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Burnout


A few weeks ago, I was feeling very apathetic about everything.  I reached a point where I started to not really care about anything, and actually spent one weekend in bed for the sheer reason I was just tired and didn’t feel like thinking or dealing with anyone.  A friend pointed out my behavior, and it got me curious about why a person would become apathetic and lethargic. 

In my usual fashion I didn’t feel like thinking and reached out to Google to give me some quick insight.  I was fully expecting depression about something to be the reason, but many of the articles were about burnout.  And, the more I thought about it, the more I agree, that yes, I am experiencing some burnout.  Between stress at work, running errands prepping for the holidays, lack of time spent with friends, and trying to constantly be my most perfect self… I’m exhausted.  I can’t even imagine throwing a spouse or kids into the mix.

According to Forbes, some common symptoms include:
·         Exhaustion
·         Lack of Motivation
·         Frustration, Cynicism and other Negative Emotions
·         Cognitive Problems
·         Slipping Job Performance
·         Interpersonal Problems at Home/Work
·         Not Taking Care of Yourself
·         Being Preoccupied With Work, When You’re Not at Work
·         Generally Decreased Satisfaction
·         Health Problems

So, what am I going to do about it?  For starters, I forced myself to take some vacation time from work since I won’t get any around Christmas, even though it stressed me out to take time off.  Quite honestly, it’s taken me a good 3 days to be able to relax and unplug, but on a positive note, I still have 3 more days until Monday.  :)

I recognize that I need balance in my life.  And, while I’m not exactly sure yet what that will entail as far as a daily/weekly routine, I do plan to take more vacation time in 2016, spend some time exploring some personal interests, and figuring out what I want out of life as opposed to doing what I should do or what’s expected of me. 

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