Yet while she was penning her latest book,Aisbett decided to open a gallery. The stress and exhaustion of juggling two huge projects soon took its toll. Feeling overwhelmed and run down,she started having trouble sleeping. Her mind constantly raced and she began making “silly mistakes” at work. She also struggled to do things that normally came easily.
Aisbett realised she was burnt out. While the term “burnout” is often bandied about light-heartedly,Aisbett says it’s no laughing matter. Its effects can “impact every area of your life and leave you depleted in every way”.
Burnout has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as an occupational phenomenon that can lead to interaction with health services. It’s characterised by “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion”;“increased mental distance from one’s job” (or feeling negative or cynical about it);and “reduced personal efficacy”.
When hearing the term “burnout”,you might picture someone collapsed in a heap. But Aisbett explains that it exists on a spectrum. So if you’re overwhelmed but still functioning,you might be in its early stages.
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When Aisbett felt herself veering into burnout,she did something her type-A personality never thought possible:she asked for an extension for her book’s deadline.
In doing so,she discovered something “amazing”:the world didn’t fall apart when she failed to honour a commitment.
Since then,Aisbett has been proactive about taking steps to ensure she doesn’t burn out again. For her,that’s meant embracing a slower pace of living.