5 Triggers that Pushed Me to Burnout [and how I’m recovering]
I wish I had known all this sooner
“What am I doing? How did I become this?”
I kept asking myself that. I had no idea what was happening.
I had somehow become someone who was always exhausted, couldn’t focus, and procrastinated.
- I had no motivation.
- I lost all discipline.
- I stopped learning.
- I neglected my work.
- I avoided thinking about my goals.
I would wake up late and spend the day on social media or watching TV. This cycle only made me feel more guilty and depressed.
It was 2023. I didn’t know I was burned out. I didn’t know that some specific triggers caused it. And I didn’t know these were internal thoughts that created constant stress and overthinking.
15 months have passed, and now I have the answers. So, I want to share those five triggers that pushed me towards burnout and how I overcame them.
1. “I don’t know what to do”
In my third year of college back in 2021, I knew I didn’t want a typical 9–5 job. I wanted something adventurous. But I wasn’t sure what exactly.
So, I tried everything: network marketing, blogging, a BookTube channel, website development, graphic designing, freelance writing, and even a travel YouTube channel.
The problem was I couldn’t stick with any one thing. I hadn’t found what I truly loved, what I was made for, so I kept jumping from one option to another as soon as things got tough.
I felt like I was running out of time. So, instead of focusing on what I was doing, I was constantly thinking about what I should be doing.
The result: I couldn’t get better at any single thing. And it made me more worried and stressed.
Looking back, I realize I should have picked one thing and given it my all. And if it didn’t work out, I could move on to the next, knowing I had truly tried my best.
2. “It’s all uncertain”
In 2022, I chose freelance copywriting and marketing as my career. It seemed fascinating, with so many interesting things to learn and a way to make good money. But there was one problem:
It was all uncertain. No steady income, no stability, no clear plan to find clients. I had no idea what my future would be.
Then, in November 2022, everyone started talking about AI. They said AI could replace writers and copywriters. This terrified me. The future seemed dark. Now, I didn’t even know if my job would exist.
This uncertainty and lack of control triggered my burnout.
Now, I realize that uncertainty is just part of the process. And it’s not always bad. Uncertainty doesn’t mean only bad things will happen. It means anything is possible — good things can happen too.
So, I’m learning to accept the uncertainty. After all, this is where the magic happens.
3. “What they will think”
I worry too much about what others think. Not always. It happens when I’m not in my badass mode but in the people-pleaser mode.
But the uncertainties of freelancing lead to self-doubt. With no clear path, I constantly worried about what people would think and say about me.
My mind raced with negative thoughts about being judged, laughed at, or criticized. This was exhausting and stressful.
Now, I’m learning to be more in my badass mode. How? It’s a simple habit- meditation.
Meditating calms my mind and helps me reprogram how I think. It’s a work in progress, but I’m getting better at focusing on what actually matters and ignoring the rest.
4. “I don’t need breaks”
That’s a big misconception I had. I thought I was a tough person who didn’t need breaks. I thought breaks were for the weak and a waste of time.
So, I pushed myself to work 9–12 hours a day, seven days a week. And that caused a lot of damage.
Client work was stressful. Sometimes, I would work until 1 a.m., only to wake up and start again the next morning. I was constantly stressed and exhausted, but I refused to stop because I had to be productive.
Ironically, this made me less focused and slower. I started procrastinating to avoid work. This led to guilt, which made me procrastinate even more.
Now, I understand that regular breaks are essential. They not only help us relax and relieve stress, but they also improve our focus, creativity, and memory.
5. “I want to achieve big”
That’s a good thing. But I took it the wrong way. I used to think that to achieve big in life, you have to do something big every day. This put a lot of pressure on me.
If I didn’t see big results from my writing for clients or on my website, I would doubt myself and wonder if I was doing something wrong. It led to overthinking, stress, and mental exhaustion.
The truth is to achieve anything big, you have to take small, smart actions consistently for a long time.
For example, meditating for 10 minutes, reading five pages, or writing 300 words daily might seem insignificant. Still, if you do it consistently for a year or two, you will see massive results.
The good thing is that my burnout wasn’t that severe. So, once I found out what was happening to me, I got hope. I realized this wasn’t completely my fault and could be healed. I guess knowing the name of a problem makes it easier to deal with.
So, I started getting 7–8 hours of sleep, tried to stop overthinking, accepting things as they are, taking regular breaks, and doing things to relieve stress, like reading fiction and watching movies.
It took a couple of months, but I’m feeling much better now.
I hope it helped you gain some perspective. I’m Saurav, I share what I learn about writing, content marketing, and personal growth. Follow me for more such stuff. And you can read this next:
