Oregon News Incubator

What do you do when you’re burnt out?

Both last night and this morning when I was considering what to write about for this week’s Thoughtful Thursday post, I was drawing a blank. It’s not so much that I have nothing to say, but that I’ve been running myself fairly well ragged this summer and it has absolutely caught up with me. I’m bloody exhausted. I’m burnt out, and there’s no chance for me to take a real break any time soon.

Burn out happens in any professional’s life, regardless of your field. You’ve been pushing too hard for too long, and you’re long past even running on fumes.

If I can’t truly step away from my work for a meaningful period of time, this is when I look at a couple of key areas to try to bring some semblance of revitalization back into my life.

• Sleep: Am I getting enough rest? When I’m on multiple big deadlines, it’s easy to let my sleep schedule slip, going to bed later and later at night, and getting up earlier to squeeze in a few extra hours of work. But pretty soon, my productivity begins to slip, and the extra time really isn’t all that helpful. Getting enough rest isn’t only about setting aside enough time for sleep, but also ensuring that I’m not hopped up on caffeine or otherwise distracted when I’m trying to rest. Thought-provoking reading and movies right before bedtime aren’t a great idea.
• Fuel: What am I eating and drinking to help me get through each day? I’m pretty good about not letting my diet degrade to junk when I’m super-busy, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have to keep a look out as to what I’m fueling myself with. When I’m “feeling the work burn,” it’s a good idea for me to drink more water and eat lighter foods like fruits and vegetables rather than heavier fare that can leave me feeling sluggish.
• Om: It may seem counter-intuitive, but the busier you are, the more meditation time you need. These mental time-outs give my brain an opportunity to let go and idle for a bit, plus it’s nice to have some peace and quiet in the midst of a crazy-busy day/week/life. Even if you don’t have time to meditate for 30 minutes twice daily, just two minutes of meditation (in my opinion) is better than none at all.
• Sweat: A huge help for me in dealing with stress and overwork is maintaining a regular and challenging exercise program. Like sleep, it’s all too easy to let physical activity slide in favor of more time at my desk when I’m under the gun. Getting up and getting moving insures not only that my muscles don’t atrophy, but it also removes me from my work for a while. My morning hikes — about 2.5 miles with the husky — are pretty much sacred, and sometimes I’ll also take a break in the middle of the day to ride the bike or even do some disco dancing if I find my concentration and my patience have gone MIA.

As I’m counting down to my IRP fellowship — which begins two weeks from today! — and am scrambling to meet my newspaper deadlines, make arrangements for my travel and work overseas and wrap up all manner of personal and professional loose ends before I take off for 9.5 weeks, I’m definitely feeling more burnt out by the day. But by sticking to healthy habits (well, healthier, anyway), I know I can get through this.

What are your anti-burn out strategies?