In this blog I discuss how professional burnout is more of a symptom than it is the “root cause.” Specifically, I invite you to hear me out on how professional burnout more-than-likely represents a divergence from living a value-congruent life, and, how burnout can actually help you achieve finding meaning for the rest of your life going forward.
I could quote you the “facts” and symptoms of what burnout is, but you’ve probably Googled this more than anything else. But, just to be sure, I will outline that technically, professional burnout can be characterized by chronic physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion due to excessive workplace stress. Symptoms include physical fatigue, emotional detachment, decreased performance, cognitive difficulties, increased emotional distress, withdrawal from social interactions, and physical health issues. If this describes you, then hear me out.
Professional burnout is an insidious process – it doesn’t just happen overnight. Over time, you’ve likely gradually become more disinterested in your work, your co-workers and supervisors. Heck, maybe you’ve become downright resentful of them. Maybe your work performance is below par and has been called into question by some. Perhaps you’ve been calling out sick a lot lately, and/or showing up late or leaving early. These tendencies and behaviors are understandable, especially if we appreciate them from the perspective of someone who likely is not living a life that’s aligned with their professional and/or personal values.
I’ve written another blog post on Hustle Culture where I’ve talked about similar concepts on “value-congruent living.” Basically, what this means is, a tendency for a person to live their lives according to whatever they might value, what brings meaning, joy, and purpose. Maybe this is carving out a little time to earn that college degree, volunteer at a hospital, having a day to just nerd out on games with friends, and really, anything else that you can think of that might pertain to your personal and/or professional life.
Why is this a “thing?” Imagine being stuck in life as a 13-year-old forever knowing that your day basically consists of going to school, doing homework, and doing chores at home. Does this sound like fun? Does this sound like a meaningful life to you? If you died tomorrow, how would people remember you? More importantly, are you asking these questions to yourself? We are all different, and because of those differences, we likely value certain things over others when compared to other people. It’s impossible for someone to tell you a single thing to do to “cheer you up.” Finding meaning in the rest of your life likely starts by you asking yourself some important questions, for example:
- Do I like what I do?
- What would make me happy?
- Who do I want to surround myself with?
- What matters the most to me?
- What’s stopping me from doing the things I enjoy or want to do?
These are just some questions to ask yourself to guide you in exploring how to build meaning in your life. Once you start to develop answers to these questions, then it becomes more of a matter of operationalizing them (i.e., making it happen). Remember, it will be far easier for you think of all the bad things, how you can’t do something, or how things will get in your way – realize that and accept it. For each thought you come up with that keeps you stuck where you are at now, think of at least one alternative, no matter how far-fetched it might be. The reason this is an important step is that our brains are wired in a way that makes it easier to think and remember information to keep us feeling the way we are in that moment (i.e,, depressed and burnt out) – your brain has had a lot of time to construct patterns of thinking and appraising in that manner; just like a computer that hasn’t updated its JavaScript, it too will likely operate and process information in a fragmented and in an inaccurate manner, but once you update that software, you notice your computer processes information more smoothly and accurately. Remember, burnout is a symptoms of a larger issue at hand – it’s likely you aren’t living a life aligned with your values. I invite you to challenge that and try something different.
