So You’ve Quit Your Job Due to Burnout — Now What?
How to get your life back on track, from a two-time burnout survivor
It seems like quitting is the new sourdough starter when it comes to pandemic trends. And I get it. The pandemic brought into glaring focus what wasn’t working in our lives. Things that were ‘fine’ or easy to live with/ignore became impossible to put up with on top of everything else.
How you spend these first few months of freedom can make all the difference in what your life looks like post-burnout.
Burnout isn’t a trend. It’s the mind’s way of telling you to stop, take stock of your life and figure out how to make choices in your best interest again.
I’ve taken extensive leaves from work twice: once by choice in the form of a mental health leave and once by corporate restructuring. In both cases I followed these same steps and came out with the clarity needed to move forward. These three things helped me through it:
1. Focus on Three Things a Day
When I first experienced burnout, it was so bad I couldn’t figure out what to make for lunch, that’s how fried my nerves were.
I had been pushing myself too far for too long. I was grieving the sudden death of someone I cared about and tried to push through the pain with work and self-improvement. My schedule was packed, distracting me from the very painful feelings I didn’t want to process.
My therapist told me the human brain can handle three “things” to deal with each day. The things aren’t dictated by time or importance, just focus. Three things could be putting in a day’s work, getting in a workout and making dinner. In times of great stress and trauma, feeling feelings is one thing you need to make time for.
During my mental health leave, when my schedule was wide open, I kept a calendar of each day’s three things. I broke it into three categories: one thing for the brain (hobby, creative pursuit), one thing for the heart (working out, journaling, connecting with a friend) and one thing for the house (general housekeeping, budgeting, taking care of long over-due repairs).
If I got through three things by noon, the rest of the day was spent on things that didn’t require my full attention. It helped me learn how to prioritize what required my full attention and what could wait until tomorrow — an approach I take into work today.
2. Keep a Distance From Your Work “Family”
Your former co-workers will reach out to see how you’re doing and what you’re doing. Keep them informed, but keep them at a distance.
Your departure had an impact on them, which they’re processing. But while you figure out your next steps, you also need to figure out who you are and what you want in your next workplace. You can’t do this if your old workplace lives rent-free in your brain.
When you take stock of your skills, focus on what you take pride in — not what your last employer valued. Maybe your last boss wanted you to be more collaborative, but you’re naturally an independent worker. This was one critique I constantly ran into in my last job. So instead of looking for collaborative, team-based jobs I decided to pursue consulting and freelance, assignment-based work, and I’ve never been happier or more productive.
3. Get Professional Help
When I took a mental health leave, I got therapy. When I transitioned my career, I worked with a career coach. In both cases, I was able to access these resources through work.
Times of crisis come with very complicated emotions — more complicated than you can manage alone. Start by talking with your family doctor. They’ll be able to connect you with the mental health services you can afford.
Career coaching comes at a cost, but it’s worth it. There are countless self-help books and newsletters with generic advice, but nothing compares with working through your specific situation with someone trained to help you make practical and effective next steps.
This has been an extraordinary time for reinventing how we work and where. Now that we’re faced with changing things again for a post-pandemic future, there’s no better time to make a change that works for you.
