Preventing Burnout
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Burnout is real, don’t let your tank get to empty.
Burnout, the struggle is real. Most people don’t end up burned out because of one single thing. It’s usually a mix of being overworked, overstressed, and constantly running at full speed for too long.
Something that I think matters and want to share about is understanding that burnout shouldn’t be something you fix after it happens. It’s got to be something you prevent before you’re completely depleted.
“The time to deal with burnout is before you’ve actually run out of gas. Once you’re fully exhausted, getting moving again takes a lot more effort.”
Don’t wait until you’ve run out of gas.
Burnout is a lot like running out of gas in your car. There’s a warning light, but you don’t always know how much farther you can go. Eventually, you’re stuck on the side of the road and at that point, it’s too late.
The time to deal with burnout is before you’ve actually run out of gas. Once you’re fully exhausted, getting moving again takes a lot more effort. Going from zero to one is SO much harder than going from 20 to 21.
Know what drains you, and recharges you.
One of the most important things you can do for your well-being is understand your own energy. That means knowing what drains you and what fills you back up.
A lot of people, myself included, don’t think enough about recharging until they’re already wiped out. Having the thought of: “I should probably do something to take care of myself,” is too late when you’re totally zapped.
The goal is to do those things proactively. Keep fuel in the tank instead of waiting for the warning light, or worse.
Identify your personal energy boosters.
Everyone has things in their life that recharge their batteries and light them up. The specifics don’t matter as much as the fact that they work for you.
“Everyone has things in their life that recharge their batteries and light them up. The specifics don’t matter as much as the fact that they work for you.”
That could be exercise, social time, live music, making art, playing music, or doing something purely for fun. It could be therapy. It could be as simple as getting up and moving during the workday to break up sitting in front of a computer for six or eight hours straight.
These things aren’t luxuries. They’re maintenance.
Make space for these things in your life.
I think this is important for absolutely everyone, AND I think that it’s especially important for people in high-stress roles. Nurses, social workers, and other emotionally demanding jobs that carry an extra load and/or secondary trauma. Waiting until you’re completely burned out makes recovery much harder.
The work is discovering one, two, or maybe four things that genuinely give you energy, and then make time for them on purpose. Not someday. Not after everything else is done. Don’t treat this like a nice-to-have, prioritize it with gusto.
You matter.
“Fill your tank before it’s empty, it matters and you matter.”
Staying mentally and physically intact isn’t selfish and it’s not for “other people” — it’s for you. It’s what allows you to keep performing, contributing, existing, and moving through the world as a human being.
Don’t wait until you’re completely depleted to start paying attention to burnout. Being proactive is easier, more effective, and a far kinder move to make for yourself.
Fill your tank before it’s empty, it matters and you matter.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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