How do you deal with burn out?

[davids355]

You know the saying “distance makes the heart grow fonder”? I’d say apply the same principal to your business; do something completely different like @NirvanaWolf suggested- pick up a hobby, some physical activity maybe that has nothing to do with technology or work.

When I’ve done that personally I find that a) after the break I come back to work pumped up and ready to go and b) often the things I learn in my hobby somehow translate into business growth even though they have absolutely no obvious correlation with each other.

 

[Amaz0n]

physical labor? cute. now try 20 years of constant stress and constant high expectations from your peers by working behind the screen and solving complex tasks. and failing. and repeating. and failing. and repeating.

He has like 10 people working for him, but yeah, I get it, you think your job is more important than producing food while I know already it's not. Also, since exact 20 years I work - for myself - as digital marketer, tell me about stress, lol.

Just go to a female "therapist" to cry to her about your hard life or change to a job which suits you more, ie. washing the dishes while your partner (he/him) brings in the money.

 

[davids355]

physical labor? cute. now try 20 years of constant stress and constant high expectations from your peers by working behind the screen and solving complex tasks. and failing. and repeating. and failing. and repeating.

I think there are just the same stresses from a physical job as there are a mental one. As well as similar highs.

I’ve worked as a labourer for several years and often I had more energy coming home from a shift then, than I do finishing a shift running my IT business. Mental work can be very draining for sure.

 

[lucky.sparks]

He has like 10 people working for him, but yeah, I get it, you think your job is more important than producing food while I know already it's not. Also, since exact 20 years I work - for myself - as digital marketer, tell me about stress, lol.

Just go to a female "therapist" to cry to her about your hard life or change to a job which suits you more, ie. washing the dishes while your partner (he/him) brings in the money.

Did someone said something about importance? You have no idea about mental issues and how they work and by the aggression you now spit out I can tell - you are lowkey suffering from one for sure.

 

[Amaz0n]

Did someone said something about importance? You have no idea about mental issues and how they work and by the aggression you now spit out I can tell - you are lowkey suffering from one for sure.

Ok, buddy, are the "mental issues" in the room with you right now?

Jokes aside, yeah I suffer from the pain of understanding the meaningless of our lives and I drink hard alcohol daily (2-3 glasses, not binge drinking) and have sex with 18 yo prostitutes from 3rd/4th world countries to ease the pain, like all normal men.

 

[lucky.sparks]

You know the saying “distance makes the heart grow fonder”? I’d say apply the same principal to your business; do something completely different like @NirvanaWolf suggested- pick up a hobby, some physical activity maybe that has nothing to do with technology or work.

When I’ve done that personally I find that a) after the break I come back to work pumped up and ready to go and b) often the things I learn in my hobby somehow translate into business growth even though they have absolutely no obvious correlation with each other.

The problem with real burnout is that it's incredibly hard to pick that hobby or out-of-work activity because you are under constant stress that you are underdelivering, and failing and people have expectations of you. You start to question your intelligence, and your abilities and instead of taking time off, you focus even more on work by stopping doing anything else. Because you need to hit those targets, you need to earn that money/status/position/whatever it is. Then it becomes a loop where then you start to fail even more because of overload and not having ability to clearly think and the stress and burnout increase. it can happen within blue/white collar works of course, there simply is statistics that mental work is more draining in this matter.

I never could break the loop myself, it broke me, so now I take any signs of burnout in my friends or family incredibly serious and I try to help them learn what will happen. Bad thing is - no one ever listens. Same as I didn't when I had a friend who said that I'm on a dangerous path.

 

[noellarkin]

Jokes aside, yeah I suffer from the pain of understanding the meaningless of our lives and I drink hard alcohol (2-3 glasses, not binge drinking) and have sex with 18 yo prostitutes from 3rd/4th world countries to ease the pain, like all normal men.

This may work for you, but I fail to see how this would be at all useful for OP, unless you're saying that the only sane response to someone suffering burnout is "stop being a pussy, get wasted and go fuck some bitches".

 

[lucky.sparks]

go fuck some bitches

Technically it could be taken as a hobby and a thing to do out of work, right?

 

[iFreelancer]

It is easy to say, but it's a lot more difficult if you're handling multiple businesses or services. But try to get 8 hours of sleep, which I think is necessary for the human body considering all the changes that happen in the real world. We don't give enough time for the body to rest. Also, consider doing at least 30 minutes of workouts every morning (anything you prefer); it will definitely help you if you make it a routine.

 

[noellarkin]

The problem with real burnout is that it's incredibly hard to pick that hobby or out-of-work activity because you are under constant stress that you are underdelivering, and failing and people have expectations of you. You start to question your intelligence, and your abilities and instead of taking time off, you focus even more on work by stopping doing anything else. Because you need to hit those targets, you need to earn that money/status/position/whatever it is. Then it becomes a loop where then you start to fail even more because of overload and not having ability to clearly think and the stress and burnout increase. it can happen within blue/white collar works of course, there simply is statistics that mental work is more draining in this matter.

Yep, it's very similar to an emotionally abusive relationship. The worst part of burnout is how it erodes self-esteem and belief in your abilities. That whole loop of "maybe I'm not as good as I think I am - - I must work harder" is the beginning of the end. These days I immediately reframe it with "no, I'm exactly as good as I think I am, I'm just spreading my attention too thin, attention matters just as much as skill - - I must work smarter" so I don't go down that path.

