Looking for advice from anyone who has managed to navigate their way through burnout.
I’ve just resigned from a job I once loved. It was great – until it wasn’t. Bad management, inadequate training, general arseyness from colleagues dealing with the same stress. Structural changes led my workload to becoming heavier and heavier – and even though I was working from home I find myself unable to switch off at the end of the day. The ‘Sunday dreads’ are unbearable, and I can barely get anything done during the week without someone interrupting me to ask me to start something else.
I’m totally burnt out. Normally, between jobs I’d be excited about maybe planning some travel or looking for a new opportunity for more money. But the stress from the last year at this job – I feel totally overwhelmed and unable to make any decisions on what to do next. My health has really suffered from the stress, weight gain etc.
So now I’ve quit. I’m fortunate enough to have some savings, a supportive partner, and no kids. I can do just about anything I’d like, but commitment to a plan is overwhelming. I could take some time to travel, or a couple months to focus on exercise and rebuilding my health, or redecorate my house. So there are many productive things I can do, but I feel guilt at the prospect of just taking time off with nothing lined up. My lizard brain keeps telling me to apply for something new right away, but I feel this would be a mistake.
If you have been through burnout and come out the other side, how and when did you formulate your game plan to get through it? And what did you do?