Society has always prized productivity in all aspects of the workplace.
A well-oiled work environment prides itself on achieving goals through its workers.
What is often overlooked is the cost associated with consistent productivity – burnout.
Burnout is what many associate with stress or exhaustion.
Expert advice for avoiding burnout
Jennifer McCormick, a counsellor with Mount Royal University’s (MRU) counselling services, has helped many students get back on track after experiencing burnout.
“It’s a state in which we aren’t really engaged in our lives. We don’t have the energy, the bandwidth, to engage as we normally would,” said McCormick. “There can be lots of reasons for it, but once we’re in that state, I think we just aren’t living the life that we normally would be.”
Cameron Munro, an arts graduate from Edmonton, explained that the pressures and demands of the industry dissolved their love for the arts.
“If you could just breathe for a second and actually enjoy things without having all these things in life that stress you out. It would be so much easier to just focus on what makes you happy, ” said Munro.
They explained that when they did try to create something they enjoyed, it was usually left unfinished due to a feeling of insecurity.
Chelsea Dave, the owner of the small business Sea.chi, spent the last several months working out of the cycle of burnout.
Dave emphasized that carving out time to do what you love and stepping away from what triggers stress are the biggest tools for working your way out of a rut.
She said that observing your environment and looking inward at your own situation can begin the process of recovering from burnout.
“Come at it from a place of wonderment. What is happening? As opposed to thinking that there’s something wrong with us, and I think it can open up a different level of self-acceptance,” said McCormack.
Burnout is a spectrum. What works for one person may not work for the next.
Setting goals, carving out time for yourself, and celebrating the little things are just a few ways to kickstart a journey of softening burnout and rekindling passion.