Burnout is an epidemic. People are drained, worn out, and exhausted. They feel they have nothing left to give. Their attitude becomes negative. Their confidence decreases. Their social contact plummets.
It’s easy to stay in burnout. Feeling lost. Being stuck. Not seeing an end. Not knowing how to get out. So you sit in burnout.
Most experts talk about resiliency when teaching about how to overcome or deal with burnout. Resiliency is important, but new resiliency is vital. What’s the difference?
Resilience is the ability to bounce back. Go back to the form you were before. Think of a slinky. If you put a slinky down a staircase, the slinky will hold its form. It will move from stair to stair keeping its same shape. Even when it’s done with the staircase, it will look the same. That’s resiliency.
When you experience burnout, a key component is to bounce back. It keeps you from feeling stuck. So you don’t stay in burnout.
But it’s more than that.
What happens when you put a slinky down a staircase that is straight for 11 stairs and then for the last two steps, it turns? So it looks like the letter “J.”
The slinky will go in a straight line hitting the wall, not being able to turn itself for the last two stairs. It stays like the letter “I” instead of a “J.” The letters “I” and “J” may look similar, but they are very different.
When you’re resilient, you bounce back to the way you were before. You do the same thing and act the same way, and you’ll likely get the same results. So it’s not about being resilient. It’s about new resiliency. Being able to adapt and change when you bounce back. SHARE THIS!
New resiliency is the ability to bounce back but in a new and different way. You know more. You’ve experienced more. You’ve learned something new. So bounce back. Don’t stay stuck and sit in those feelings of burnout but also don’t go back to how you were before.
Rediscover your why. Why do you do what you do? Not why did you want to do it, but why do you do it now? TWEET THIS! If you don’t know your why, it’s a huge challenge to keep doing the same profession and not feel burnout. All the details, the things you don’t love or even like about your job, will keep coming up. Those things will outweigh your why which leads to more burnout.
Reconnect with your team. Make sure you have the people on your team (inside and outside of work) you need to have. If you don’t, then get them. Don’t do it all yourself. Delegate to your team. Share with them what’s going on. Yes, that’s means you’ll need to be vulnerable. People want to connect with you; give them something to connect to. SHARE THIS! Have the courage to ask for help. Then ask for it. When you say, “Will you help me,” most people won’t say, “No.”
Set better boundaries. Give yourself permission to have boundaries and don’t move them. State your boundaries to others. If they don’t know they exist, they can’t respect them. People may try to push your boundaries, don’t let them. Every time you let them, you’re telling yourself your boundaries and what you want doesn’t matter. SHARE THIS! Part of having better boundaries is learning to take better care of yourself. Take “me” time for you. Exercise, meditate, or read. Take time for the things you love and enjoy. If you want to serve your clients, patients, or customers, you have to first take care of you. You can’t give, give, give to others without giving to yourself.
When burnout comes up, teach yourself how to bounce back quickly to a new form, a new version of you. Ask yourself what wasn’t working before and how can you change it. What would need to happen so you don’t feel burnt out?
When you know how to redefine yourself to a new form or transform to a new version of you, you won’t stay stuck in burnout. You’ll feel more confident on how to get through it and be able to excellently serve more people for longer.
We want to hear from you. In the comments below, when did you experience burnout and how did you get through it?
Jessica Rector’s mission is simple: transform lives. With a BBA, MBA and BS, Jessica started, hosted, and produced her own TV talk show in Los Angeles with just an idea to help others which launched her first company jessICAREctor International. As someone who attempted suicide as a teen, had a lot of self-judgment around being a single parent, and has a brother who died by suicide, Jessica knows challenges, issues, and pain and how to turn them into something good. Through her own experiences, research, and strategies, she helps you break through your inner struggles and free yourself. As a thought leader, keynote speaker, and author, Jessica consults with companies, coaches individuals, and speaks at conferences, conventions, and organizations helping you change what you say to yourself about yourself to change your thoughts and actions to change your life. Jessica is a Contributor for The Huffington Post and The Good Men Project and has been seen on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Business Journal, and Market Watch. Get Jessica’s third book, Breaking the Silence: Taking the Sh out of Shame at jessicarector.com. Follow her on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.
