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> If you think you are on the cusp of burnout, you are already IN the burnout. I don't think so. Many people who reflect on themselves actively but have no exp

> If you think you are on the cusp of burnout, you are already IN the burnout. I don't think so. Many people who reflect on themselves actively but have no experience with irreversible burnout think or say that they're burning out, but they just have good self-awareness. Also -- based on my limited experience and some 'formal' education in burnout management, etc. -- I think that burnout can't be fixed with exercise, more free time, vacations, etc. These can help preventing burnout in your next role, but they generally won't fix your life in your current environment. For people who are actually burned out the recommendation is generally that 1) first stop the thing that burns you out 2) then start doing things that seem to heal you 3) then make a plan for what you'd like to do next (e.g. in work) and how you plan to keep your balance 4) start doing the next thing I.e. you can't make good plans and rebalance while you're in the middle of the thing that is burning you out. I understand that this advice requires a lot of privilege (e.g. that you can drop work for a few months for example), but there are hacks that help even if you're less privileged.

lowercased 4y ago
> I think that burnout can't be fixed with exercise, more free time, vacations, etc... > 2) then start doing things that seem to heal you what if more free time, vacations, etc, seem to heal me? I think I get your general gist, but this seemed a bit contradictory.
- klik99 4y ago
  In my case, exercise seems to be the thing for getting over burnout and free time/vacations don't really help. Curious what helps for others
  - lowercased 4y ago
    Exercise doesn't seem to help me much, as... I'm already doing regular daily exercise and still am in 'burnout' mode. Stepping away from everything for, say, a few weeks might help. However, there's little chance of taking 'extended' time away from any projects and coming back to those projects. They'll move to someone else.
  - ac2022 4y ago
    For me it was lack of control that was causing burn out. Exercise definitely improved my mood but it was only for couple of hours. Once I decided that I will switch job, I was 1000x better although I was working longer and harder.
- muzani 4y ago
  I think someone else mentioned that lack of progress/control is what causes burnout. Generally, vacations make you lose control. Depersonalization and cynicism are symptoms of burnout. But I think vacations solve burnout the same way that tissues solve colds. It's something you reach for instinctively.
  - lowercased 4y ago
    > cynicism are symptoms of burnout I've possibly been mildly 'burned out' since the late 80s. And... back in my day, all the smokers and ne'er-do-wells in high school were the 'burn outs'.
klik99 4y ago
Keyword here is "think" - if you KNOW you are on the cusp of burnout we can assume you're self-reflective enough to notice it for what it is. Self-reflection is a skill that most early 20s people haven't fully developed yet. If you think you're on the cusp of burnout, then chances are you're in it.

lowercased 4y ago

> I think that burnout can't be fixed with exercise, more free time, vacations, etc... > 2) then start doing things that seem to heal you what if more free time, vacations, etc, seem to heal me? I think I get your general gist, but this seemed a bit contradictory.

klik99 4y ago
In my case, exercise seems to be the thing for getting over burnout and free time/vacations don't really help. Curious what helps for others
- lowercased 4y ago
  Exercise doesn't seem to help me much, as... I'm already doing regular daily exercise and still am in 'burnout' mode. Stepping away from everything for, say, a few weeks might help. However, there's little chance of taking 'extended' time away from any projects and coming back to those projects. They'll move to someone else.
- ac2022 4y ago
  For me it was lack of control that was causing burn out. Exercise definitely improved my mood but it was only for couple of hours. Once I decided that I will switch job, I was 1000x better although I was working longer and harder.
muzani 4y ago
I think someone else mentioned that lack of progress/control is what causes burnout. Generally, vacations make you lose control. Depersonalization and cynicism are symptoms of burnout. But I think vacations solve burnout the same way that tissues solve colds. It's something you reach for instinctively.
- lowercased 4y ago
  > cynicism are symptoms of burnout I've possibly been mildly 'burned out' since the late 80s. And... back in my day, all the smokers and ne'er-do-wells in high school were the 'burn outs'.

klik99 4y ago

Keyword here is "think" - if you KNOW you are on the cusp of burnout we can assume you're self-reflective enough to notice it for what it is. Self-reflection is a skill that most early 20s people haven't fully developed yet. If you think you're on the cusp of burnout, then chances are you're in it.