Try this to avoid burnout: a resentment journal
After a longer-than-planned break of about 10 days from writing my emails, I’m rested and ready for action.
Hello!
After a longer-than-planned break of about 10 days from writing my emails, I’m rested and ready for action.
Several of you replied, concerned about me and offering some suggestions for how to recognize, anticipate, and stop burnout before it takes hold. Thank you, Anne Marie, Irene, and Leah!
Almost immediately after taking some time to myself, I could identify a few reasons for my recent case of burnout. I’m certain many of you will recognize these feelings.
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Forgetting to make sure I have (non-food) things I enjoy at hand, like new books from the library
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Lack of fun new experiences, compounded by feeling like fun will never exist again (due to Covid mundanity)
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Crappy winter weather
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Anxious waiting for the vaccine
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Willfully ignoring the times I designate for rest when I’m on a roll with work
Some of these factors I can take responsibility for, but others are just part of life. I can recognize that my burnout wasn’t caused by a character flaw so much as dumb Covid. So I’m not irreparably flawed! Yeah!
My favorite new solution I discovered is keeping a resentment journal. Brilliant! I immediately noticed that one of my standing weekly meetings brings up resentment and annoyance in me…I’m just not as into our shared topic as the other person is, but I hadn't wanted to quit and let her down.
Recognizing the resentment allowed me to quit the project without (as much) guilt. If you tend toward giving a lot of yourself to others, give it a try.
Hope you're staying low-stress and healthy! Talk to you soon.
P.S. I’m starting to work on an article that goes deeper into the topic of avoiding burnout before it happens. Recurring burnout among entrepreneurs is a big problem that doesn’t get enough attention because of our hustle culture. I look forward to sharing the solutions I discover!
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