Feeling Burnout? Let’s Fix it!
If you ever feel burnout, it is okay to have that. You are not alone. Let’s find out how burnout looks like and how to prevent that.
I started my tech career in 2019. And that time, I was still a college student majoring in math who was so enthusiastic about taking 25 credits in three months (or quarter-based). Additionally, I still worked part-time (20 hours a week).
I realized that I lost my productivity during the weekdays. However, I didn’t want to be seen as a weak woman. I was willing to come to work at 7 AM to get the jobs done before attending the 8 AM class. I spent most of my time at the college and even got a hard time sleeping regularly due to my workload.
After getting my degree, I got a chance to apply for jobs outside college. I applied to so many companies, and at the same time, I also got 50+ rejections. I was so frustrated, and I blamed myself because of this situation.
Learning from that failure, I pushed myself too hard without thinking to take care of my health. I joined every single organization and interned with multiple companies to get more experience and improve my skills. I was so energetic that I thought I could finish everything until I ended up having a burnout feeling and depression. The signs included:
- Easily have a mood swing issue
Mood swings issue became my daily problem, and I wasn’t able to find the solution.
- Lack of motivation
There was no more motivation. I felt everything that I did was never perfect, even though I spent overtime work on that.
- Poor sleep cycle
I slept every 2 AM, and my focus was to finish everything before the deadline. My body told me it was time to sleep, but I insisted on staying in front of my PC.
Then, few weeks after feeling burnout, I started to reflect on what I should have done:
- Create the planner
I always think about how important it is to create a planner for ourselves. We live full of expectations and priorities, and we can’t expect to fulfill all those things in one day. Try to categorize the priorities into three: low, medium, and high priorities. Make a checklist and deadline for each focus.
- Reduce the distractions
The tasks won’t be done on time if we have distractions, such as phone, laptop, or other unnecessary tasks. I think reducing distractions help me to stay focus on finishing the projects or works. So, I don’t easily feel burnout. Also, applying the Podomoro technique (25 minutes work and 5 minutes take a break) would work.
- Practice a good sleep habit
Before having a burnout, I slept for only 3 hours a day. After realizing it, I tried to fix my sleep habit to 6 hours in the first week then 8 hours in the following week.
- Do exercise
Exercise can boost our mood and physical health. The American guidelines suggest getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week.
- Eat healthy diets
Eating more vegetables and fruits can improve the mood. Also, we should eat carbohydrates in moderate amounts. Then, we need to try to reduce saturated fat and drink plenty of water.
- Get your me-time
We should try to spend our weekend to have our me-time. Me-time can include writing articles, watching movies, walking around the neighborhood, etc.
- Be brave to say no
Sometimes we have so much to tackle, and we never place the boundaries. It’s time to say no if you can’t do it or those things are not worth your energy.
- Not blame yourself
Burnout is so common. Everyone experiences it though the coping mechanism isn’t the same. Blaming is not a way out. Instead, we should have the courage to fight burnout.
- Know your priority
I used to prioritize others than myself, which sometimes makes me feel burnout. It’s time to look at yourself and understand what you need first before helping others.
After applying all those things above, I feel more productive and happier. Burnout can be solved if you know what you expect and have the willingness to reflect on yourself, then change.
