Professional Conveyor-belt Burnout

Our oldest daughter, Sam, was home from college this past week, taking a break in-between Spring and Summer semesters. She is really working hard to get through school quickly and efficiently. We are so proud of her for her hard work and dedication to her chosen path. Sam chose a Professional Conveyor-belt education because she feels her mission is to "Heal the Sick". Her desire is to become a Pharmacist, which in today's society, requires a Professional Conveyor-belt education.

This choice is a good one for her.

Yet, I found this last time she was home that her Love of Learning was is serious jeopardy. She normally asks for a suggested book to read while she is here. This time, when I offered a new book, she said, "No, I need a break from reading and studying. My brain is fried."

I pondered about this for a few days. Yes, we do all need breaks sometimes, even from studying the things that we love. But, I wondered if this was actually a matter of Professional Conveyor-belt Burnout. I know I experienced it myself while attending NAU for Early Childhood Education. I reached a point where even things I LOVED became a burden.

What do I do with burnout?

There are some natural responses to burnout that our bodies and minds naturally gravitate to.

One, is to take a break. The question is...what kind of break? Modern society might say, "Go to a Movie." or "Do something fun!" The natural tendency seems to be to entertain oneself when you face burnout. While this can be fun, it may actually cause burnout to last longer or not be faced at all.

Another way is to re-evaluate. Some questions to ask might be;

• When did burnout begin?
• What was happening when I began to feel burnout?
• Did I recognize it right away or deny it?
• What can I do differently?
• Is burnout related to not taking care of myself or taking on too much (not following the Six Month No)?
• How does this affect my Compass?
• What do I need to adjust to not face burnout again?

When we take the time to re-evaluate the reasons for our feelings of burnout, we begin to THINK of possibilities rather than react with a knee-jerk reaction. Once we re-evaluate, we can make the corrections needed to avoid burnout again and hopefully see the path that got us there.

Sometimes there are outside forces that contribute to burnout. These are often beyond our control. It may be wise to discuss the outside forces with a trusted friend, parent, spouse, or sibling. Counseling may even be in order if an ongoing problem persists in unbalancing us. Adjusting our Compass to accommodate these uncontrollable outside forces may be in order. Saying No to more things, or Yes to the right things could bring better balance to our lives. Bringing balance to our lives will do more to correct burnout than to throw ourselves into entertainment pursuits.