4 ms·

I was burnt out once. It got bad, I got depressed, for lack of better way to putting it, i felt "disconnected" from myself. My relationship was suffering, and

by swalsh 12y ago

I was burnt out once. It got bad, I got depressed, for lack of better way to putting it, i felt "disconnected" from myself. My relationship was suffering, and nothing made it better. It only got worse. I'd get in this loop, where i'd work long hours. Get nothing done, so work longer hours. It kept repeating, getting worse and worse. I tried taking a vacation, that did little to help. What worked for me was changing jobs. Still, I didn't get better immediately, it took me a good year or so to feel "productive" again. It was one of the worst periods of time in my life, and i'd recommend you get out as fast as possible.

shdon 12y ago
This, exactly. I'd like to add one thing though: do not force yourself trying to get back to "normal". I made that mistake, going back to work before I had properly recovered, and it actually resulted in prolonging my burnout and depression, possibly by years!
derekp7 12y ago
I was in a similar situation -- for me, I didn't feel like my contributions were welcomed, felt like there was too much of a load of work to do, but it also felt like useless work. Then the company downsized, and I was laid off for 4 months in the summer. During the recession, and only got a hand full of interviews during that time (I think 3 in-person, and 2 phone interviews). But that 4 months off made me a new person, so when I did get back to work (new job, with a strong need for my skill set) I felt (and performed) like I was 20 years younger. So, "yes" to the job change, and a big "yes" to a real vacation (not just a week, but sometimes you need a month or more off). The best is if you can have some savings, and find a job that has a start date pushed out a bit (of course this is a bit risky depending on the job market and your ability to easily land a job).

4 ms·

I was burnt out once. It got bad, I got depressed, for lack of better way to putting it, i felt "disconnected" from myself. My relationship was suffering, and

by swalsh 12y ago

shdon 12y ago
This, exactly. I'd like to add one thing though: do not force yourself trying to get back to "normal". I made that mistake, going back to work before I had properly recovered, and it actually resulted in prolonging my burnout and depression, possibly by years!
derekp7 12y ago
I was in a similar situation -- for me, I didn't feel like my contributions were welcomed, felt like there was too much of a load of work to do, but it also felt like useless work. Then the company downsized, and I was laid off for 4 months in the summer. During the recession, and only got a hand full of interviews during that time (I think 3 in-person, and 2 phone interviews). But that 4 months off made me a new person, so when I did get back to work (new job, with a strong need for my skill set) I felt (and performed) like I was 20 years younger. So, "yes" to the job change, and a big "yes" to a real vacation (not just a week, but sometimes you need a month or more off). The best is if you can have some savings, and find a job that has a start date pushed out a bit (of course this is a bit risky depending on the job market and your ability to easily land a job).