There are a lot of burnout myths swirling around on the World Wide Web. A LOT.
So, I thought I would use this week’s email to tackle the ones I hear most often and put those rumors to rest.
If you currently believe these rumors, I can’t blame you because I used to believe some of them too!
Listing the rumors I am tackling so you can scroll to the one that needs to be cleared up for you:
- Burnout means you have failed at your job/career.
- You need to quit your job.
- Vacation will cure burnout.
- Burnout means you can’t handle stress.
- You have tried to heal your burnout and nothing has worked. So, that means nothing will work.
- If you push through burnout, it will go away.
MYTH #1: IF YOU PUSH THROUGH BURNOUT, IT WILL EVENTUALLY GO AWAY.
This is the most dangerous of all the myths on the internet.
Burnout happens because you have stressed out to the maximum capacity your body and mind will allow on a daily basis. This is a very dangerous place for you to be in both physically and mentally.
Stress is harmful to your body and mind. You can handle little, short amounts of stress, but you were not built to handle large amounts for extended periods of time.
What happens to you when you are chronically stressed out, is kind of similar to those “This Is Your Brain On Drugs” commercials in the 1980s. You are literally frying your brain, your body, your hormones… You start having trouble with your memory, concentrating, comprehending information, digesting food, gaining/losing weight, and sleeping.
This usually isn’t permanent damage, but the longer you allow burnout to go on, the harder your recovery will be.
Even if you don’t figure out the most effective recovery solution right away, you are still helping yourself by trying something. Having an awareness about your burnout is also meaningful, so you can begin to find ways to heal, reduce your stress, and implement boundaries.
MYTH #2: BURNOUT MEANS YOU HAVE FAILED AT YOUR JOB/CAREER.
This is first on my list because I believed this one too: I thought I had failed and I felt so much shame.
When you are exhausted, it’s easy to spiral into to negative thinking and be overly critical on yourself. You believe those untrue stories because… they seem true. All the signs are there: you aren’t producing as much, the quality of what you produce isn’t great, you may feel the effort isn’t worth the hassle, or you feel disconnected from the work.
The reality is when you are in burnout, you are more likely to make bad decisions because you are tired and stressed out. This part of the struggle is real! Bad decisions don’t always mean you failed, though.
This is a good time to pull back and regroup. Take some time off, talk with colleagues and friends, and reorganize your priorities.
MYTH #3: YOU NEED TO QUIT YOUR JOB.
Not necessarily! We have discussed this at length in previous posts.
If you don’t figure out what is bothering you about your current job, it will follow you to your next one. I am hearing about this quite a bit from people who took the leap during the Great Resignation. They thought the money and new company would be a cure-all for what was ailing them. When they still felt terrible, they realized they may have jumped too soon.
When you feel burned out, it’s imperative to get to the root of your burnout. It may not be the job, the boss, the coworkers, or the environment. It could be you are overworking yourself, you have unrealistic expectations and standards, or a million other things. You can watch more about that here.
MYTH #4: VACATION CURES BURNOUT
This one has some elements of truth to it, but it is mostly false.
Vacations don’t cure burnout because they don’t fix what caused you to burnout. In fact, you can take a wonderful vacation, come back all shiny and rested – but your burnout returns by end of your first day back.
Why? Because you didn’t fix the problem. If what burned you out is that the work you are doing isn’t in your wheelhouse, you are going right back to work that makes you work harder because it isn’t a strength. If you burned out because you have unrealistic expectations of yourself and your coworkers, you will go right back to expecting unrealistic behavior from those around you.
Does this mean you shouldn’t take a vacation? No! Please take a vacation!
A vacation can still help you when you are burned out because you are giving your mind and body a rest it desperately needs. In fact, you should probably schedule more time off before you return.
The problem with vacations comes when you expect it to fix your burnout. And, when it doesn’t, the disappointment you feel is incredibly frustrating.
MYTH #5: BURNOUT MEANS YOU CAN’T HANDLE STRESS.
It would help to remind you with this myth of the definition of burnout.
Burnout is chronic stress over long periods of time due to overwork, that leads to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
So, no, it’s not true that you can’t handle stress. Burnout occurs when your stress coping mechanisms fail.
What you may be terrible at is managing stress. Two completely different things.
You and I aren’t taught how to successfully manage our stress at any point in our lives. We are just kind of expected to take it and handle it as a part of life.
What would be the most beneficial to alleviate your stress around this myth is learning successful stress management tools.
It’s also important to note: No two people can handle the same amount of stress or the same type of stress. What stresses me out, may not stress you out. What stresses you out, may not stress me out. Don’t compare yourself to others when it comes to stress levels.
MYTH #6: You have tried to heal your burnout and nothing has worked. So, that means nothing will work.
This is one of my favorite myths to crack. Not because the answer is simple – because it’s not. It’s my favorite because the answer usually provides you a constructive path to solutions.
When people burnout, one of the first things they do is Google a phrase like “how do I fix my burnout?” Or, “Burnout cures.” The results they get are usually very general answers like “get more sleep,” or “take a vacation,” or “leave your toxic work environment,” or “reduce your stress at work.”
So, you try to get more sleep – you can’t.
You take a few days off of work – you’re still exhausted and dreading every inch of your job.
You get a new job – your burnout creeps back up.
You reduce your stress at work – but you are still frustrated with everything.
What I have discovered over the years – which is the most frustrating thing about burnout recovery – is that you have to find the right mix of burnout recovery tools.
Even more frustrating is that everyone’s burnout recovery journey is different. The tools and timeline look different for every person reading this. So, it’s going to take some experimentation.
The one reliable thing that helps everyone in their recovery journey: finding the root cause of your burnout. When you know the root cause, you will have a better idea of what burnout recovery tools will work.
