Burn out
Burn out
Let’s set the stage.
It’s 2020, we’re set in Sunny Stressful Singapore, Covid 19 has also changed our lives… and we’re interior designers. We have a variety of projects, wide ranging briefs, colourful clients, stacking tasks, a multitude of details, and never ending deadlines.
I am the co-founder of BuildBuilt. As a business owner, I have been told that ‘I can manage, control and have the ability to change my environment’. I also identify as a creative, and I understand the need to be in the right conditions so that designs can be at its best. This season has been a real test!
To constantly seek new ways to make ‘work’ work for us, and not us work for ‘work’ (ie. working smart and not working hard), I decided to bring ‘burn-out’ into the foreground, and make sure that the BuildBuilt team is sensitive and aware of this work phenomenon. Through this exercise, I would hope that we all take care of our mental health, like how we take care of our physical health. And there’s no shame to say that we have a bruised mind- the same unabashed way we say we have a bruised knee. Both conditions require care and healing.
It seemed that everyone, at some point, would have gone through varying degrees of mental fatigue in their lives. I shared my experiences of a worn mind.. how I battled my own thoughts in the past (and currently) and how I try to cope. I am sharing the notes from our team’s last session together:
What does ‘burn out’ mean to you? And what does it look like to you?
Here are the 5 stages of burn out. Familiar symptoms?:
stage 1: Happy Valley
You’ve just moved into a new work environment. You’re meeting new people, you’re learning new things. It’s your honeymoon. You are trying to prove yourself, and you have a huge store of energy. You are creative and you readily take on new responsibilities that comes your way. You tell family and friends ‘what a great adventure work has been’!
stage 2: Hello, stress.
As work piles, your anxiety levels escalate. You can’t focus much anymore, and seem tired during the day.. At night, you might even lose some sleep. You don’t see family and friends as often as you hoped you would.
stage 3: Stress, go away.
You cannot seem to see options anymore. Work continues to stack up and it is difficult to breathe. You have become tardy. You’re always late for work and meetings. You are also falling sick often. Vices are here to stay- you’re binge eating, drinking (alcohol) and smoking more frequently. Coffee is your best friend. You’ve dropped your good habits and ‘hobby’ is a foreign word. Everything at work is your enemy.
stage 4: Welcome Burn-out
You cannot recognise yourself in the mirror anymore. You look different from when you first stepped into the new work environment. You even smell different due to the lack of self-care. Headaches and stomach problems occur often. You obsess over work issues, and you’ve become a pessimistic panda. You’ve isolated yourself, and you doubt your abilities.
stage 5: Burn-out’s here to stay
There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. You’re perpetually drained mentally and physically. Depression creeps in.
A BB colleague talks about how busy work can be, and her plants at home die from that consequence!
Possible causes of burn-out at work:
lack of control (no authority to make decisions)
unclear job expectations (autonomy/freedom)
negative and toxic relationships with people at work
nature of work is inherently draining
lack of social and personal support outside of work
zero work life balance
A BB colleague talks about how seeing multiple clients and establishing multiple sincere relationships can potentially be draining!
Now that we are aware of how the nature of work, negative people and a toxic environment can stress us into burning out, we should we stop that downward spiral to stage 5!
What do burn-out antidotes look like?
Try these some of these suggestions from our colleagues:
religiously blocking out 1 hour for self care everyday
get forward momentum: to complete simple tasks at hand
general time and task management
don’t be a queen! let go.
self talk! - ‘it’s ok to not be ok’.. and then seek help
alone time (‘airplane’ mode)
understand what motivates and drives you.
create an environment that allows for easy motivation.
change working environments (be it switching tables, working from another space, or even changing jobs!)
know thyself
meditate and pray
gamification of life: setting realistic and acheivable targets and goals
the novelty in new things: explore new methods to structure rest, play and work. for example, mobile apps that keep you on a healthy track =)
gain a new perspective by talking to people with different or similar experiences
I also dish out some advice:
Understand your purpose. Start with why. Know why you do what you do!
Know that you always have options. Reach out to people and brainstorm creative ways to find out another exit.
Create a band of trusted friends/family/colleagues to journey with you. Tougher things are made easier with accountability partners!
If management are approachable, speak up! Find workplace solutions to alleviate immediate pains.
Accept that work and growth will always be challenging. And that one will explore the many levels of burn-out through a career. Friction and heat can be uncomfortable, but know that with friction and heat, comes positive change! Take a wider view of your journey, and embrace the changes. Diamonds are created under high temperature and pressure.
Specifically at BuildBuilt we battle mental bruises and burn-out by:
ensuring that the nature of work is inherently challenging, yet enjoyable
being creative with our work process and philosophy to allow for joyful work
constant formal and informal communication with team members through various mediums
a multitude of training and development platforms
a variety of growth opportunities