Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi. I am in a tricky situation at work. There is temporarily a shortage of staff and I am doing 300% of my normal workload and working 200% of my normal hours (this maths = burnout) I'm in week 1 of 5 and I'm burnout already. To be honest, I was already pretty "burnt out" but I feel like now I am "officially burnout", complete with meltdowns and slowed down functioning.
How do you deal with this? I can't remove myself from the situation. I've asked for help and they've given it to me but it's not enough because this just happens to be an unavoidably bad situation and someone has to deal with it (unfortunately that person is me) I don't really have any stims that make me feel better. Stims just help me cope when I feel awful. And I don't really have any special interests that make me feel better. The things I get fixated on often make me feel even more tired and drained.
Every day that I make it through at work feels like I'm betraying myself and my needs. I feel like I need to take care of myself somehow, in some small way, just to prove that I'm still on my side and I still care.
Edit: OK so I get that "I can quit my job" or "I can refuse to do overtime" but for numerous personal and professional reasons which I will not be detailing on the internet, please take my word for it that I personally cannot get out of this situation and please provide any advice for alleviating the burnout or making my burnt out brain feel temporarily better if you are able to. Thank you.
Signing that contract of employment is a big commitment, and it is difficult not to keep that promise. How loyal would your employer be to you? I've found in the past it's got nothing to do with me and everything to do with the financial climate of the company.
If the company is in a bad place, think about getting a new job. I know it's not easy, but your health comes first. When I do staff support I always remind people "nobody has a tombstone that says 'they were a hard grafter' - usually a good parent/sibling/partner/friend etc.".
You might not feel in the best place to be looking for something new in the short term, but have a think if this is how you want to deal with the company's stress/financial position. It's just about where you are willing to make a compromise. You will get through this, but what happens next time? Only you can make the decision to slow down and do 100% of your workload in 100% of your hours - and no more. I remember being the one missing our company barbecue because a Saudi client had a problem, and my Indian colleague onsite was being beaten physically until we fixed the problem. I was the only one who had empathy for this person we'd never met, and stayed until I figured it out and fixed it. The thing is, your performance will decrease the more overtime you do. That's why professions like police, medicine etc. have rules about how their shifts work. And why they have union representation to back them up when employers push hard.
In terms of looking after yourself, it's all the usual stuff. Eat well (lots of good food and cut back on junk and alcohol), exercise even 15 mins walking, good quality sleep, time with friends/family/alone balanced to suit your energy levels, do something fun or interesting every day even if it's only for 2 minutes.