discussion I'm burned out at work; don't know what to do

[Fastlane]

2 years ago I started working for the coolest company in my country. Many people want to get there, a competition of 2000 applications for 1 position.

 

To put it briefly, a year later I was promoted, but there was such a strong overload of responsibilities that I burned out very quickly. Holidays and weekends stopped helping me, I lost interest in music, sports, and even stopped communicating with friends.

 

My responsibilities included being a business analyst, UX designer, product and project manager, and event organizer.

 

Yesterday our team returned from a foreign team building, which I completely organized on my last breath – everyone was happy.

 

Today I want to talk to the head of our division about the fact that I have burned out a lot and I am no longer interested in doing what I am doing now. I don't even have the strength to complete all current affairs. 

 

If you were a manager, what can you offer your employee in such a situation? I'm a little desperate, I didn't even get help from a psychotherapist. 

[Fastlane]

I have read several articles on the Internet, but they say that the employee himself must offer a number of solutions in this situation. I don't know what to offer, I'm so tired.

[Xtina23]

Gurlll honestly, take a vacation if you can. Clear your mind and think about what you want next in life.

 

Remember to work to live, not live to work.

 

If you can't take a vacation, then I would be honest and direct with your superiors. If they don't help in some way shape or form, it may be time to find your next job.

 

That's what happened to me. I started as an assistant and over the years, I ended up managing 13 companies at one time (I worked at a marketing agency). Although I was successful, I needed a change. So I took my time and applied to only a few select jobs I deemed interested in.

 

Now, I am working for an even bigger company with a 20%+ increase in salary and a -80% work reduction with amazing boss, benefits and more.

 

Take care of yourself first boo, because although you don't want to think about it, if you left today, somebody would be knocking to replace you the next day and the cycle continues.

 

Best of luck!!

[sweetblindness]

Definitely talk to a manager/supervisor, if the company is worth their salt they'll work with you. It definitely sounds like you need a good week or two vacation where you can be completely away from work to recharge. The company probably needs to hire more people too, if you're doing the work of so many people. But yeah, as the other poster said, you ultimately have to look out for yourself. You can always send out a few job applications now and then, not even necessarily with the intention to leave your current company, but just to see what's out there. Above all, definitely communicate with your superiors and take care of yourself!

[NEX]

 

[Cain]

Where do you live? Here if you get burnout you can just visit a doctor and get paid leave

[reymiu]

1 hour ago, Fastlane said:

I have read several articles on the Internet, but they say that the employee himself must offer a number of solutions in this situation. I don't know what to offer, I'm so tired.

I think they need to hire more ppl for you to manage (instead of you doing everything)

[espeon]

Don’t try to avoid or postpone it.

 

It seems like you are in a situation that is no longer sustainable for you. It is highly likely that your peers and managers value you and your work (you have been there for a while and they are trusting you with all these tasks).

 

I would just be honest and tell them that you have too much on your plate right now. Go with a list of all the things that you are working on right now and ask for your manager to prioritise some of them; the rest either would have to wait or they would have to be delegated to someone else.

 

Also, another thing I have done before is asking my manager to ask if anyone else would like to be trained in any of the tasks I am doing. Maybe there is someone who is looking to expand on a new area or skill; teach them some of your work and delegate it to them.

 

Also, always keep looking for other opportunities - you never know. You might get something much better that you don’t expect.

[ontherocks]

You're in Russia. Make sure not to tell anybody and keep all the windows and balcony doors locked 

[Onyxmage]

Throw some water on the floor and have an "accidental fall" so you can sue the company. Case Closed.

[Robert]

It's hard without knowing the specifics of your job but maybe you need a change. Are there any new projects you could work on? Alternatively maybe you just need a break, perhaps take an extended vacation if you have the financial means. A month of travelling could do wonders for your mental health. 

[getBusy]

Money won’t fix this. Choose what areas you want to focus on and ask your boss to hire someone to do the rest. Ideally a peer, not a report. 

[JustHoran]

You need a vacation, and if you can take one please do! Life is way too short to be burned out and always stressing over work. I know how it is too, but you deserve to enjoy your life and remember that these jobs do not care about us. We lost an employee at my job years ago and all of the workers were so upset, and corportate/management sent out an email saying how they needed to fill his position  A DAY after his death. They do not care about us, so don't care so much about that job and if you want to quit then start looking for other jobs. Maybe you need a change too.

[LCTV]

I just got back from a 17 day vacation last week. 

