Why It's Perfectly Normal to Feel Burnt Out
July 12, 2021
4.5 min read
And how I found healthy ways to manage these feelings.
Written by Simon Spichak
I spent 2020 living in Ireland, thousands of kilometers from home. Living away from your loved ones is hard, but I was also stressed finishing up grad school during a pandemic. I learned to recognize and accept these feelings, rather than deny them.
Living away from home during the pandemic was hard. I felt guilty for feeling worn down. After all, I am not a front-line worker. Very few of my friends, family, or even acquaintances were directly impacted by COVID-19. But I still felt burnt out and empty. Why was I trying to invalidate these feelings? I had to embrace and work towards accepting that I won’t feel happy, comfortable, or fulfilled every single moment of my life.
I was subjecting myself to the Misery Olympics. There is no threshold of suffering you must achieve before your feelings magically become valid. The thing is your feelings are an expression of everything you’re experiencing. Everyone experiences the world differently, with different levels of support. It is okay to feel bad even if other people may be less fortunate.
We need to listen to our bodies, brains, and emotions. We need to understand and delve deep into these feelings. We need to learn how to work through our feelings. What are your favorite therapeutic coping mechanisms? I’ll share some resources and evidence-backed ways that I've used to recharge and work through my feelings.
“There is no threshold of suffering you must achieve before your feelings magically become valid.”
Sharing my feelings and insecurities with the world was immensely helpful. Many of us will find the beneficial effects of art therapy on our mental health. I love creative fiction and non-fiction writing and journaling. Taking ten to fifteen minutes out of my day lets me think about and work through my feelings by writing.
There is nothing more exciting than opening up a fresh page in a notebook, putting pen to paper. Doodling or writing provides my mind a chance to wander and allows me a space to write without judgment. If you are adventurous, share your feelings with the world either through Twitter, TikTok, or any other platform. Do you make videos, tweet, or sing? You will be surprised by the amount of support you find in the world.
Now there are more platforms than ever that allow you to express yourself to the world. By materializing your feelings into something tangible, they become real. Writing and art become the documentation of your lived experience. Don’t underestimate how powerful and affirming this can be.
Community and Psychosocial Supports
Nothing beats venting to a supportive friend about everything you are feeling. I am lucky to have several friends and family members that I can talk to and vent. There are also plenty of supportive communities in which internet strangers bestow their support upon you. Not sure where to turn to? Check out these subreddits:
Mom for a Minute: This is a wholesome place to go if you need motherly support.
Dad for a Minute: Another hub of strangers who will shower you with advice, unconditional love, and support.
There are other supports that you might seek out. There is no shame in wanting to find a professional listener. You might feel alone, isolated, apathetic, or even depressed. Students often have difficulty accessing psychotherapists. Some of us struggle with making a phone call to set up an appointment (I mean who doesn't get anxious just thinking about phone calls?).
Noah and I started Resolvve to make it easier for any student to find and access quality psychotherapists. This was a service that I didn't have when I needed it. A psychotherapist will help you build cognitive strategies to work through your feelings. A therapist will help you journey through your own mind, make sense of your experiences, and help you develop habits and skills for good mental health.
Giving Yourself A Break (Yes You Do Deserve It)
Making sure to take care of yourself, whether through exercise, sleep or healthy eating goes a long way! A walk outside, breathing in the fresh air and looking at adorable squirrels or birds does wonder. If we punish ourselves for not being productive enough, we fall into a negative self-loathing spiral. No one works well while being burnt out.
Working or studying is rather difficult with a pandemic going on around us. Many people need to take care of kids or other family members. Those of us like me, living an ocean away from home will worry about friends and family. Over the past year, I have learned to prioritize my mental health, taking regular breaks as well as other proactive steps to prevent burning out. There are a few other types of resources that will help you escape burnout.
We are developing a library of resources to help you find easy ways to take a break and practice self-care. Built from decades of psychological research, with input from psychotherapists, we want to help empower you. When you sign up for the mailing list on our website, you’ll get five free ebooks to help you develop these healthy habits.
Resolvve Is Here to Help
Do your future self a favor, mind your mental health and treat yourself with compassion. At Resolvve, this is our number one priority, both with our approach to therapy, as well as the type of learning and educational modules we will have with our subscription. Book a 15-minute consultation with our Resolvve therapists.
**Please note, this is article is not considered therapy or a replacement for it. Please seek professional help if you need it.**
