A Short Letter to Those Who Are Burnt Out

Hey there. So you’re in here for burnout too? Cool, take a seat.

If you’re struggling to find excitement in the day-to-day life you know you love, I’m right there with you. In fact, I find I get burnt-out around this time of year like clockwork. For me, it’s a combination of coming down from the high of 4 weeks of essentially nothing at Christmas break, the workload in classes finally starting to ramp up, getting back into a steady routine at work, trying to balance a social life like one of those plate spinners. It’s a tough balancing act and while it can be done, doing so means sacrificing the happiness you find in each.

When you shift from a “doing it because you love it” mindset to a mindset where everything in your day is simply a task on your to-do list, you’re 100 times more susceptible to burnout. At the beginning of the semester, I looked forward to getting out of bed earlier than I needed to in order to make myself a decent breakfast, get some work done before class, and ease into my day. Now, I rise out of bed and shuffle into the kitchen to make my not-so-exciting breakfast. If you’re someone who believes in symbolism, I guess you could say the fact that I burn my English muffin is a symbol for the burnout I’m experiencing. (However, it could simply be the fact that my toaster is on the fritz…)

It’s almost like a move through my day like a drone. I simply glaze over everything, getting all my tasks done but in the most boring and monotone way possible. And things that I typically love start to feel like chores- going to a coffee shop at 6 AM to study, FaceTiming my cousin late at night, and even writing blog posts start to feel like more of a burden on my plate than something I look forward to doing.

I’m guessing you feel a little like a hamster on a wheel: you’re moving but not going anywhere. You’re doing the leg work, but you don’t feel like you are accomplishing a thing. It’s a much easier cycle to get into than it is to get out of. I wish I could whip out my keyboard and type up a simple guide on how to breakout of burnout, but the truth is I have nothing. I’m right here in the pit, struggling with you.

The source of your burnout is likely either something you deep-down enjoy, like writing a blog post, or it’s something that you have to do, such as doing your homework. That means eliminating the thing you are dreading doing is not an option. So when the black smoke starts rolling out of your ears what do you do?

One thing I know I need to do better at and I’m sure you could too is scheduling time for yourself. No, your 3-minute bathroom break does not count. No matter how much you have to do, you’ve gotta pay yourself back with a nap, a movie, or anything else that refuels you. (Example: As I wrote this, I made the executive decision to sleep in tomorrow. Heck, I might even skip class).

The frustrating part of burnout is that you have no idea when you’re going to climb out of this slump. However, it should be comforting to know that one day you’re going to be back to normal. Someday you’ll just wake up, get out of bed, and run to the kitchen to perfectly toast (not burn) your English muffins. Burnout, while extremely useless, is almost always temporary. While I don’t have any expert tips to burn burnout down to the ground, I know that remembering the reasons you find joy in the work you do can help you bounce back even faster.

Burnout can eat into your productivity for a while. It can even take bites out of your happiness. But please, please, please make it a season and not a permanent mindset. If you stop worrying so much about what you need to do and care more about how those jobs make you feel, I can almost guarantee you’ve taken the first step towards climbing out of the hole.

Show this burnout who’s boss. You’ve got this.