What is burnout?
Is it feeling tired?
VERY tired?
No… not even close. True burnout feels much heavier than that, and in today’s fast-paced world, its roots go much, much deeper.
Burnout is less about the physical and more to do with the mental and emotional.
at times, the existential…
Sure, you can physically feel burned out, and in time it can manifest into illness and disease. Yet to wait for this to happen isn’t exactly good, and the signs are usually there much earlier.
That’s where the mental, emotional, and existential comes in because it’s your mind’s way of saying: dude, you’re doing too much.
or maybe not doing too much, rather not giving yourself what you need.
The issue is, that although the signs are there, they alone don’t provide answers. For that, you need to gain context from these signs by asking the right questions.
That’s our aim here … three questions to help you figure out if you’re burned out, and, if you are, the steps you need to take to overcome it.
Let’s dive in…
QUESTION 1: Are you tired or burned out?
It can be hard to tell. Maybe you are just tired and in need of a sleep-in. Maybe a weekend to unwind. Maybe an evening to yourself…
Yet maybe you know that this wouldn’t even scratch the surface.
a short fix, sure, but nothing but a bandage over a rotten wound.
It starts by asking the question and honestly reflecting on how you feel.
Deep down, you know whether it’s tiredness or utter exhaustion.
the [no hustle] huddle
escape the hustle & stay escaped with actionable anti-hustling advice sent to your inbox every Monday (for free)
the [no hustle] huddle
escape the hustle & stay escaped with actionable anti-hustling advice sent to your inbox every Monday (for free)
QUESTION 2: How long have you felt like this, and when did it begin?
If it’s tiredness, no problem… take some time to unwind. That’s all you need.
If it’s more, ask and reflect on this question: HOW long?
and WHEN did it begin?
This can take some time. You likely have no idea. You’ve just been there, living life and doing your best. Bit by bit, it’s crept up on you.
Drip by drip, it has diluted you!
So give yourself some time and grace. Sit on this question. Allow it to breathe. As you do, keep digging until you get to the point where you realize where it all began and how; what the root cause is, specific situation, or series of *things* that have taken place to leave you feeling as you are.
QUESTION 3: Are you okay with feeling this way?
The final step is to decide if you’re okay with all this.
Maybe you are. Maybe this is simply the chapter of life you’re in.
For now, you have to succumb to burnout because you have to take the steps in front. You’re in the middle of moving house, for example, or have a young baby.
Right now, it’s chaos. But the chaos will pass.
Succumbing like this can be somewhat therapeutic; although you have to be real here and give it a timeframe. Otherwise, burnout will run deep within you.
Then again, maybe you’re not okay with this. Maybe you can change, and maybe, just maybe, you can change course quickly.
If so, how?
In what way?
This is your life, and you get to decide, to an extent, what you do with it. If you feel burned out and you know it doesn’t have to be that way, commit to change.
Create a plan.
Take steps.
Make those tough, seemingly impossible decisions.
final thoughts
Thanks for watching, I hope you’ve found these three questions helpful and you feel inspired to ask them yourself.
For more roundups like these, you may like to explore our “3 Questions” playlist.
I hope you enjoy them – if you do, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and all that jazz on YouTube, and be sure to share some comments sharing your thoughts around the questions asked today.
the [no hustle] huddle
escape the hustle & stay escaped with actionable anti-hustling advice sent to your inbox every Monday (for free)
hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement
the [no hustle] huddle
escape the hustle & stay escaped with actionable anti-hustling advice sent to your inbox every Monday (for free)
hi, i’m turndog and I wrote this article … i am a writer, ghostwriter, anti-hustler & a guy on a mission to ensure you too escape the hustle — come be part of the [no hustle] movement