The Dangers of Burn Out

Right now, we are all under extreme stress. Not only do we have regular day-to-day stress, but we are living through a pandemic and have been for a year. Many people have lost work during this time and are dealing with the anxiety and stress that comes with that. Even those who still have work (and could be experiencing a lot of success) might also feel fatigued and anxious.

When we talk about “Burnout” we are talking about a lack of motivation, chronic stress, fatigue, and the feeling of dreading your job. Burnout can cause your production to decrease, your cynicism to increase, and bring on the inability to care about any of it. 

The dangers of burnout are greater than ever right now. Many are feeling pressure to work harder in fear of losing their jobs, sacrificing their boundaries and work/life balance in order to ensure they can pay their bills. But one thing we all need to remember: you can’t pour from an empty cup. We all deserve a moment to push the refresh button, especially right now we all need to make the time to do so.

As you try to figure out what you need to recover from burnout remember that it’s not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. We have listed several things below that we believe could help if you find yourself feeling stressed, exhausted, or unmotivated. Try some of them, or all of them - either way, make the time to take care of yourself.  

Acknowledge 

Being honest with ourselves can be difficult. Many times, we want to ignore the real issues because we are afraid that once we openly acknowledge something we won’t be able to close that box again. But in order for you to get passed feelings of hopelessness and exhaustion you have to locate the source of these emotions. Identify the problem so that you can figure out how to tackle it. 

Acknowledgement is an important step in recovering from burnout. Being self-aware and identifying the issues in your life is the only way to truly move forward and find long-term solutions. 

Focus on what you can change

Once you’ve acknowledged the problem, or if you already know what the source of your stress is, you can decide how to approach it. Maybe it’s something you can fix yourself with a conversation or the decision to leave an unhealthy situation. If that’s the case, make a game plan and put it into action. Just taking small steps towards improvement can sometimes take a huge weight off our shoulders.

Or maybe what we have identified as our source of stress isn’t easily changed, maybe this isn’t something you can walk away from. When this is the case, you have to take a new approach to your daily life: create more boundaries, practice self-care, or take some time off. 

Take some time  

You can’t run away from your problems, but you can take a break from them. Right now, many of us feel as if we are living to work - experiencing the same day over and over again. This loop is dangerous for someone feeling the effects of burnout. There is no break from the cycle, no light at the end of the tunnel, or at least that’s how it feels. By taking some time off and stepping away from your stressors, you are breaking that daily loop. It helps bring us greater perspective when we give ourselves some time away.

Maybe by taking a step back you see a solution that you didn’t before. Or you realize your attitude toward something, or someone, is hindering you and resolving that could fix a lot.

Self-care

Most of us can’t live on a permanent vacation, believe me I wish we could, but eventually we all have to return to the real world. Hopefully if you were able to take some time off you are returning refreshed and re-energized! Or maybe you couldn’t get the time off, or even if you did, you are still worried about falling back into the same routine. That’s when self-care comes in. 

There are so many ways to approach this concept: keeping a journal, meditating, decreasing caffeine and alcohol intake, exercising. Really the most important part is making time in your everyday life to take care of yourself. To make yourself pause, reflect on your feelings, and give yourself the space to feel them. 

Know your limits

A big part of caring for yourself and ensuring you don’t feel the effects of burnout again is knowing your limits. This circles back to what we said in the ‘Acknowledge’ section earlier. In order to know our limits and set boundaries we have to be honest with ourselves. We all like to believe we can do anything if we hustle enough, work through our lunch enough, educate ourselves enough. This isn’t true, the truth is we can’t do it all. 

Know your limitations and create boundaries. Stop comparing yourself to others and how much they seem to accomplish. If you stop and really think about it doesn’t it make sense to do less but do it successfully than to take on too much and fail? Listen to yourself, you know what you need.

At Engage we know our members work hard; we see it every day. That’s why we try to offer amenities to make the smaller tasks easier, we have flexible agreements to help you not feel so trapped, and offer flat rates so you don’t have a panic attack at the sight of your invoice. 

Engage Workspace for Lawyers is an office space for lawyers built by lawyers. Unlike other coworking spaces, Engage charges a flat monthly rate for access to a full suite of resources and limits membership to a community of lawyers. If you are looking for law office space where you can focus on your practice and be surrounded by great colleagues, please contact us or book a tour.

© Elysium Consulting LLC dba Engage Workspace for Lawyers.  2018-2023.  Represented by intellectual property law firm, Klemchuk PLLC.