Your Burnout Diagnosed

You, my friend, are burnt out.

Wanna know how I know? Wanna know why this blog is a bit more succinct than usual (i.e., not 20,000 pages long)? 

It’s because I’m burnt out, too. We all are.

So, we’ve diagnosed that you’re burnt out. You’re exhausted. That’s the diagnosis. The good news? There’s a prescription.

I’ll spare you on the typical disclaimers that come with those commercials we see on TV (they always include the *possibility* of sudden death or violent illness, don’t they? Keepin’ it a little spicy, are we?). The extra good news is that there’s only one side effect of your burnout’s prescription.

That side effect? Well, it’s this: once you’ve fully and wholeheartedly followed your prescribed treatment, you’re never going to want to go back to the way things were before. It’s a bit addictive. 

but first… your diagnosis

I realize that we’ve all been told that the world is going back to normal… but that doesn’t mean that our minds have, yet.

Just to briefly remind you: you survived over a year wrought with grief, devastation, confusion and social paralysis. You ran a business and continued to pivot, while vacillating between fight or flight.

So, excuse YOU if you aren’t *quite* ready to feel 100% back to normal, right?

Honestly, even if you do feel ready to get back to the normal swing of things, your creative mind likely can and will take a bit of time to catch up. Your brain just did the 100 yard sprint - over, and over, and over again, for over 365 days. Your brain is now doing that panting thing and wishing it was plunging itself into a watering hole, and then grabbing some post-run ice cream (because if you don’t run for ice cream, what DO you run for?). Your brain is not necessarily throwing a party dress on over its sweaty self, before heading out to socialize.

Does that make sense?

When we’re in times of distress or trauma, it’s normal for us as entrepreneurs to get into this mode and mindset of, “if I just work a little bit more, it’ll be okay.” We forced ourselves to believe that through hard work and busyness, we’d survive the single most confusing and life-altering time we’d ever been through.

They say that it takes 21 days to build a habit. Over the course of 365 days, you had roughly 17.38 times to double down on that overworking, project-obsessive habit of yours. Meaning, we’ve got about 17 layers to dig into, in order to find that creative relief and relaxation, and to get back to feeling refreshed, rather than burnt out.

Does that make sense?

Your burnout - it’s not only common, it’s to be expected. And if you’re not burnt out, you’ve got to be some kind of bionic business owner. Let me know what you eat and do in a day, pls.

You’ve spent over one year fighting, pushing, pulling and exerting yourself - you’ve built habits (some good, some bad - like having no work boundaries), and you’ve survived via those habits for the last 365+ days. 

So yeah, you’re burnt out. Are you ready for a prescription?

and now, your prescription

I want you to stop everything. Right now. Drop it all. 

Step back from your desk or your couch or your floor or your ceiling (I don’t know your life), and just pause.

Breathe.

Look around - and remind yourself, that work you’re constantly plowing away at? It’ll never stop, if you never stop.

I’m not telling you to stop taking work, or to quit your current projects altogether. But, I am calling you (and me) out on this false assumption that if we just do a liiiiiiittle bit more, it’ll all get done.

Let’s not fool ourselves - that “reprieve” might last 1 hour or 1 day, but there’s always more work. And thankfully so.

But that’s not to say that we can’t force ourselves to decide when enough is enough for the day. That brings me to…

prescription 1: set work hours, and stick to them

Do what you must to convince yourself that your job and business don’t exist outside of those work hours.

Yes, seriously.

Delete your email app from your phone. Lock your phone and computer up in the other room, if you need to. Just make sure to set expectations with your clients, first. 

prescription 2: dedicate yourself to an unpaid hobby

I want you to take this hobby about as seriously as you would your paid work. Do something that you love, and do it well.

If you’re a creator and you’re still too drained to continue to create outside of your work hours, read. Exercise. Or, try something that’ll flex those other creative muscles of yours (and will allow you to use your hands), like cooking or baking. 

Or adopting a dog. You know, because dogs need to be pet. See? Hands. Creativity. You get it.

prescription 3: focus on creating an identity for yourself that lives outside of the work you create

Yikes. This one’ll hurt.

Why? Well, we creative folks like to let ourselves morph into our work. It’s why we get so offended when people are critical of the things we create, and why we have a difficult time figuring out where our business stops, and we start.

You are so much more than your photography, or your designs, or your graphics, or your art, or the sets you style. Those are things that you create with that brilliant mind of yours, sure. But they aren’t what make you, you.

Going back to prescription #1: carve out more time for yourself. Then, use prescription #2 to find some other things you love to do, that aren’t work, or talking about work. THEN, over time, you’ll be able to work on prescription #3. 

The only way to overcome our burnout diagnosis is to ensure that we create the balance, harmony and restful joy we need to sustain the work we do. Your burnout might feel tough, but it’s not the end of the road. It’s just a little bump.

After the year we’ve had, we can overcome a little bump - don’t you think?

Is it the weekend yet?
Kirsten