Reads like an extremely discriminatory hitpiece. Gross.
There Is No Cure for Burnout
51–60 of 101 posts
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#52Most of us don't have any choice and have to continue to work - burned out or not. I've found that burnout comes and goes in waves though. It doesn't necessarily take changing jobs to help resolve it. Sometimes, it's just a matter of putting one foot in front of another for a while and just staying afloat until something sparks and work becomes interesting and fun again and not sheer drudgery and anxiety.
>Sometimes, it's just a matter of putting one foot in front of another for a while and just staying afloat until something sparks and work becomes interesting and fun again and not sheer drudgery and anxiety
That will only work for pretty mild burnout. Once it becomes severe, you really don't have any choice and you are forced by your body to stop. It becomes impossible to continue. I would highly recommend doing something about it before it gets to this point, as it will take a long time to recover (many months if not years).
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#53I can’t say I’m a fan of the classism, racism, and sexism in this article. It creates and reinforces repeatedly the trope that burnout is an unavoidable but uniquely millenial problem; that “white men” from Gen X and before don’t get burned out. Fuck that; anyone and everyone can and do get burnt out. Isolating yourself based on your race, class, and generation will not help you get better. That said, I will take thi…
> that “white men” from Gen X and before don’t get burned out.
That's anyway observer bias. Most people you'll encounter Gen X and older in corporations are old enough to have figured out how to manage their career without burnout ... the ones that couldn't already dropped out.
I'm Gen X and I've been in a "burnt out" state many times in my career - 15 years ago there was no real label for it though.
Frankly I'd call it a normal and healthy process; you work too hard, for too long, on a topic you've lost interest in - you will burn out. And it's good for you, because your system is shutting down and preventing you from doing something which, long term, will probably lead to serious health issues.
Where people struggle, when in this condition, is the perceived pressure of having to wear a "smiley face" all the time, dealing with others, while when feeling like shit inside.
And the thing you learn in time, is to stop being nice and start being honest. Learn to say No. Learn to think "who cares?" if people feel awkward around you, if have a less-than-happy today. And a whole load more things...
Ultimately as you get older, you learn to manage your own ups and downs. So I don't see being "burnt out" as something as I have to be afraid of but rather something I need to plan for.
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#54My experience is that there is. I tend to be really intense about my job, and as a result I've left almost all of my jobs due to burnout, usually related to frustration that my dept isn't prioritizing what I feel is important to be successful, and that my time isn't well spent. I recently went through this at my current gig, despite having good pay, good manager, and as close to a non-toxic environment as I think is…
I've struggled with this one too. I never really felt a ton of pressure in my life as a developer, but since moving up to manager/director level you end up in this situation where you have to drive a lot of process and decision-making, but the parameters are set by other people. It's been extremely draining emotionally to have to drive action on things you don't always believe you should be doing. Now it's like I'm c…
I can completely relate to what you’re going through. One thing that’s helped me is to realize that management, like development, requires training. Study it like an art. Take some classes, listen to podcasts, find books on the subject. Harvard Business Review is a great resource. Check out the Dear HBR podcast as a jumping off point.
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#55I can’t say I’m a fan of the classism, racism, and sexism in this article. It creates and reinforces repeatedly the trope that burnout is an unavoidable but uniquely millenial problem; that “white men” from Gen X and before don’t get burned out. Fuck that; anyone and everyone can and do get burnt out. Isolating yourself based on your race, class, and generation will not help you get better. That said, I will take thi…
Did we read the same article? As far as I can tell, the only mention of white men is as part of a bigger picture of someone who hit the jackpot with respect to "burnout recovery" options, and so whose advice isn't worth much to the average person suffering burnout. The fact that they're white men isn't presented as a problem per se.
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#56I can’t say I’m a fan of the classism, racism, and sexism in this article. It creates and reinforces repeatedly the trope that burnout is an unavoidable but uniquely millenial problem; that “white men” from Gen X and before don’t get burned out. Fuck that; anyone and everyone can and do get burnt out. Isolating yourself based on your race, class, and generation will not help you get better. That said, I will take thi…
> that “white men” from Gen X and before don’t get burned out.
"Midlife" crisis could easily fall under burning out and that's a term that was around since my "millennial" self was a kid and beyond probably.
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#57>I didn’t do my laundry for four months and I ordered Wendy’s delivery twice a week for most of winter because I was psychologically unable to pick up groceries.
Sounds like more of a serious case of actual clinical depression.
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#58I can’t say I’m a fan of the classism, racism, and sexism in this article. It creates and reinforces repeatedly the trope that burnout is an unavoidable but uniquely millenial problem; that “white men” from Gen X and before don’t get burned out. Fuck that; anyone and everyone can and do get burnt out. Isolating yourself based on your race, class, and generation will not help you get better. That said, I will take thi…
As a white man I feel you're being extremely sensitive here.
You've taken a small part of the article seemingly out of context. The author is talking about well meaning but ultimately useless advice from those with the financial means to support themselves indefinitely while they travel or relax. While a generalisation, the ability to build up a cushion of 'fuck you money' tends to correlate with being from a generation with higher job security, (in the UK) free higher education, no dependents to support, etc.
I don't know when everyone got so sensitive to understanding their own privilege vs other people. I'm in my third month off and have been travelling for the last month as well without having to work. I'm exceptionally lucky, I have no dependents to support, free accommodation at my parents, etc, etc. Instead let's imagine I'm a care leaver or my parents had caring needs or I had a child to support or medical/student debt or whatever it might be, I'd have continued to endure burnout until it likely killed me.
Certainly my life has its own challenges, depression, health troubles etc, but compared to most people I've won the lottery.
Anyway, that aside, I hope you're doing well and staying burnout free!
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#59But my primary motivation—the one that finally overrode my aversion to risk and pushed me to give notice before I could line up another job
I quit my job a month ago or so, citing burnout.
They one thing the majority of my co-workers couldn't wrap their heads around was that I had nothing else waiting for me and made a point out of it. Some said they envied me, because they didn't have enough savings to pull something like that.
And this made me think, because not having anything lined up beforehand was my rule which I broke for the first time by applying to this company, and in hindsight it was a bad move.
Are we all "running on fumes" to such an extent, that no-one can afford a few weeks without a job?
Re: There Is No Cure for Burnout
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
But preventative means limit my potential
Your potential to do what? Trade happiness for money? Because that’s how this works. We’re totally sold on the idea that more money means a better life. More. More. Always more. Always wanting. Always lacking. Happiness isn’t in more. It’s in everything. You just have to have the time to find it - and time is the crux. You only live once; time is your most precious and finite commodity. Each day that passes is irrevo…
No prospect, no future.
You seem to be waiting for death.