Technically it could be taken as a hobby and a thing to do out of work, right?

Its just joie de vivre

 

[Amaz0n]

This may work for you, but I fail to see how this would be at all useful for OP, unless you're saying that the only sane response to someone suffering burnout is "stop being a pussy, get wasted and go fuck some bitches".

That's exactly how I see it, not thanks for putting it in a childish vulgar version, though. Also, I am trying to replace the prostitutes with going to the Church 3 times per week and finding God.

How are you going to treat the fact that we are all living a meaningless life? It's untreatable. It doesn't matter for you if you are remembered or not, it does not matter a single bit what you are doing in the time you are alive. It's a fact of life.

Some won't accept it and call it "burn out" and try to get a "treatment" for it by doing something else than alcohol/prostitutes but this solution has worked all the previous thousands of years and changing that seems counterproductive as seen in statistics that show that more people than ever suffer, starting from young ages.

 

[lucky.sparks]

Yep, it's very similar to an emotionally abusive relationship. The worst part of burnout is how it erodes self-esteem and belief in your abilities. That whole loop of "maybe I'm not as good as I think I am - - I must work harder" is the beginning of the end. These days I immediately reframe it with "no, I'm exactly as good as I think I am, I'm just spreading my attention too thin, attention matters just as much as skill - - I must work smarter" so I don't go down that path.

Very true. I try to do something similar.

And say to myself things like,

- "It's ok that there wasn't enough visible progress today, I did X and Y instead and it was good for me and everyone, tomorrow will be a good day again and I will make progress."
- "Today I will go out and this isn't a work day for me, there are no expectations of work being done. And it's fine."
- "I did fail this project but I did learn a lot from it and I can use knowledge gained in future to build something successful."

 

[lucky.sparks]

we are all living a meaningless life?

It's about the journey, not the destination, once you grasp this concept, life doesn't seem so meaningless anymore.

 

[noellarkin]

How are you going to treat the fact that we are all living a meaningless life

Of course we're all living a meaningless life, and I'm an atheist so I don't have anything to look forward to either. Meaning isn't something you "find" or something that's "given to you". It's something you create, it's actionable gamification.
Life is inherently meaningless, but you can gamify it and create meaning, while it lasts.
Running a business is a way to create meaning by setting up arbitrary reward structures.
Developing social relationships creates meaning.
I suppose being an alcoholic punter is a great way to gamify life as well, just not aligned with the kind of goals that OP has.

 

[Amaz0n]

It's about the journey, not the destination, once you grasp this concept, life doesn't seem so meaningless anymore.

Ah yeah? If you suffer from solipsism or have a mental handicap to understand your impact on the world on Earth and beyond and in time, then this might be true. And if it's the journey why are you (or the thread starter, or whoever) suffering from "mental illness".

 

[Amaz0n]

Of course we're all living a meaningless life, and I'm an atheist so I don't have anything to look forward to either. Meaning isn't something you "find" or something that's "given to you". It's something you create, it's actionable gamification.
Life is inherently meaningless, but you can gamify it and create meaning, while it lasts.
Running a business is a way to create meaning by setting up arbitrary reward structures.
Developing social relationships creates meaning.
I suppose being an alcoholic punter is a great way to gamify life as well, just not aligned with the kind of goals that OP has.

Nothing of it is creating a meaning, it's all just a distraction from reality.

 

[lucky.sparks]

Ah yeah? If you suffer from solipsism or have a mental handicap to understand your impact on the world on Earth and beyond and in time, then this might be true. And if it's the journey why are you (or the thread starter, or whoever) suffering from "mental illness".

Experiences are different, they can be good and bad but its still part of the journey. It's interesting that you put mental illness in quotes but write God without them.

 

[noellarkin]

Nothing of it is creating a meaning, it's all just a distraction from reality.

You don't get prizes for "recognizing reality for what it is" - - we'll all end up dead, regardless. So why not distract yourself with a roleplay where you pretend that some things matter?

 

[Amaz0n]

Experiences are different, they can be good and bad but its still part of the journey. It's interesting that you put mental illness in quotes but write God without them.

You don't get prizes for "recognizing reality for what it is" - - we'll all end up dead, regardless. So why not distract yourself with a roleplay where you pretend that some things matter?

"mental illnesses" are either an excuse for not accepting the reality of our meaningless lives or not being smart enough to understand the reality. As an atheist, I think God could be the ultimate distraction because it's gives an uber meaning to your life, not just a distraction made by yourself to feel better. Also, looking at the size of the universe, it's impossible to outright deny the possibility of a creator. Anyway, I am just here to troll and this getting totally serious now

 

[lucky.sparks]

I am just here to troll and this getting totally serious now

Mental illness (or weakness as you call it) shouldn't be funny or a thing to joke about, the OP reached out to the community for help and you find that a good thing to troll about, it's something any therapist would raise his(you do not like female professionals?) eyebrows. So many threads where to troll but you chose this one. hmmm

This is going off topic too much I guess.

To put more value for the OP, I would suggest the following things:
- do your blood work check, see if you are not in red in anything already
- take some supplements, depending where you are, you might be in vit D deficiency, same as with zinc, fishoil, magnesium - they all help with mental improvements and resetting the drive again.

While you are still trying new ideas and brainstorming, it's not that bad at all. Things will go for worse when brain fog comes in.