Burnout
May 26th, 2009I’m still recovering from my second major brush with burnout, and this last one (quietly) almost took me out completely. Scott Boms has put together a well-researched (and lived) article at A List Apart that I recommend for anyone working in “the industry”. Even if the phases outlined below don’t sound familiar, that just means you can read up on preventing burnout before it’s too late.
The identified phases [of burnout - not in a particular order], several of which I bet sound familiar, are:
- A compulsion to prove oneself
- Working harder
- Neglecting one’s own needs
- Displacement of conflict (the person does not realize the root cause of the distress)
- Revision of values (friends, family, hobbies, etc., are dismissed)
- Denial of emerging problems (cynicism, aggression, and frustration become apparent)
- Withdrawal from social contexts, potential for alcohol or drug abuse
- Behavioral changes become more visible to others
- Inner emptiness
- Depression
- Burnout syndrome (including suicidal thoughts and complete mental and physical collapse)
