Burnout Isn’t Just Exhaustion — It’s a Message From Your Body
If you’re struggling with that feeling of emptiness, these are 4 useful tips on changing your perspective on it.
Burnouts. A sudden spike of lethargy levels. That heavy feeling of dreadfulness when it comes to doing anything productive. You approach life aimlessly with your back slump, chest sinking in. What used to be normal and exciting for you become dull.
Think back to an occasion when you emulated those descriptions above.
Truth is, burnouts are common. While most people believe that burnouts are bad, I believe that burnouts are beneficial to personal well-being and performance in the long run. Here are four unexpected benefits of burnouts explained.
They Succinctly Tell You That Your Body Had Enough
Think about all the times you were in pain. Were you in a dangerous setting? Was your body in adverse conditions? If so, would you be able to tell that you’re injured without signals of pain?
Primitively speaking, our human body has only three desires: Self-preservation, Sexual, and Social. The one we’ll be talking about is self-preservation.
Our nervous system is a gift bestowed on us. The complex circuitry between our sensory nerves and the brain communicates non-verbally with us about what is wrong with the body via pain.
An extreme case demonstrating the importance of pain would be Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA). Patients born with this disease are incapable to feel pain and temperature. Could you even imagine how disastrous that is? To spill boiling hot water and yet not know that you have scalded yourself. To have an internal injury and yet not know where you are hurt. To have cuts on your body and yet not know of it. Unfortunately, most patients with such cases do not live over the age of 25.
While pain can be cumbersome and unbearable, they are indicative of the existence of your living flesh. Just like how pain is important in understanding the body, burnouts are crucial in figuring out that your way of life is devastating or not — they are suggestive of your mental state. They exist to prevent any more harm to your mental health.
You Should Probably Change the Rhythm You Approach Life
Having said that burnouts are indicative of mental health, you should start dissecting and make necessary adjustments to your own personal schedule!
It may sound daunting at first, but believe me, you can always start from small things.
For example, instead of slaving away aimlessly for the rest of your shift, take a break and go for a 10-minute walk after each hour of work is completed. The aforementioned is the Pomodoro technique.
In the past, I used to be so caught up in my work that I barely have time for myself to relax and unwind — My Google Calendar was cramped with tasks.
Another toxic regime I had for myself was to post on medium every two weeks. While posting once every two weeks may be easy for some, it was challenging for me when I was just starting. Worst of all, I was unable to make the deadline because my pieces were consistently rejected by publishers. As demoralized as I was, I kept pushing out unrealistic standards onto myself until I broke down in May.
It was the start of June. My brain distastefully rejected any thoughts about writing and went full “airplane mode” on Medium. During the whole month of June, I had not read or written any articles.
Noticing how my brain would writhe up upon thoughts about writing, I knew I had to take a break.
And today, I am feeling rejuvenated, my mind packed full with ideas and topics to write on. Breaks are necessary for the human mind, so never feel guilty if you ever need them in your life.
Make Readjustments to Your Mindset Towards Your Goals
Let’s assume that you have planned a perfect and accomodating schedule that you are comfortable with. One that achieves work-life balance without compromising your hustle. One that allows you to devote time for yourself.
All sounds good in theory, but are you able to commit? Do you have the will strong enough to tough through the rough seas?
“Life is one big tug of war between mediocrity and trying to find your best self.” — David Goggins, Retired Navy SEAL
You can plan all you want in life. But when it comes to execution, do you have the heart to push through adversities? Are you dedicated enough to put in that extra mile? Are you willing to put pressure on yourself that no ordinary people will? All these need to be fulfilled if you want to excel in life.
After graduation from high school, I proceeded to enter a college for higher tier learning. Back then, I had big plans for myself:
- Be more social and interact with people more.
- Excel in my Co-Currilum Activity — which was table tennis then.
- Take up a leadership role.
- Get good grades
Although they may be not lofty goals, it is way easier said than done. I remember being enthusiastic for about a month before the pressure to sustain my goals got the better of me. Long story short, I was not mentally prepared for the hard work. I did not foresee myself having to put in any effort. All in all, those “big plans” I had for myself were a pipe dream.
Hence, if you want to achieve your goals, you must have a strong mindset. Burnouts serve as a wake-up call, letting you know that you are not yet tough enough for your desired lifestyle — whether it is too hectic or complex.
As a result, they implore you to be tougher than you already are to reach greater heights. Think back and readjust the way you approach life. Do you need to be more resilient? Do you need to put in that extra mile? These questions will help guide and shape you into the person you need to be to succeed.
They Help To Reinforce Your “Why” — Or Not
During the one month of break I had from Medium, I started to question my purpose on that platform. Why did I even bother to write? How does this even benefit me? I could have extra spare time to watch entertaining videos on youtube, scroll my Instagram feed, and spend more time with my family, etc.
As mentioned previously, burnouts elucidate and hint at something wrong or misaligned with your life. Having known that, I reflected on my state of mind previously when I started writing. Casual throwback to my first ever article on medium, I remember feeling adrenaline pumping through my veins when my article first got posted.
Imagine a crystal clear yellow orb of exhilaration radiating its light from the chest.
That pure warmth of delight.
Now and then, whenever you’re feeling burnt out, relax and toggle your mind back to the time when you felt true joy while doing your work. Because it is in the midst of those emotions, you will find your purpose and thus drive to strive for greatness in your profession.
On the flip side of the coin, stop what you are doing if you truly lost the desire to continue your hustle. It is normal to lose joy in your hustle. Do not blame it upon your lack of tenacity. Switch to another hustle if that’s the case.
Burnouts are usual. Try not to reject it and deny it a chance to communicate with you — embrace them instead. Pause and relax for a moment to notice how the body feels, how the mind feels. After all, it is an unconscious cue from the body to protect itself from any more pressure by the host — you.
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