Do you want to know a secret about burnout? Here it is… almost everyone keeps burnout a secret from everyone else.
I’ve attended many graduation ceremonies in my time, my own and those of loved ones. I’ve also had various mentors over the years. While they weren’t all great, they all taught me something valuable. And I’ve also had the opportunity to read many, many books & blogs about career-planning.
Here’s the secret… Not a single one of those sources has ever told me that burnout is a thing, and that I might one day face it. Not a single one of my mentors gave any hint that they were dealing with or had ever dealt with burnout – not a single one of them said a word about it. There was never a hint that decades in a given career could lead to anything other than stability, satisfaction, and challenging work.
It’s astonishing! When you think of how many people you might know who just go through the motions, it’s really quite remarkable that there’s an almost coordinated collusion by those-who-have-gone-before to never tell those-who-are-coming along that they won’t always be happy, engaged, or fulfilled by their chosen career.
Quick! Do you love your job?
Whether the answer is yes or no, you should save money now in case you get burned out at work at some point during your working life. In my humble opinion, people don’t talk about the possibility of burnout when planning their careers. If you’re lucky, you start out eager and happy and engaged. And if you’re very, very, very lucky, you’ll continue to be enthusiastically engaged with your career for a long as you have it.
Not all of us are so fortunate. There are people who simply get burned out and simply. Can’t. Do. It. Anymore! They can’t drag themselves into work another day. If you were to ask them to be honest, they would say that they feel like their lives are being wasted as they grind it out. In short, they hate the lives that they’re living.
Of course, maybe it’s not your job that’s causing your burnout. Maybe you have obligations to extended family that are stressful. Perhaps you’re having trouble getting out of debt. There could be an undiagnosed physical illness. Whatever the reason, the end result is burnout as you try to handle everything that’s on your plate. The ugly reality is that burnout drains your ability to feel joy, to laugh with abandon, to experience that joie de vivre that makes life so much more enjoyable.
If this is you, then know that this is not a good way to live the only life that you have!
The antidote to your burnout might be a break from work. Definitely speak to a medical professional for a proper diagnosis. At the very least, a doctor can figure out if what you’re feeling is caused by something other than your job. And your doctor is the one who can put you on stress leave if that’s what you need to recover from the horrible feeling of burnout.
Build Your Stash
Trust me when I say that the bills won’t stop during your recovery period!!!
What do you mean, Blue Lobster?
Money in the bank and cash flow from investments gives you some options when you’re facing burnout. Instead of being miserable and continuing to feel the bleakness that penetrates to the very depth of one’s soul, you have money so that means you can quit if you need too. You have the financial wherewithal to leave employment situations which make you want to cry.
Having a nice, fat cash cushion alleviates any concerns about how to pay for life without a job. Think of your recovery as a mini-retirement, or a little sabbatical. There might not be any income coming into your household, but the cash cushion means that you don’t have to worry about that. You can focus on doing what you need to do in order to feel some joy in your life again.
It would be unfair if I didn’t recognize that there are some great employers out there who recognize that burnout is a reality. If you have burnout and work for such an employer, then you’re quite lucky despite how you feel about your job. If you’re considered a good employee, then you may be able to get time off from you employer to recuperate. In other words, good employees may be offered a sabbatical. Great! Kudos to employers who recognize the benefits of helping their best employees to deal with burnout. However, sabbaticals need to be funded with real money.
And let’s be realistic – this is a benefit that is very rare. Be brutally honest with yourself. Would your current employer give you months off to recover from burnout?
Hopefully, you’re reading this when you don’t have burnout. And if the deities are kind, you will never experience this horrible condition. But as the Wise Ones know, hope is not a plan. Take steps today to start preparing financially for a time when you just might need to take more than a week or two of vacation to re-charge your batteries.
No one likes to think about bad things happening. Sadly, this preference won’t stop burnout from occurring. Be proactive! Take steps now to financially cushion yourself just in case you need to walk away from your job to protect your mental health.