Burned out, exhaled, survived: 10 questions for a burnout survivor

Sooner or later, each of us may face burnout. So, we went to a person who had gone through this experience and emerged victorious.

There will be no “meditate and drink more water” advice here, just an honest conversation and personal experience.

Our heroine, Nasa, Brand & Communication Head at Gorilla Partners, shared with us her experience of pushing herself to full speed while working for three people, and why the “heroism on” mode is not the way to success, but a direct ticket to the abyss.

And if you’ve ever thought: “I’ll endure it a little longer, and then I’ll get some rest,” then read on. Spoiler alert: you won’t. But there is a way out.

When did you first realize that you were burning out? What were the first bells and whistles?

The first time I faced this was during the Covid (we still remember that there was such a period). I didn’t even know I was sick, I was having a wild week and launching 3 projects at the same time. All I could do was sit, and any action other than typing ended in dizziness.

I went to the doctor, where they asked me when I last rested or went on vacation (spoiler alert: I hadn’t been on vacation for 2-3 years), and they wrote out a certificate that I literally couldn’t work for a while.

What was the main trigger for burnout at work?

I have two points here:

1. It’s me. I want to do everything, everywhere, in 27 hours a day.
2. This is when people build a business under the auspices of “we are all a family here, we are for the idea” – often it ends up with their material wealth closing any objectivity to the moral, material and physical characteristics of colleagues and employees (overtime, physically more slippers than the position or workload requires, etc.

That’s how I “caught” him.

What was the most difficult moment during this period?

If you, like me, consider work to be your hobby, it is very difficult to realize at the moment that it doesn’t really work that way. It’s hard to learn to really rest, to put the phone down, not to jump right away when a message comes in, not to pick up the phone if someone calls on a day off, not to work at 12 am while watching a movie, because “I can do both”

What if you change your approach to work?

If you have the opportunity, delegate. Evaluate your own capacity and also evaluate the capabilities of those who will do the work

Spoiler alert: at first you will think to yourself “I’d rather do it myself”!)

Time management doesn’t help those who consider work to be a hobby, but it does help those who evaluate tasks by the number of clicks rather than their priority.

If you don’t want to burn out, try to review your personal goals. This helps you to understand, among other things, whether your job is suitable for you, whether you are replacing the desire to fill the lack of hobbies with tasks, or maybe you just like to be in kamikaze mode all the time (this also exists)

What really helped?

The previous answer is the one that I relate to the most. I reconsidered my internal priorities and whether I had a match with the priorities of my previous company. And I realized that working for three people does not justify my internal state.

You always have opportunities, no matter where and who you are. And if you throw the “impostor syndrome” out of your life, you realize that you can turn ambitions into a thrill.

What conclusions did you manage to draw about yourself thanks to this experience?

Hello, I am a workaholic and I was raised as an excellent student. That says it all.

What does your “new” recovery look like – what do you do differently now than before burnout?

I listen to my loved ones, if they say “You’re overdoing it”, it’s a very loud wake-up call to pause.

Listen to myself – if it’s hard to collect my thoughts, I get tired all the time for no reason – vacation, bon voyage.

What is the biggest personal lesson you learned from this story?

No one will come and save you. As long as you’re shoveling it all out yourself and smiling, everyone thinks you’re fine, because they can’t read minds.

If you don’t set limits for yourself, other people’s deadlines will do it for you. And “it’s all on me” is not your heroism, but anxiety disguised as productivity.

What other changes have you made?

As I said, I have learned to listen to people not only at work but also at home. Believe me, from the outside, your dark circles under the eyes are visible better than you think!

Also, listen and read offers carefully. You are not a task machine that has to work 24/7 to survive. You can not respond to messages at 23:48 and nothing will break. (This is another lesson, by the way).

We live in an imperfect world, but objective self-respect should exist not only for your employers, but also for them.

What advice do you have for those who are experiencing the first symptoms of burnout but are afraid to admit it?

If you are reading this and recognize yourself, you already know everything. You just don’t want to admit it yet.

Recognition is, in fact, the first step to save yourself. Because then there will be either a pause, which you will make consciously, or a stop, which your body will make. And the body will not ask if you are comfortable and will definitely not thank you at the right time.

You don’t have to quit your job or go to the mountains right away (although, why not), but start small: a vacation, a conversation with a psychologist, an honest conversation with yourself, “unsubscribe from everything that triggers.”

Because we are not “machines”. Even if we were taught to be very effective models .

Word that would describe your journey through burnout.

Kamikaze

What gives you the most resources today?

“Mute” mode