With the hiring freeze for federal jobs in place, those inside government poised to hop from one federal job to another are a little stuck. Depending on your expertise, there are some exceptions to the freeze, and more and more seem to be cropping up daily. So don’t despair. If you’re a little stuck, then you may be more susceptible than usual to professional burnout. Here’s what to watch for and how to fight it.
BURNOUT HAT TRICK
If you’ve spent the last several weeks crashing at work to claw your way to and through the transition period, if you’re finding the daily routine way too routine, if you’re feeling like you’ve lost control over yourself, your work, and your future. Or if the whole show has been stressing you out to the max, then beware burnout. Fast Company contributor Stephanie Vozza reports on three categories of burnout that could be haunting you: frenetic burnout, underchallenged burnout, and worn-out burnout.
“Frenetic burnout,” writes Vozza “comes when you work increasingly harder, to the point of exhaustion. Underchallenged burnout . . . occurs when monotonous conditions fail to provide satisfaction. Worn-out burnout . . . happens when you have prolonged stress or a lack of control or acknowledgement.”
REVIVAL
Old school workaholics were always averse to any remedies. These days, I think most managers and employees understand the importance of diversion, distraction, and down time in maintaining a healthy, vibrant, productive workforce. And when it comes to frenetic burnout, there’s a two-step process than can not only help you survive, but get you back to thrive mode. ““Unplugging,” Vozza writes, “will give you a break from worries and obligations, providing time to spend on doing something that brings joy for the sake of happiness itself.” That’s the first step. Then, Vozza writes, “It’s also important to evaluate your life story so that you do not identify yourself with your occupation.”
Now, getting to know yourself again might sound a little too touchy-feely. But I know of at least one high power CEO type who fervently believes in the importance of life mapping—that is, taking the time to graphically depict your life’s sequence from beginning to present and identifying and recognizing your direction, your values, your joys and sorrows so you begin to truly understand who you are, where you’re going, and why. The point is awareness, self-awareness, what Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn has popularized (thankfully) as mindfulness.
UNDERCHALLENGED
It’s not surprising that a remedy for underchallenged burnout resonates with that same notion. Vozza cites Yahoo!’s Cindy Gould’s approach to underchallenged burnout, a six step approach to your life. Gould’s recommendations are, not surprisingly, about figuring out what moves you, inspires you; figuring out your strengths (she doesn’t mention weaknesses, by the way); making a plan that you follow until it’s time to stop following it; and focusing on “what matters to you.” It’s important, Gould explains, that once you know what drives you, motivates you, you follow that urge: “Don’t listen to conventional wisdom that says you are supposed to do something at this time, this way, or care about this the most.”
WORN-OUT
If you’re simply worn-out, there’s a slightly different approach Vozza cites, though, again, you find many of the same themes: getting back to who you are and understanding yourself in an intimate way, recognizing what’s impeding your opportunities to self-actualize, and taking action. “Worn-out burnout often happens when we give our power to someone else . . . . Take back ownership of your story instead of waiting for someone else to make things better.”
Once again, something that first screams Crisis! turns out to be opportunity. Feeling burned out isn’t a failure on your part; it’s just a reminder to take the time to attend to you.
