[1]Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress

Burnout seems to have become extremely common. When there is so much
happening in the world around you and in your direct sphere of influence,
it can be especially overwhelming. That’s why I wanted to share some of
the tips I’ve learned here about recovering from and preventing burnout.

First off, if you’re feeling burnout — I’m sorry. Burnout is awful, and
especially hard to manage because it’s hard to figure out that 1) you’re
burnt out and 2) what to do about it. I’ve experienced burnout in both big
and small episodes, and having been there and back a few times, here’s
what I’ve learned:

• It’s important to create healthy expectations and compassion for
yourself when recovering from burnout. This sucks, but burnout can take a
long time to recover from. In some cases it can take weeks, months, or
even years — but don’t panic. No matter how burnt out you are, you can
recover.

• Burnout has a lot of contributing factors — it’s not just working long
hours (though that can be a contributor). It’s much deeper than that.

• Think of your whole self as a cup. Participating in certain activities
that are physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally demanding
means that you’re pouring from your cup. These may be activities you
choose and even love, but you’re still pouring from your cup to
participate in them. When you do things that bring you joy and are just
for you — you fill your cup. A healthy balance is when you both fill and
pour from your cup.

When you’re burnt out, you need to consciously be working to fill your cup
more than you pour out. It can be hard, but you need to try to get to a
1-to-1 ratio.

Here’s my advice:

• Start with microscopic decisions. Does that meeting really need to be 30
minutes, or could 15 minutes or maybe an email suffice? Can you start
committing to an after-shift activity for yourself that’s not happy hour?
Can a family member be doing more?

• Just start to ask these questions and assess. You need to be like the
IRS in spiritually auditing the use of your time and energy. It may feel
selfish at first, but consider the alternative of potentially developing a
chronic illness or a panic attack.

• Also, no matter what you do, you always need to have something to look
forward to. Having nothing to look forward to creates real despair. So
schedule that haircut, book a yoga class, or put a “Do not disturb 8-9PM”
on your door when you get home and just watercolor, journal, or whatever
you want. I found that when I’ve pre-planned time off, my life started to
feel way more manageable. When I let that practice slip, it felt
overwhelming again.

And make sure you communicate where you’re at with the people asking for
things from you, so that they can understand and start to help you out.

Like I said, recovering from burnout may not be easy, but it is possible.
Carve out that time for yourself and fill your cup. You can do this.

Take care,

Alexandria



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