I Left My Corporate Job Due to Burnout
Earlier this year, I joined Self-Coaching Scholars and it’s this great program from Brooke Castillo of The Life Coach School where each month we work on a different area of personal development. This month the focus is on self-confidence and the exercise is to do something each day that scares you - a dare a day.
I decided to document my dares on social media and have been posting them daily. A little nerve-wracking but that’s kinda the point of the whole month.
On the second day, I posted about leaving my corporate job due to burnout and I was so nervous to publish that post. I had left the job about a month before but hadn’t really publicized it on social media or told anyone outside of my inner circle. But the point of the exercise was to do something that scared me. I was nervous sweating as I hit the share button and then I ran away from home. I literally left my house after posting and went to a theatre performance where my phone was turned off for two hours.
When I turned my phone back on, I was completely blown away by the response. So many comments, DMs and texts from people sending their support or telling me how much they could relate.
And that got me thinking that I should probably talk about burnout here as well. Because where there is one, there is two and where there is two, there’s four. And I just knew that if talking about this on the show could help one person, it would be worth it.
So, even though it’s still a little scary for me - we are gonna talk about burnout.
What is Burnout?
We’ve heard people say they are burnt out - heck, you may have even said it yourself. Burnout has been in the news a lot lately because the World Health Organization recently released a report saying burnout was an “occupational phenomenon”. But what is burnout?
According to the WHO, burnout is a syndrome “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed”. It is characterized by three dimensions:
feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
reduced professional efficacy.
Symptoms
So how could that show up? Symptoms usually fall into five categories:
Alienation from work-related activities: Burnt out folks view their jobs as increasingly stressful and frustrating. They grow cynical about their working conditions and co-workers (thinking no one cares or that nothing with ever change). They may also emotionally distance themselves (not engaging with coworkers, avoiding the office happy hours) and begin to feel numb about their job.
Physical symptoms: Chronic stress can lead to physical ailments, like headaches, stomachaches, hives.
Emotional exhaustion: Burnout causes people to feel drained, unable to cope, and tired. They often lack the energy to stay focused and get their work done during work hours.
Reduced performance: Of course that can lead to people feeling negative about their everyday tasks. They may have difficulty concentrating and often lack creativity.
Depersonalization; this usually involves treating all situations in the same way, rather than being unable to approach each person or task with a fresh perspective.
How It Showed Up For Me
I hit the jackpot and had symptoms from every one of the categories. I was emotionally & physically exhausted. I was in a cycle of exhaustion. I was feeling so emotionally drained at work that it was hard to focus on my work and when I got home, I had no energy to do anything. So there went a lot of my social life. I just wanted to lay on the couch and veg, which I realize now was me trying to escape dealing with the realization that this role was not a good fit. I would be in bed before 10pm and get up early in the morning (like 4am!) just to have the energy to cross off items on my To Do list so I could feel like I had accomplished something. And the cycle of exhaustion would continue. I was working out every day, trying to increase my energy. When in reality, I was only exhausting myself further.
I was also getting earaches a lot - which is my body’s way of telling me I am not listening to it. Yeah, I’m not really subtle.
I felt my creativity slipping away as well - and to fight that, I started this podcast. This show has been a lifesaver in a time when I felt like I was drowning.
But for me, the biggest Red Flag was I became increasingly cynical about my job and life in general. That is a huge departure from my usual demeanor. I’m an optimistic person by nature and I used to be teased by colleagues for my use of the hashtag #ilovemyjob. I usually able to find the best in a situation or at the very least a solution that people can get behind. I started seeing a shift in myself about a year before I quit. I was in a funk most days and I couldn’t shake it. I was crying daily, whether in my car on the way to work or even at my desk. Multiple people at work, including my boss, said that my personality had changed. That was unacceptable to me.
Before we get into what I did and what you can do, let’s talk about what causes burnout.
What Causes Burnout?
According to a 2018 report by Gallup, employee burnout has five main causes:
Unreasonable time pressure. Not having enough time to do your work or excessive demand on your time, like expecting you to be available nights & weekends.
Lack of communication and support from your manager. Employees who feel strongly supported by their manager are 70 percent less likely to experience burnout. If you don’t feel like someone has your back, your risk of burnout is pretty high.
