Sara Orellana
By Sara Orellana
How many of you feel like you have reached the point of burn out? Not exhaustion. Not emotional. Burnt out. When you are burnt out, you are continually overwhelmed, have no drive, nothing brings you joy, and you may be a little short tempered.
I have been on the cusp of being burned out more than once. Fortunately, I was able to recognize it. The worst time was last summer. Looking back, I can see the signs more clearly. I was tired, but the kind of tired you can’t sleep off. Although I wanted to get up and be active, I had no desire to work. I could not make myself find any joy in my work. I was bored, restless, and cranky. Everything was simply too much. Normally I can handle what life throws at me. But this past summer I couldn’t. Between a difficult team member and a shortened timeline, work became too much.
I realized I was simply burned out.
Knowing is half the battle, or at least I thought. It took me another few weeks to understand why and how I was burned out – and to know what to do. For the past four years I had not taken a break. I couldn’t remember the last weekend off I had, let alone the last day off. I had completely buried myself in work.
How many of us are invested in our careers and spend all our free time with your family? All work and no play will leave you exhausted and uninspired. That is what I had done for years. Last summer I was reminded of the need for meaningful relationships outside of work and family, and hobbies. As people, we are multifaceted. We need a broad array of interests and hobbies. We need to be more people in our lives than workers and family members.
I stepped back from work. I chose to work less hours and started asking myself what I wanted and what I was interested in. I met new people, went out, and explored different hobbies. Slowly, as I developed other parts of my life, I found a balance and the feelings of burnout left.
The best thing you can do for your career is to give yourself time to be creative, explore new hobbies, and meet new people. Find yourself. Learn to be more than a family member and worker. Trust me; your stress levels with drop and your quality of work will increase.
Sara Orellana is an independent entrepreneur who specializes in strategic planning, leadership, and grant writing. She can be reached at sara@3raptorconsulting.com.