Originally published in June 2016 on Side Gig Life.
Whenever I hear the phrase “burn out”, I feel like it’s talking about some kind of breakdown. But it doesn’t have to mean that, it can be minor burn out.
Minor Burn Out
This week I have minor burn out. It hasn’t been a big week in my day job, it’s semester break at uni, and I’ve generally had it pretty easy.
However, for the past two weeks, I’ve had *something* on every weekday. Doctors appointments, tests, scans, car service, podcast interview, food shopping…some things are small, certainly, but it has left me with having to do something every day after work, or at least having to stop off somewhere on my way home from work.
And that drains me. I do identify more as an introvert in terms of energy usage, so maybe those things wouldn’t drain you in the slightest. Maybe they spur you on.
All I know is that they drain me. So much, in fact, that I’m excited at the thought of heavy rain this weekend, because I will watch DVDs and read from the growing stack of books on my dining room table.
How busy and tired you are is not a competition. If you are one or both of those things (because, lets face it, they’re close cousins), then that’s enough. Acknowledge it, and most importantly, deal with it.
I’m planning a weekend of nothing, because that is what is best for me, and therefore best for my side gig.
Stopping burn out while it’s relatively minor can help avoid major burn out down the road.
How do you deal with burn out?
Felt a bit of the burn last week, even though it’s not really activity related, more of a mental thing. I reacted by going down like a sack of the proverbial with what was really a minor cold.
I think we all get to that point sometimes. I wish it was avoidable!