Lack of role clarity. Want to hear a crazy statistic? Only 60 percent of workers know what is expected of them. Forty percent of employees are wondering what they hell they are supposed to be doing! When expectations are like moving targets and priorities are murky, you can become exhausted trying to figure out what the hell you’re supposed to be doing. Clear priorities and next steps are key to preventing burnout.
Unmanageable workload. When a workload feels unmanageable, even the most optimistic employees will feel hopeless. Feeling overwhelmed can quickly lead to burnout.
Unfair treatment. Employees who feel they are treated unfairly at work are 2.3 times more likely to experience a high level of burnout. Unfair treatment may include things such as favoritism, unfair compensation, and mistreatment from a co-worker.
Why I stayed
So why did I stay in that situation as long as I did? SImply put, I thought I could fix it. I thought there was something I just wasn’t getting and if I could figure out the last piece of the puzzle, it would all come together. I also stayed because I didn’t want to disappoint people (my boss, my colleagues, myself) and I thought leaving would be admitting defeat - that I couldn’t hack it. I am also a single mom and I was afraid to leave without another backup.
Why I left
After seeking the help of a therapist, career coach, my general practioner, another therapist and a life coach, I had a unanimous recommendation. All of them said I should leave the situation if conditions didn’t improve.
But I was still in that mindset that I could make it work, that I had to stay. I was worried about what people would say or think if I left. I worried about how I would pay my bills if I didn’t line up another day job while my coaching practice grew. My mind was so full of other people’s thoughts and worries.
So I started working on my mindset. I joined Self Coaching Scholars with Brooke Castillo and started working with a life coach. I was tired of doing things because I thought it was what I was supposed to do. I wanted to know what I thought I should do, what I wanted to do and why. And that involved looking at my beliefs and in some cases, changing them.
Ultimately, I left because I knew I had done everything I could and that the situation wasn’t going to change. I left because I was so tired of being tired. I left because I had enough faith in myself to find a better fit for my talents. I left to be an example of what is possible to other people. At the end of the day, it isn’t about whether or not you can hack it at a job that drains you. It is about “Is this what I want to do with my one crazy life?”, to quote Mary Oliver.
What You Can Do
If you are suffering from burn out, know that you are not alone.
While there is no set treatment course for burnout, there are some things you can do to alleviate it. Many people find it helpful to take a leave of absence or, like me, to walk away permanently. However, other people find it possible to change their work environment and their attitudes to it, in ways that remove or reduce burnout.
Evaluate your options. Discuss specific concerns with your manager. Maybe you can work together to change expectations or reach a solution. Try to set goals for what must get done and what can wait.
Mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of focusing on your breath flow and being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling at every moment, without interpretation or judgment. In a job setting, this practice involves facing situations with openness and patience, and without judgment.
Exercise. Regular physical activity can help you to better deal with stress. It can also take your mind off of work. HOWEVER, if physical exhaustion is one of your symptoms, please go easy on the exercise. Do something that will recharge you rather than deplete you. Walking and yoga are great physical activities that can also be relaxing and meditative.
Get some sleep. Study after study shows that sleep restores well-being and helps protect your health. If you are suffering from burnout, please do not get up an hour earlier to fit in all the things you don’t have energy for at night. Instead, use your morning hours to get a slow, intentional start to your day. Or sleep an extra hour!
Seek support. Whether you reach out to co-workers, friends or loved ones, support and collaboration might help you cope. Companies are becoing more aware of the toll burnout is taking on employees and many have implemented programs. If you have access to such a program, take advantage of those resources. If you need an outsider’s perspective, please reach out to me so we can chat about your options and other tools that might work..
I really hope this episode made you feel less alone and gave you some information about what to do if you are feeling burnt out.
I started this podcast because I needed some fun in my life. I started it as a creative outlet and because it was the show I needed to hear. LIke I said earlier, if there’s one person who needs it, then there’s two. I love that the sky’s the limit and I get to come up with and execute any idea I may have! I get to talk to people all the time, which is one of my favorite things to do! It has been such a gift to me. The giant cherry on top is that it led me to my calling - life coaching. Not only did it help me realize that coaching is the dream job I have been looking for my whole life, it has also brought me clients. I love that me doing what I love is inspiring people to reach out to me and I get to help them do what they love.
If that’s you - if you need some help doing the damn thing you love to do - or need help figuring out what your damn thing is, please shoot me an email at hello@lizheron.com and let’s chat!
Until then, I hope you have a great week and make some time this week to do the damn thing!