Member-only story
I’m Burned Out — Now What?
A brief guide to addressing burnout in the modern world.
The world is on fire — so it is no wonder you are burning up. This is my struggling attempt to validate the person in front of me who is stressed out and wondering what to do.
It wasn’t a time or place most conducive for these kinds of conversations. We were in the middle of a large convention room, and I had just finished a presentation about burnout to a group of addiction counselors. She was a seasoned counselor and attended my talk about community care in the face of burnout.
I could tell she was distressed. Her posture alone revealed a person who has been carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her facial expression was a combination of tension on the edge of tearfulness. Yet, her question was simple and, unfortunately, common:
“I hear a lot about caring for ourselves so we don’t burn out. But I’m past that point now — what do I do when I AM burned out?”
There was a quiet mixture of desperation and cynicism to her inquiry. It made sense to me. She was correct to be skeptical about anyone proposing quick fixes to burnout. She needed answers, and her exhaustion removed the need for a polite preamble. She’s not alone.
