Sunday, November 18, 2007

Burnt. Out.

It's that time of year again. I'm feeling burned out about my job.

What do you do when you feel burned out?

10 comments:

Joey Berzowska said...

I start making big huge mistakes, like showing up a day late for a really important speaking engagement (which I thought was today but it turns out in fact that I stood up about 500 people yesterday). I also get weird skin rashes and general itchiness. I am so totally burned out right now!!!

Katherine said...

walk my dogs.

read some excellent sci-fi.

sleep.

play solitaire for hours on end.

read the style section of the newspaper.

hang out at the local borders.

go to the museum or the botanical gardens (I live in the DC metro region).

kati b said...

Make a giant hand-drawn calendar from a big sheet of paper and start marking off in big red x's the days until my next break.

I'm feeling singed by school at the moment and working hard reminding myself that I can choose to think of peace and calm as the baseline, and continue to realign to that. Sometimes, I realign so often, or forget to come back to that state for so long that I begin to think of stress and anxiety is the normal state of my body, mind and environment. Not so.

Anonymous said...

Your post could be mine sometimes Jo.Sometimes I need to have a complete meltdown and start from emotional scratch....fresh and in perspective once again..but its not something You can really induce.If an emotional rebirth is not on the horizon I find one tiny part of my job I still enjoy...sillier the better...and focus on doing that well as if it were my real job, during this narrow focus time I pretnd I lean on my dear co-workers and we play a game called "Fantasy ER" In which we construct out ideal environment.I have to have rewards, small and large, in the near and distant future to keep my head up. try doing something totally out of your comfort zone.I hiked with 30 strangers this weekend. As hokey as it sounds..do something totally unselfish NOT work related. Knowing you made someones day/life better because you wanted to but werent on the timeclock warms me. I feel like an emotional husk after working and think if one more person whines and needs one more damn thing I will scream..but somehow it is different if it is anonymous and out of desire not obligation.
I hope you feel better soon.Yvonne

shrimplate said...

When I'm approaching the total berzerkazoid zone, I take a little time to read "head nurse" and then I feel all relaxed and mo' better.

It beats climbing up clock towers and pumping thirty-odd-six shells into school buses.

Lioness said...

Usually, books are my sanctuary of choice but when I'm truly burnt out I don't even feel like reading.

I then shut down my blog and watch series, preferably light, fluffy ones (How I Met Your Mother)or action-y ones (Jericho, The Unit) for hours.

Anonymous said...

When a friend of mine is having a bad day, she will pull into a drive-thru food place, buy a drink, and then pay for the car behind her in line.
I find playing with my dogs does a lot to relieve stress and make me laugh - but then I have three clown dogs. It's hard to be stressed when they're playing "herd-ball" in the back yard.

woolywoman said...

pet the dog, re-read the contract to remind me what a nice job I have, re-read my little happiness file of thank you cards from patients, nice annual reviews and the like, knit with cashmere. Also, try and get some natural light on my skin every day, to keep the happy hormones cooking.

gilda said...

i'm really burnt out too. but i make sure to give myself some "me" time each week, do my nails, get a facial, get a massage, watch something funny, do anything feel-good!

GingerJar said...

Read a really stupid love novel. Play with the puppies. Watch Grey's Anatomy. Watch "House" (isn't it amazing how many different diseases they can come up with for one person on one show...so totally out of reality!). Find something really funny to laugh at. Cook. Cook. Cook. Go shopping...even if I don't buy a thing...People watching is so fun...(see previous entry..."find something really funny to laugh at"). Go to bed and sleep for 12 hours straight.......