The Real Cost of Burnout
The transition
Burnout rarely announces itself all at once. It usually shows up in one of two ways: a slow, quiet recognition that your health has been sliding for a while and you've been explaining it away, or a sudden breaking point, the day you finally can't push through anymore.
For me, it was both - the quiet warning first, ignored, until the breaking point made it impossible to ignore any longer.
Tension headaches, weight gain, rising blood pressure, and poor sleep became the norm. I thought working harder, faster, and longer would shine light at the end of the tunnel, but it only got darker. The purpose, joy, and satisfaction I once felt in my work now felt buried under a heavy blanket.
Outside pressure can distort reality.
Then one day in the middle of a routine meeting, a comment that had been made hundreds of times in the past pushed me over the edge. My heart started to race, the room became fuzzy, and my head fell heavily into my lap. My body was out of my control – was it a panic attack? a heart attack? Something worse? This was my breaking point. In that fuzzy, out of control moment, one thing was clear - the decision to change course had to happen - now.
The rest of the story is a topic for another blog but suffice it to say, a path that I could have never imagined opened before me, and in time, that distorted reality became beautifully clear again.
The common reach
The paradox is that you often try working harder to overcome the feeling of burnout. Less sleep, more caffeine, more hours, more telling yourself it'll ease up soon. For others, it's the opposite: going numb, checking out emotionally while still showing up physically, because engaging fully feels like more than there's capacity or desire for.
Where it can lead
Burnout without a course correction rarely stays a phase. It becomes chronic, and often the person doesn't recognize how far it's gone until health or relationships are already paying the price. The breaking point, when it comes, usually isn't really about the job. It's the accumulation finally catching up.
A greater, long-term concern is that the little accommodations that you know aren’t good for you, but provide much needed comfort during those rough days, are now cemented into daily life, and they are steadily moving you in the wrong direction. The daily beer or glass of wine after work; giving up on exercise; fast-food; hours of mindless internet scrolling - can you relate?
The adjustment
Burnout can be very complex and can take much time and effort to work through; however, there are a couple of things that can help immediately: Separate "what I do" from "who I am," even in one small way this week; a hobby, a relationship, or a part of your life that has nothing to do with your job title. Tap into that identity, and the part of it that brings you joy.
Next, identify one habit that is not serving you well, but that developed as an accommodation to manage these rough days. Write what you would like to do differently, then take ONE, SMALL STEP in that direction. Stick with it until it becomes ingrained into your routine, then add one more small step and continue that process until the habit is one you are proud of.
Those two are a start. But burnout recovery that actually holds usually needs more than a habit change, it needs rebuilding the relationship between your work and your identity. The good news is that it is certainly possible.
I am living proof!
Warmly,
Rhenda
P.S. If this sounds like a familiar struggle for you or someone you know, here's a link to schedule a complimentary call. https://rhendahodnett.com/contact
