Burnout : Hex's advice and comprehension of it.

I was asked how I handle my burnout period. Well first let’s examine what burnout is. As stated by The World Psychiatric Association “Burnout is a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job. The three key dimensions of this response are an overwhelming exhaustion, feelings of cynicism and detachment from the job, and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment.” (1). As you can see, burnout is usually indicated with having a job. Now burnout doesn’t always mean it can be linked with said job. It can also be linked with other things too! I’ve seen it in the spiritual community where people get burnout from being on social media and having to have a platform. Because the burden of being looked up to is very much like a tightrope. I do in fact get burned out from time to time. That is why I try my best to have a distance from social media and not be so intertwined with it. I have to remind myself daily that I am still human. I need mental breaks and I do have a limit. To say that I don’t is just egotistical. I understand who I am as a person. And I am grateful for that privilege of knowing who I am and where I stand.

Now I’m going to be specifically talking about burn out for myself and how I handle it within my own spirituality along with my career. I understand that having burnout is pretty much…shit. You can easily find yourself not wanting to do anything during this period of time. You can find yourself to be struggling to even do the simplest of tasks. However, I promise you that if you try to set up a little goal or even something remotely easy. Like taking a shower or even brushing your teeth. It can be so helpful. And for me it kind of has this snowball effect where if I do one thing then I can do another. And that’s where I find myself usually. It’s me having to snowball these goals from one small goal to a large goal. That momentum keeps me going. In that momentum it can be hard to know when to stop and take a breather. So I have to encourage the thought of resting when needing to. And that it is okay to rest. What helps me a lot is setting myself up for the day for 1 to 5 goals. Whether it be getting items for my shop or even just painting. Then that’s great. Although, I don’t expect myself to fully commit to these goals. Because if I do that then if I don’t accomplish those goals by the end of the day then my burn out will become even worse than it was before. Because then it shows that I can’t even do something that I promised myself or even committed to. Personally this is a challenge to deal with mentally. So please don’t put so much expectations nor don’t put commitment onto something that you know you can’t commit to. Know yourself a little bit during these situations. Try to understand your own limit. And don’t think of yourself as small. You’re still human and you’re still capable of breaking as well as being successful. You are capable of all things. And if you need help then please ask for it. Do not be afraid or don’t even hesitate to ask for help. My messages are always open for anyone who needs it and I am more than happy to look at these burdens and problems with you. Just please advise me beforehand of doing so.

Within my own spirituality and practice. It does get tiring in a sense where I feel fatigued doing some things all the time. Like for instance tarot readings. They can be very exhausting for me. About a month ago I stopped doing story readings. Because it was exhausting. It felt like if I didn’t do them all within the hour or second they were sent to me. Then I wasn’t successful. To feel unsuccessful would just feed into me being burnt out. It could get so bad that I would be behind on orders and I was also not paying attention to the life around me. It pulled me away from my friends who I was supposed to hang out with. It pulled me away from my loved ones who needed me. Even though I had a schedule for my main tarot readings. It still felt so much pressure to do that along with having a website/shop along with having a huge social life that requires me to be having intimate moments with people. I was still one person. So I asked myself the question of would it be beneficial for me mentally to just stop tarot readings on my story for a little while. Let myself recover and actually enjoy what I do. Rather than having myself feel angry towards myself and having burnout.

Now I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy story readings. But it was just so overwhelming to have 300+ or even 600+ people ask me questions and I had to even stop answering them on my story otherwise the ones previously asked were to be deleted. So I had to message people and I had to go back and schedule on paper for people who wanted to do more readings. And it was overwhelming. Because I was one person handling 300-600+ people's burdens and worries. I do not mind doing them however the last time I did it. I sensed that I was doing way too much. It came to be an issue with my spirituality. It became an issue because who am I if I don’t set myself up for boundaries. Which I preach about others having to do. That same hypocrisy is what led me to have a sudden realization. And that realization was when I learned that I needed to step away from doing story readings. So that I can focus on my spirituality more thoroughly. Along with focusing on what it is that feeds me and what nourishes me. I just want to say this also before moving forward that I’m very grateful for all this work and I’m very grateful for everyone who has been able to support me and said work. I will continue to extend my hand for those who need me and for those who need help.

Subsequently, I want to apologize for this overextended little example of what one of my burnout sessions looked like. But I hope it helps you in a sense where if you feel like you are doing too much then you are. If you feel as if you are only doing these certain stressors or acts in order to receive something back. Then take a moment of reflection and understand that you can still be loved or even admired without having to overwork yourself. And stressing yourself out is not worth it. I had to remind myself that peace was my end goal in life. That I want peace more than I want stress. And I am no longer looking to be stressed. I do understand that that is a privilege to say. Especially within our society and being under the foot of capitalism. Because there are those who have to work and have to keep working in order to survive. It would be insensitive to not acknowledge them. And to those folks I am very sorry. And you are more than welcome, again, to enter my DM‘s or even email me about your situation, problems, or even burdens. And we can both look at it together and see what we can do overall. And it’s okay to ask for help. It is also okay to take a moment for yourself. Be selfish if needed.

I hope that the tone of this message isn’t perceived as elitist or even privileged. But I hope it is taken with an understanding that I wish only the best for everyone and I want them to live a happy life. Because I do understand what it means to be burnt out and having to keep working in order to survive. And I try my best every day to make sure I don’t fall into that hole of despondency. If you have any comments or concerns or even questions. Please ask below. Other than that I hope this was informational enough for you. And I am happy to have an open discussion on this subject. This article was mainly just a perspective of mine for the topic of being burnt out while also being a spiritualist/practitioner. Thank you mis amores for listening .

Te amo con todo mi corazon.

L.

Sources: (1) Maslach, Christina, and Michael P Leiter. “Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry.” World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) vol. 15,2 (2016): 103-11. doi:10.1002/wps.20311