Burnout doesn’t show up like a light switch - rather, it’s much more orogenous. No, I didn’t say “erogenous,” I’m talking about orogeny - the process of how mountains form.
Burnout appears slowly, gradually, like a mountain pushing through the earth’s crust. Well, maybe not quite THAT slowly, but my point is that it can be very difficult to recognize burnout until it’s too late. But much like a rising mountain, burnout can cause considerable disruption to the surrounding landscape (aka your health, happiness, and relationships).
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Intro music: “Gingerly” (instrumental) by Surname. Mixed by yours truly.
Focus music by Pink Coyote.
Outro music: “Futurism” (instrumental) by mrnoname. Produced and mixed by yours truly.
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Welcome to episode 16 of Thanks For Thinking, the music business podcast focusing on self-reflection and proactivity for thoughtful music production professionals.
I’m your host, Carl Bahner.
Today’s topic: The Warning Signs of Burnout
This episode will be a short one because, unfortunately, the topic of burnout has been on my mind a lot lately.
Oddly enough, work hasn’t been burning me out. If anything, working on mixes and working with my students have actually been rejuvenating for me. The cause of the burnout is a family issue that we’ve been dealing with for the better part of the past three years, with an especially rough 2021. Back in January, it seemed like things were finally turning a positive corner, but every time we crossed over a hurdle, a new obstacle appeared.
Burnout doesn’t just turn on like a light switch - rather, it’s much more orogenous. No, I didn’t say “erogenous,” I’m talking about orogeny - the process of how mountains form.
Burnout appears slowly, gradually, like a mountain pushing up through the earth’s crust. Well, maybe not quite THAT slowly, but my point is it can be very difficult to recognize burnout until it’s too late. But much like a rising mountain, burnout can cause considerable disruption to the surrounding landscape (A.K.A. your health, happiness, and relationships).
Whatever the warning signs are for you, they’re probably actions, habits, or emotional responses that seem (or feel) out of character. Some people experience it as being exhausted and sleeping more than normal. Others ignore calls or texts from friends. Some find themselves doomscrolling through social media in hopes to escape the feeling.
Personally, I find myself feeling afraid to open my mail, so I just avoid doing for days (or sometimes weeks) at a time. It’s not out of fear of bills or anything like that, because it’s 2022 and I autopay most of those. But that’s kind of my point - it’s a completely irrational response to an incredibly mundane task: just bringing in the mail from the mailbox and opening it. Looking back at it, it’s probably some weird manifestation of me trying to pretend that if I don’t acknowledge the burnout, then it will just magically go away on its own.
It’s too bad that’s not how it works.
Find a comfortable spot without distractions. I’d like you to spend the next few minutes thinking about the times you’ve experienced burnout before, and how you came to realize “yep, I’m burnt out.”
Today's reflection question is: What are the warning signs that I may be on the verge of burnout?
I’ll be back in a few minutes.
If you need more time, hit pause and come back when you’re ready.
Today’s action item is a bit unlike other episodes. Typically I’ll challenge you to write down some ideas of how you can handle that episode’s topic and situations. But today’s action item is just to forgive yourself for the times you’ve felt burnt out. You’re human. You care about the work you do and the clients you do it for. You also care about your family and your future. Sometimes the things we care about ask for more energy than we have to give, but we give it anyway. Sometimes we get burnt out because we care.
Our goal moving forward is just to be on the lookout for those early warning signs. It’s no surprise that burnout makes us less effective and less efficient (not to mention less healthy, less happy, and less fun to be around). So, if we can spot the early signs of burnout, we can take steps to refresh and protect our mental health so that we can stay focused, healthy, and happy.
For me, that means that these episodes may not be as consistent as they would be in a perfect world. But it’s not a perfect world, and I’m not a perfect human - but that’s what makes life so fun. I’m forgiving myself for feeling the way I have recently, and I hope that when burnout comes knocking at your door, you can forgive yourself, too.