The Core Files: Losing Our Way, Energy Levels & the Snowstorm Syndrome

Work isn't just work for many of us. It is not merely a way to pay our bills and support our families. It is an important source of so many things that contribute to our overall well-being — elements such as purpose, connection and self-image to name a few. Yet, so many of our work life experiences inevitably fail to support these things. For many of us, this involves facing situations that slowly drain us for months or possibly years at a time. In some cases, we no longer wish to engage with the roles in which we have invested a significant amount of time, training, emotion and energy.

We are done. We have had enough. The thought of re-engaging, looks like an endless walk through a cold, silent tundra.

The only solution is to somehow turn away (even if it is only through "quiet quitting"). I now refer to this state as the "Snowstorm Syndrome". It occurs when the challenges of our work lives, cloud the reasons why we are there to begin with. Somewhere, the core of why we are doing what we do may still be alive and viable — yet it is obstructed by the flurry of negativity that we have encountered. These experiences are cumulative. At some point the visibility is so dismally low, that we are forced to halt progress.

We feel disconnected and somewhat betrayed.

We can certainly levy a portion of the blame on elements such as workload, managers and organizational support. However, at some point we also have to develop our own lens with which to protect ourselves. Hopefully, this occurs long before we want to cut the cord.

Ultimately, we are the watchdog of our own work lives. Yet this requires that we have the capacity to recognize, predict and hopefully act — before we are approaching this state.

Try the following:

• Reflect strategically. Think of moments in your work life that you felt energized & productive. Were your tasks vastly different? Was the supporting environment different? Has the role changed? Have you?
• Consider checks & balances. If the guts of your work life are not as they should be, are there other energizers present that make up the balance? Could there be?
• Decide if the situation can be saved. Moving on before your career "life force" is drained, is tantamount. Be open & honest with yourself. Can your current path be salvaged? If not, try to flesh out a plan.
• Explore a shift. If you are feeling lost, do one thing each day to find your way to a new path. Have one conversation. Explore one new role. Explore a one new setting or possible pivot.
• Above all, separate what you love — from your experiences. We can sour on our entire journey, if we do not focus on the positive reasons why we began that journey. Keep reminding yourself of the elements that may still help you find your way through.

Marla Gottschalk, Ph.D. is an I/O Psychology Practitioner who explores core stability and the dynamic nature of work life. A charter member of the LinkedIn Top Voice Program, she speaks to teams & organizations on how to build stronger foundations through the practice of core stability. Her thoughts on work life have also appeared at the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, BBC Work Life, Quartz and The Huffington Post.