How to cure burnout

Hello, and welcome to the?Kindred Letters -?my newsletter for kindred spirits who prefer quiet to loud, depth to superficiality, sensitivity to cool.?

Today, I'm going to share 5 tips for curing burnout.

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I took last summer off. "All I did" for two months was hang out with my family, play tennis, and cook -- and it was delightful. I didn't do this out of some kind of strategic health and wellness plan, because usually I love my work and it's one of my *sources* of health and wellness. I did it because I was burned out.

Burnout has many causes, but we tend to focus on work-LOAD, when really we should be thinking about work-ALIGNMENT. Which is to say - I'd spent years happily working gazillions of hours researching and writing my latest book,?BITTERSWEET. And doing this produced not the slightest flicker of burnout - because this is what I love to do.

But then, the book came out, and it was time to promote it. By a conservative estimate, I did at least 135 interviews (yes you read that right). Public-facing stuff is something I’ve learned to do, and even enjoy. And it paid off – the book was a #1 New York Times bestseller and Oprah Book Club pick!

But being “on” always takes a lot out of me, and eventually I hit a wall. I found myself depleted of will, desire, and spark. So I cancelled 90% of my interviews, and took a profound break.?

I was so lucky that I was in a position to do this. Because it worked. I wasn't sure what it would be like to come back, but now I've started working on projects I love (including this newsletter, and an online community I'm planning for all of you) -- and feeling as much creative juice as ever.?

Many of you have written to say that you’re experiencing burnout, too, and asked for advice on how to handle it.

So, here are five ideas for curing burnout - whether or not you can take time off right now:

1. As per the above, now is a good time to consider not only how many hours you work but also whether your job is right for you.?This is not only about the work itself. You should assess whether the culture at your organization feels simpatico, and whether your daily tasks suit your temperament. If you’re an introvert, do you have enough quiet time? If you’re an extrovert, do you get plenty of high-stimulation people-time? These things matter. A lot.
2. Let your supervisor know how you’re feeling.?The only other time I’ve experienced burnout was back when I was a corporate lawyer. I’d been working 24-7 for months on end, when suddenly I hit a wall. I didn’t care what the consequences were – I just knew I couldn’t keep working like that. So I talked to my supervising attorneys. And they heard me. The next day, a client came to us with a big new project that would have required more round-the-clock work from me. The firm turned the project down. And I got some rest.
3. Get enough sleep.?I mean, you should do this all the time. But especially now.
4. Get enough exercise.?– especially, the endorphin-releasing kind where your face turns hot and red.
5. Get enough wonder.?When you’re in burnout mode, you’re very unlikely to notice the miraculous in the everyday. But it’s all around you. Listen to music, read a poem, take a walk in the trees.

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See you next week!

my warmest,

Susan

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