Burnout: Past and Prologue (in time for Easter & Passover) & Four Stages of Burnout: Shrink Rap Version

Intro written ten years ago:

Personally, the latest Shrink Rap ? is proving to be a fascinating experiment.?I'm using some of the basic ideas from my popular article on "Combat Strategies at the Burnout Battlefront" to weave a rap about "The Four Stages of Burnout."?And the beauty of writing these poetic lyrics, it:?a)?both compresses and intensifies the emotional expression of the content and b) and takes the ideas and images in some totally unexpected yet relevant and fresh directions.?I hope the reading experience is nearly as enjoyable as the writing.?Feel free to share.?To good adventures,

Mark

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Burnout:?Past and Prologue (in time for Easter and Passover)

Burnout itself is not a sign

Of failure day by day bye day…

No, alas, the only crime

We gave ourselves away!

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Unless, it’s the fiery kind

When lightning storms the conscious mind

And you’re too high to pray

Believing you have the DESIGN…

In truth, without reason or sans rhyme.

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Still, keep hope:?Dark night illumes “The Way.”

So, grieve, let go, untie the bind

For you are now on Phoenix Time:

Rise up and fly away!

? Mark Gorkin ?2023

Shrink Rap ? Productions

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The Four Stages of Burnout:?The Erosive Spiral – Shrink Rap ? Version

If no matter what you do or how hard you try

Or how often escapes a bone-weary sigh…

You still can’t say “No” or won’t ever let go

Because of time, money, and mostly ego.

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So, you carry around a two-ton albatross –

Not just a cross to bear; it’s a bear of a cross

Now, as they say, there’s a big price to pay:

The energy drain is the least of the pain.

Are you aware of the looming despair?

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No amount of sympathy to dispel the apathy.

When once you were shrewd, it’s now rude or crude

Or you dismiss any obstacle with a laugh all too cynical

Who did you outsmart for that burnt out Purple Heart?

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You may wonder how I know what I know:

“Have I been snooping outside your window?”

Alas, like you, a once non-stop hero

Flashdancing and grinding to that burnout tango.

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Before burnout recovery, better a self-inventory:

To prevent going viral, grasp the “Erosive Spiral.”

Let’s erase all doubt – “The Four Stages of Viral Burnout.”

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Four Stages for the Ages

First Stage

The first stage is a warning – yellow light caution:

Physical, Mental and Emotional Exhaustion

From nine to five you still are alive

But you’re not a dope; it’s been a tightrope.

You’ve made it home, like crossing a ridge

The very first thing – head for the fridge.

Get the Lite Beer or the Ben & Jerry’s

Forget the good cheer, just numb all those worries.

Put on the big screen, so you’re a slouch

It’s either “The Scream” or comatose on the couch.

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Second Sage

The second stage I call Doubt and Shame

Now you know you’re off of your game

The growing fear:?others realize the same.

When finally asked to take on a new project

You quickly wonder:?“Are my skills really suspect?”

And the latest rub: ?am I getting the snub?

Guess it’s time for the “Frequent Sighers Club.”

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Third Stage

At long last, you’ve had it with being uncertain

Build an iron curtain around all your hurtin

Forget about once being a charmer

Start strapping on third stage heavy armor –

You’re not full of malice…more one big hard Callous.

Though you can give a clinic on being a Cynic.

It’s time for a self-centered run:?“Just look out for #1.”

Or you’ve seen him on cable; now do your best Gable:

My apologies, ma’am; “Frankly, I don’t give a damn!”

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Don’t fall for the hype about that “strong silent type”:

A bottled-up shell is its own quiet hell.

And at times “strong silent” is subtly violent:

For me to be strong…you must be silent!

Fourth Stage

As you know well; burnout is one hell of a shell

With a push, that hard cover, at the fourth stage

May quickly fly off into impotent rage –

Failure and Helplessness now morph into Crisis:

Caught in a bind, losing one’s mind

Damned if I do, damned if I don’t

Should I keep trying; is it time to punt?

Damned if I stay, damned if I leave

Will the shame never end, can I get a reprieve?

If I could just go back to being a grouch

Now the next stop…the Stress Doc’s couch.?Ouch!

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While painfully scary, do not be so leery,

It’s a double-edged stage; let me tell you a story

Of a tough egg on the outside; inside hollow and mushy

Now known as Hump D, his path would prove bumpy.

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Covered up with bling, always doing his thing

Ever burning the candle, livin large on the wall

This big eggo just beggin for a great fall.

So don’t feel too sorry for Mr. Dumpty

He needed to hit bottom, right on his rumpsky!

(Of course, there’s folks who just put others first

Perhaps this burnout is truly the worst:

You never make waves, you so quietly pray

When, over time, you give yourself away!)

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Closing Moral

Breaking out of a burnout hell

May take cracking holes in that once rigid shell.

It’s why the fall from the wall

Provides hope after all… but

Most won’t reach out when there’s still doubt.

Famous last words from Rambos and Nerds

Also, from Rambettes and high flyin Birds:

“Who needs help off the shelf…I can do it myself!”

Alas, crisis crossroad, way past “more or less” –

Reach out and spill guts for real progress

Or hide out and play keep away

And stay way, way depressed!

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? Mark Gorkin 2013, 2023

Shrink Rap ? Productions

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Mark Gorkin, the Stress Doc ?, www.stressdoc.com, acclaimed Keynote and Kickoff Speaker, Webinar Presenter, Retreat Leader and Motivational Humorist, is the author of Practice Safe Stress and The Four Faces of Anger. A former Stress & Violence Prevention consultant for the US Postal Service, "The Doc" is a Team Building and Organizational Development Consultant as well as a Critical Incident/Grief Intervention Expert for Business Health Services, a National Wellness/EAP/OD Company. Mark leads highly interactive, innovative and inspiring programs for corporations and government agencies, including the US Military, on stress and brain resiliency/burnout prevention through humor, change and conflict management, generational communication, and 3 "R" -- Responsible, Resilient & Risk-Taking -- leadership-partnership team building.

Email [email protected] for his popular free newsletter & info on speaking programs and phone coaching sessions.