Hello Everyone ![]()
Have you ever felt burnt out in your tasks/workplace?
Checkout this post-
What strategies resonate with you the most and how do you prioritize your well-being?
Hello Everyone ![]()
Have you ever felt burnt out in your tasks/workplace?
Checkout this post-
What strategies resonate with you the most and how do you prioritize your well-being?
I would step away from my desk, drink a good amount of water & go for a short run while listening to my Spotify. Every time it works, unless there is an urgent meeting scheduled for the next hour ![]()
I did last year, I caught my self daydreaming about vacation ![]()
Basically, I like to distance my self from my PC, rest my eyes, take a walk, workout and things like that. Or listen to music, ASMR, or some podcasts.
These points offer general remedies for everyday symptoms of some issues but to confront the root causes of such discontent and burnout, embracing more radical and assertive actions, such as making bold, life-changing decisions, might be the necessary path forward. Unfortunately, quite often most of us can’t afford such bold steps as quitting our jobs, confronting issues directly, seeking new opportunities, reinventing our careers, having a long break and traveling, etc but in most situations, this is what we really need, and what will help us ![]()
As a tester, I have had a few burnouts in the initial part of my career.
I blogged about it and lessons from my recovery here:
Is Software Testing a Stressful Job? Uncovering the Unknown Sides (testsigma.com)
Interesting article. I would have liked to know details about the burnouts and the specific things you’ve done to get out of them.
My burnouts seem to be related to other people (managers, leads with power) who exercise negative behaviors towards others & impose things that don’t make sense, destroying the processes, products, team, department, and company little by little.
I also easily collect the negativity of others around me. It seems that I’m easy to be around and others share their frustrations often. And when you have several others being oppressed in various ways…it takes a toll on my mental state.
I’ve been through this context twice in the past 8 years.
My only reasonable way to improve(but remain depressed) was to quit.
I was lucky that I could function long-term.
A few others also escaped with minor scars.
Others are more ignorant, and when I check back with them all they can say about the work is ‘same old s***’.
It’s sad when you visit a psychiatrist to talk about feelings and they say, oh I know about that company and management, several other employees already visited me.
I’ve had colleagues who were under psychiatric care for 1-2 years.
Others developed heart problems for almost 9 months, which several heart doctors couldn’t figure out. It got better several months after they left the company.
Some people take it differently than others. So share your problems with others, and try different ways to work them out. Then if that doesn’t give any positive outcome, it’s time to make the big changes - medical leave, change job, change environment/country, change relationships, …this can come with a longer-term depression and healing period.
Lately, I just live with it and don’t worry about it as much. Worrying can affect you a lot physiologically. Just getting into a mode where you are as busy as you can possibly ever be might feel like a poison to some, but to me I feel more useful and alive than I have ever felt. Sure, I make mistakes, but I do a lot more good now that I have ever did before. I call it low-level tiredness, but it means I am never bored, and boredom has been my depression driver.
I do reset on Saturdays and on Tuesdays, when I will often meet up with people who understand me and take my mind off the worries of the week. So no I’m not really handling it, but I have a break almost every week doing a hobby that I have come to love.
I am autistic, so burnout avoidance is a way of life for me. The threat of burnout is a daily constant.
I am also a “live to work” person.
Prioritising yourself is fundamental to a successful and positive work life. This can feel quite counter-intuitive. You do not have to tolerate toxic environments that demand more and more “productivity”. If you need to take a break, take a break. Paradoxically, the more you work, the less you produce. Use your free time. Don’t allow your brain to stay in work mode, when your body is not.
This can be taken too far, however. A work/life balance need not be 50/50. If you get a lot out of work, if it is fun and a source of enjoyment and an enriched life, you need not sacrifice that on the altar of burnout avoidance.