Burnout – we’re hearing a lot about young professionals experiencing it these days. Many people my age found Buzzfeed‘s article very relatable. I was also recently interviewed by The Cap Times in Madison about it.
My own experience of being burnt out started with my first job out of college. I was suddenly in this fast-paced tech company where deadlines loomed, deliverables were needed every day, and emails were constantly piling up.
A lot of my co-workers thrived in this environment.
I didn’t.
So, I left and got a new job thinking that it would be better then. And a few years later, I tried another job. And another.
You know how in dating, if you keep seeing the same issue over and over, it’s probably not the other person, it’s you? Yeah, this burnout was following me from job to job and instead of getting better, it was getting worse. I realized that I needed to start looking at myself and what I could do to change this, rather than rely on others to fix it.
So many of my coaching clients are in the throes of feeling overwhelmed, maxed out, and exhausted. There are forces within the tech industry that make dealing with burnout really tough. And while there’s work to do within the industry to help employee’s wellbeing, there are also things we can do ourselves to work through this.
If you’re experiencing burnout, here are a few things you can start doing today.
Prioritize taking care of yourself.
You can’t give something your all if you’re completely drained. Your creativity, stress management, and ability to deal with change are all compromised when you’re exhausted. This includes taking care of yourself physically – eating right and getting enough sleep – and emotionally. Carve out a little bit of time for yourself every day to start, maybe just 5 to 15 minutes where you can take a mental break and do something that brings you joy.
Practice mindfulness.
Burnout can often come because we’re looking at all of the things that we have to do, the deadlines after that, and oh yeah – you haven’t talked to your mom in a month. Focus on what’s happening right now. Meditation apps like Headspace, Shine, and Insight Timer have a number of short mediations that can bring you back to the present. Even doing a quick body scan and noticing how you’re physically feeling for 2 minutes can be impactful. When you notice you’re getting overwhelmed thinking about the future, bring your focus back to what’s most important right now.
Assess your own skills.
In my early career, I was terrible at saying no or setting appropriate expectations for when work could be done. This was the biggest factor to my experience of being burnt out. I was constantly feeling swamped with the work I agreed to because I didn’t have these skills. What do you want to develop to not only work through burnout, but also advance your career? Skills like setting boundaries, speaking up for your own needs, and saying “I don’t know” are all things my clients have practiced in this area and have seen a lot of growth in as a result. To figure out what to work on, take a look at the reasons why you feel burnout – is there too much on your plate, do you get paralyzed by not trying to make mistakes? When you see the core cause, you can start exploring ways to grow your skills to address it.
To stop feeling burnt out, you must be intentional. It has to be something you’re committed to working on and getting through. Leaving it to chance won’t cut it. Working with a coach or mentor can go a long way in building your skills and changing your experience.
My own experience with this is the reason I became a coach.
I learned, with a many headaches and heartaches, how to work through burnout, imposter syndrome, and the consequence of following other people’s idea of “success”. Now, I want to help other women in tech learn what I did, but more quickly and without as much frustration, so that they can make an amazing impact on the industry and feel good about themselves while they do it.
If this is something you’re going through, reach out to friends and peers for support. Start taking a look at ways that you can feel more empowered and make changes. And if you need some extra help, I’m here!