Burnout isn't just from working too hard.
We're all familiar with the concept of burnout.
Perhaps when we think of it, we imagine people in really, really high-stress jobs.
Nurses on the brink during the height of the pandemic.
Investment bankers working all hours of the day.
Single working mums under immense pressure.
But burnout can affect anyone, and actually, it doesn't just come from working 'too much for too long'. There's a critical way that burnout shows up for my clients, and it's from Misalignment.
What does Misalignment Burnout mean?
This occurs when you feel a sense of disconnection from the work itself.
It doesn't suit you, you don't care about what you're working on, it doesn't fit your strengths, your personality, your drivers, your values, and so it's incredibly draining to show up for work each day.
At best, you might feel like you're wasting your time.
At worst, you might feel like you're sacrificing parts of yourself.
Identity Crisis
One of the key ways this can manifest is therefore as an identity crisis.
After all, one of the core ways we introduce ourselves (in the West at least) is through that familiar formula.
Name + Job.
"Hi, I'm Jack, I'm a Sales Manager."
Your JOB is as important as your actual name.
Seems pretty innocuous, yet there's an insidious underlying implication.
That what you DO, is your identity.
Therefore when you don't feel a sense of connection to what you do, when it feels like it's not even right, this feeling of identity crisis can rear up.
You might feel fake, and inauthentic.
You might struggle to reconcile this very public image of yourself (e.g. Doctor = ambitious, hard-working, compassionate), with how you really feel inside when you show up for work each day, pushing you into completing a huge burden of emotional labour as you go through each day.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”– Aristotle
So what can you do?
I'd start by doing a full audit of where the misalignment is coming from.
Is it violating a core value? Perhaps one of your core values is sustainability and you're working in a corporation which is harming the environment.
Is this just not what motivates you anymore? Maybe you're driven by altruism and compassion, yet your line of work prioritises stakeholder return and power.
Does it not fit your strengths? How often are you able to leverage the strengths that come most naturally to you?
Figure out why it feels so wrong, so you know what needs to change.
There are many times when you might consider if you should leave your job.
For you, quitting might be too much of a knee-jerk reaction. You might try job-crafting first, changing the elements that bring you the most misalignment. But for many, if you know in your heart that it's not what you want to do, making a powerful change in your career could be exactly what you need.
You aren't one thing
Next, I would remember that you are not one thing. Your job is what you do, it's not who you are.
Yes, it's important to do work that suits you, but there's many identifying anchors outside of work that you can focus on.
Perhaps you're an excellent baker.
A great friend in a crisis.
Someone who knows the entire script of Groundhog Day.
Remind yourself of the rich variety of ways you show up in the world.
Get support
Navigating this kind of burnout brings up a lot of challenges. It’s easy for people to feel lost, and overwhelmed. Seek help from a Coach, and if it’s taking a significant toll on your mental and physical health, a doctor and therapist too.
If you want to start somewhere easy, grab my Career Burnout: Your Essential Survival Handbook.
Always on your side.
Louise
CEO and Founder, Clarity Coaching with Louise
Comentarios