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Done with Life

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The Lowdown:

Congratulations, you are probably not burned out!

Some might call this the "honeymoon phase", where everything is flowing and you feel like you're on a high.

Recommendations:

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

When you are feeling unstoppable, it's easy to work as if you actually are, but everyone is human.

Some warning signs that you are headed towards burnout:

You don't know how to turn off: while work might feel like play, it's also important to have hobbies outside of work.

You take on many projects at the same time: maybe you can handle this, no problem. But keep an eye on your workload and if you start feeling stressed, simplify your projects!

Your sense of identity and worth is tied to being busy/productive: If you were unable to create, would you still feel like a worthwhile human being? If not, why? If you can find value in yourself outside of your work, you'll continue to live a balanced and healthy life.

If you can find balance now, then you will be able to work healthily and create high-quality products for years to come!

Having an end-of-day shut off from work-mode routine might also be helpful. At the same time each day, signal to your mind that it's time to relax by performing the same tasks (I personally

brew a calming cup of tea

⁠

The Lowdown

You are experiencing the early phases of burnout.

Maybe you've taken on one too many projects at work or in your free time. Maybe you are realizing that you don't quite know how to relax. Or maybe you are starting to feel harshly about coworkers, or your own work.

Recommendations

Take a step back and think about your values.

Do you feel like a worthy person even when you're not creating?

Can you relax without feeling guilty?

Do you ignore your body's signs to rest? And further, can you even recognize the physical signs when your body needs rest?

Deeper, core beliefs might be causing your early burnout signs, and it's worth a look inward and questioning if you are valuing ideals that will make you a healthy, happy person for the long haul.

Other advice is to start really listening to your body. When you need to take a break, you may feel tired, have trouble formulating your thoughts, feel shaky, or be unable to concentrate. When this happens, note what caused it.

Everyone's body responds differently to stress, so take some time each day to check in with yourself and see how you feel.

Having an end-of-day shut off from work mode routine might also be helpful. At the same time each day, signal to your mind that it's time to relax by performing the same tasks (I personally

brew a calming cup of tea

⁠

The Lowdown

You are in the danger zone. You're showing many signs of severe burnout; perhaps you're tired all the time, or feel generally negative about work, or like you're never going to live up to your potential.

Things that should be enjoyable now just feel like chores/obligations. Slow down now, because if things get worse, recovery will take a ton of time and perhaps professional help.

Recommendations

Psychologists have suggested that immediate-effect remedies aren't very useful for persisting emotional issues. So take a deep breath, gather all your patience, look inward and ask yourself:

Do I value things that are hurting my mental health (ex: always being productive, leaving a legacy at any cost, a need to prove myself in some external way)

What habits do I need to change in the long-term in order to live a balanced life?

My top recommendation is to simplify your life as much as possible right now.

Make a list of everything that is stressing you out, prioritize the top thing that has the biggest impact on your life (that you have control over), and work on fixing it. Once you've removed that stressor from your life, move to the next biggest thing on the list. Keep going- this normally takes months, but it will have a major impact on your mental health for a long time.

Keep everything in your life as stable as possible (unless it's bringing you a lot of stress). Your living situation, your relationships, your physical location, keep it the same. Keep to as stable a daily routine as you can while you're burned out- this will relieve your brain of any additional stress, allowing you to recover faster.

Every day, take some time at the end of each day to note how you felt. Note what causes you to have good days, and do more of it. Using an daily app like

Workness

⁠

to track your work/life balance could be a good start.

The Lowdown

How do you even have the energy to take this quiz right now??

Everything, from doing the laundry to meeting a good friend for dinner could feel overwhelming at this point.

Stress is correlated to the six leading causes of death, and no matter how young you are, the effects of what you feel now will ripple throughout your life in later years. The good news: taking control of your burnout now could literally save your life.

Recommendations

Studies have shown that

depression and burnout

⁠

, while different things, often overlap. If you're experiencing symptoms of depression, consider seeking a therapist to work through this. A mistake that people with serious burnout often make is that they take it less seriously than something like depression, but in reality, if you are at this stage you probably need to work through it with a professional.

This is not something that a vacation will fix. You may have to face your deepest held values, and question them. Do you only feel worthy when you are producing things? This may be one belief you'll have to challenge.

A full recovery from burnout will involve you taking an inventory of your life and making some serious, long term changes. These changes will make you a healthier person for years to come.

My top recommendation (other than seeing a professional): simplify your life as much as possible right now.

Make a list of everything that is stressing you out, prioritize the top thing that has the biggest impact on your life (that you have control over), and work on fixing it. Once you've removed that stressor from your life, move to the next biggest thing on the list. Keep going- this normally takes a few months, but it will have a major impact on your mental health for a long time.

Every day, take some time at the end of each day to note how you felt. Note what causes you to have good days, and do more of it. Using a daily app like

Workness

⁠

to track your work/life balance could be a good start.

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