Burnout is the normal stress in your life gone bad. It is a feeling of chronic cognitive, physical, and/or emotional exhaustion. The body moves into an energy conservation mode, linked to having too much cortisol (stress hormones). It requires special skills to recover from.
A lot of us go through burnout at some point in our lives. Either because of work, personal circumstances, or both.
In a fully remote and semi-async environment it can be harder to create boundaries (physical and mental) between work and personal time. This often results in long work hours days, little rest, poor sleep, bad eating and exercise habits, etc.
Circuit wants to support everyone to not feel burnout. We implement initiatives and policies that can help with that - social events, wellness stipends, a generous PTO allowance. However, it is important to seek professional help if you feel you have burnout.
Herbert Freudenberger (the psychologist who coined the term in the 1970s) outlined twelve stages of burnout that people often go through if it’s not addressed.
1. You feel there is a strong need to prove yourself
This is all about excessive drive or ambition, having expectations that are unrealistically high, or feeling like an impostor.
2. You push yourself to work harder and harder
In order to try and meet these high expectations and prove yourself, you keep working more.
3. You begin to neglect your own needs more
Basic needs like sleep, exercise, nutrition, and social relationships all get pushed aside as work takes over.
4. You are conflicted and blame others or the situation
You feel panicky and on edge; stress levels are blamed on colleagues, bosses, the expectations of the industry…
5. You change your values to focus on work more
You shift focus again and make work even more core to your identity.
6. You deny the problems that come up due to work stress