced job related stress in the month before the survey
Close to 3 in 5 workers reported negative impacts of work-related stress
36% of workers reported cognitive weariness
32% reported emotional exhaustion
44% reported physical fatigue
Workers are truly struggling to keep their heads above water. And they find themselves with more work than they had before, coupled with less energy, stamina, and desire to even do the work at all.
If you’re burned out, you’re in good company. You have every reason to be exhausted and at your wits’ end. Work has not adjusted to the new, lower capacity of workers. And so the level of burnout amongst employees grows.
I know you are doing your very best to keep up, because you care about doing a good job, and you don’t want to leave your co-workers high and dry.
I want you to know it’s okay to slow down to catch your breath.
If there is something that feels off to you about your work, interrogate what that is and be curious about how you can change it. It’s okay for you to re-examine how you are working and make changes to make work easier. Now’s the time to let go of work habits that don’t work for you, and replace them with something that allows you to contribute all you have to offer in a more sustainable way.
Here are a few contemplation questions to consider:
How does the way I work zap my energy?
What work habits/routines do I need to let go of to give me more room to restore my energy?
What work habits/routines do I need to create to support my well-being?
Am I willing to give myself permission to make changes in the way I work to support my well-being, even if they are different from how others are working?
I know it’s hard, but don’t be afraid to step out and do things differently. Working in a way that is not right for you only makes things worse. Being your authentic self takes less energy than trying to be something you’re not. You can take the first step by really listening to yourself about when to work and when to rest.
Having made it to the other side of burnout, I can assure you it is possible to recover your energy, your health, and your desire to work. But you have to be willing to switch some things up.
What can you do today to make your work work better for you?
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