It's hard to admit when we're burning out.
It's even harder to deal with the consequences of it later on if we delay doing something about it.
1. Emotional symptoms: I felt like anything that required emotional investment was too much. So even speaking about it and terming it as burnout was a stretch because it involved a level of vulnerability and admitting I was fallible (apparently everyone else already knew I was, but I was in denial). My logic was that I just had to get over the feeling of failing and push through. If I didn't speak about it, it wasn't real and I was fine. When I found myself in tears on a call with my bosses' bosses' boss, I was forced to admit that cracking point had officially arrived.
2. Physical symptoms: 8 hours of sleep was a pipe dream. When getting 4 hours is an achievement, something is wrong. Headaches and brain fog were a way of life. I won't even start on the weird eating habits, sugar cravings and lack of energy. The heart palpitations was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. Point to note on this: I'd been having the palpitations for about 5/6 years before I slowed down long enough to acknowledge and do something about it. Yes, denial is real (and damaging).
3. Behavioural symptoms: Being a natural introvert, I isolated for a few years. It's weird to say it, but I was weirdly grateful for COVID lockdown. It meant I wasn't as alone in my isolation. Withdrawing into a different world helped to cope (ever heard of romantasy?), but didn't solve the problem.
4. Attitudinal signs: Isolating leads to feeling quite alone. I can see now how I pushed people away - both friendships and work relationships. It's hard to be an empathetic leader when it feels like Rome is burning all the time. It really wasn't, but perspective gets a bit warped.
5. Performance signs: Concentration was hard. Tasks weren't being managed (in my opinion, I could be right or wrong, I had no clear perspective). It just felt like I was doing nothing right, which just led to pushing harder and making things worse (see points 1-4).
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone and it doesn't have to be a way of life for you. There are ways to navigate it.
#HighPerformance #GrowthMindset #Coaching #PersonalGrowth #MindsetShift #PersonalDevelopment #GrowthMindset #Productivity #Leadership