I went to visit some friends for a few days then went with family to the lake and completely disconnected. No expectations just eating healthy , catching sun , sleeping in , and jumping in the water. I came back like a new person. Music sounded fresh again , I picked up biking again , I've been able to manage my focus better in my management duties , and nothings really bothering me.

 

I hope you can do the same.

[Chemist]

This happens more often than you think. Work shouldn't consume your life. you should work to live, not the other way around. 

 

You should be ambitious but at the same time you should take care of your mental health. You are very replaceable for any company you work with, so act accordingly. Take seriously your job but not as seriously that could damage your life or make you unhappy. You only live once

[Devin]

I been in your position before.
 

If you wish to stay with the company/job role. Start using vacation time or scheduling mental health PTO days twice a month. If you can, start doing more teamwork to help pick up the slack. Or ultimately, apply for new jobs that makes u happier.

[stoopidjenna]

You’re right in that your manager will want/need some possible solutions from you, if you just go in talking about what your problems are it will come across as venting and won’t be productive. Let your boss know what the situation is and that you need help. Possible solutions may be:

-More guidance and training on time management, task prioritization, and setting reasonable expectations

-Hiring more staff or seeing if there are others at the company that can take on some of your work

-Identifying things that you’re working on that you don’t see as valuable or worth your time and seeing if you could just cut it from your workload completely

 

If you’re really just over it though, then try quiet quitting. It can be hard to do if you’re used to overachieving, but think of it less as not trying as hard and more as just setting healthy boundaries for yourself. Limit how many hours you work, make use of your time off and truly unplug, refuse work that you aren’t required to do. Chances are, no one will actually care or notice, and you’ll have so much more mental clarity that you can either start focusing on finding another job if people do start catching on, or you’ll have more insight into what’s not working in your current role and be in a better state to address it.

[Valentine]

Thank you for creating this thread. I feel the same way!

 

I will be planning a holiday soon to refresh. 

[Bubble Tea]

I think you need a serious break, and soon. I know there's a lot of guilt attached and feelings of "the company won't survive without me" but trust me, they will. You need WEEKS off, extremely soon, or it will affect you deeply.

 

While you're away, you can decide if it's worth continuing or throwing in the towel and looking for something else.

[prézli]

2 hours ago, Onyxmage said:

Throw some water on the floor and have an "accidental fall" so you can sue the company. Case Closed.

Only in America

[prézli]

2 hours ago, getBusy said:

Money won’t fix this. Choose what areas you want to focus on and ask your boss to hire someone to do the rest. Ideally a peer, not a report. 

It sounds like the OP can be replaceable. I mean, why would they hire another person if they can find a new one who does everything? Maybe, she/he will burn out as well, but not too soon.

[Cain]

I don’t want to dogpile on you or anything but I’ve started my working life this year and can I just say that a lot of people’s mental relationship with their work is extremely unhealthy? It’s just something I keep seeing over and over and somehow I find it very alarming but no one seems to notice

 

We are literally FORCED into work, there’s this whole farce about ‘you can do whatever you want and you have the world at your feet’ but you don’t. If you want to… stay alive, literally, you are forced to perform labour. Some of us start our own businesses, but most of us become a cog in a machine with a vision that isn’t ours, performing work that doesn’t better our own lives and usually not the life of our planet either. I guess it’s a kind of coping mechanism to feel ownership or responsibility over that, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why people would put their own (mental) health at risk and develop this extremely unhealthy dynamic with their work and colleagues in which they feel daily guilt just because they are project manager #3 at some consultancy firm. It’s not that important, no one actually cares

 

It’s very telling that people only feel like healthy living human beings protecting their boundaries and following their bodily needs when they are on vacation. You should be able to feel that agency and lack of guilt and stress at all times, it’s driving me insane

[getBusy]

24 minutes ago, prézli said:

It sounds like the OP can be replaceable. I mean, why would they hire another person if they can find a new one who does everything? Maybe, she/he will burn out as well, but not too soon.

In that case OP will NEVER be valued in the current job, so they should jump ship as soon as possible and find something else. If someone’s overworked and management doesn’t care, only bad things will follow. 

[Fastlane]

Thank you very much for your posts and for taking the time to share your experience.

 

Can say so far that I have already been on 2 vacations, from the last one I returned literally the day before yesterday.

I was in two countries, and I was really good, but upon my return my condition worsened.

 

I read a few more articles, tried to answer questions.

The problem clearly arose from a combination of completely different competencies and incompatible projects.

Besides, I do not understand what the ultimate goal in my career with such responsibilities will be. It's demotivating.

 

[Cheers]

It might be time to find a new job / new company. I felt the exact same way. Got a new job and I’m much happier + got better pay!