burnt the F out

[svandamme]

again.

Had a run with burnout in 2006-ish.
almost 10 years later , i have to realize that i've missed the signs for to long
impulse buying
insane commute driving
to much work
angry at stupid things.

Luckily i've noticed it and managed to mask the symptoms a lot better at work then in 2006.

Just sent my boss an email,
'dude, kettle is over cooking, need new plan'

his response was
'dude, pressure has been stupid, you've exceeded all expectation, xmas leave is well earned, don't mind if you flake out till then, we will figure it out"

needless to say , I have a great boss.
(and have been a good performer)



I still hate it though... It's no fun to realize that the basic programming is failing with a buffer overrun.

[KFC911]

Stress will kill ya man....find a release somehow . Had severe work burnout once....halfway through my corporate career. I GTF out...ain't no way to live imo. Best of luck!

[svandamme]

the weird part is.
I need to be pushed, my BP is 66/99 right now.
i'm a red meat junkfood eating 'greens is the food my food eats'.
yet i feel pumped.
I don't know what high BP is supposed to be like.. never had anything over 8/11

This worked for me for long time, out of 60 people world wide in the company i was ranking top level in results. And i was fine

But somehow it's a fine line between running up well "in the zone" and suddenly i notice i'm no longer running.

[Bill Douglas]

Relax. Let someone else do the worrying...

I'm at the age where I feel "Yes I care, I care a lot. But someone else can die for the cause - not me."

Ha, I remember a new boss I had. He started the new job and was going to make a success of this and that. Turn the place around etc. A few months later he killed himself (stress) and two weeks after that we couldn't even remember the stupid f's name.

No one really appreciates someone who dies for the job.

[wdfifteen]

If you thrive on pressure you'll be back into a pressure cooker soon. Take a break. It doesn't sound like you'll be comfortable relaxing for long.

And the red meat and junk food will eventually move those bp numbers. Stress doesn't do it, it's how you handle stress that wrecks your health.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by svandamme

I still hate it though... It's no fun to realize that the basic programming is failing with a buffer overrun.

I think you need to install a bit-bucket

[Baz]

How old are you - do you enjoy your work - and do you have an exit strategy?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by svandamme

i have to realize that i've missed the signs for to long
impulse buying
insane commute driving
to much work
angry at stupid things.

Luckily i've noticed it and managed to mask the symptoms a lot better at work then in 2006.

Just sent my boss an email,
'dude, kettle is over cooking, need new plan'

his response was
'dude, pressure has been stupid, you've exceeded all expectation, xmas leave is well earned, don't mind if you flake out till then, we will figure it out"

needless to say , I have a great boss.
(and have been a good performer)

I had my last shot at it back in 2012 from working 60hrs/wk at a grueling job for 1.5 years, but the OT and what we did with it was worth it.

I had a very short term version of it that ended about 2 weeks ago. It was only 2 months of long hours and high stress from a big project. I still haven't unwound from it yet, but I'm getting there. I've got 10 days off starting Fri and almost all of the honey-do stuff is done. I think that'll fix it.

[Rikao4]

You will never own your employer.
So your 1 of 10. ..50..
Dr told me..
U going to die..
I said ..but the $$$$$..
U won see it...
No problem sitting in the right lane and these days.
Hurry to what...
She waits.and the boys bark..

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Rikao4

You will never own your employer.
So your 1 of 10. ..50..
Dr told me..
U going to die..
I said ..but the $$$$$..
U won see it...
No problem sitting in the right lane and these days.
Hurry to what...
She waits.and the boys bark..

Exactly. From the moment we are born, all we have is the time we have left on the planet. there is no way to really know how much time. You can spend that time working, accumulating wealth and stuff. If that's your desire, by all means go for it. The opposite of that is to sit on your donkey and let others feed you. Also, if that is your desire, by all means, do so.

Many of us choose to go for a compromise...quality vs. quantity.

We all must live with our choices...

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Baz

How old are you - do you enjoy your work - and do you have an exit strategy?

42
like my job, good coworkers and team
not really

I don't really do all that much hours, but it's usually high end escalations in medical computer systems.. So little room for screw ups..

I am pretty good at it, but this somehow snuck up on me..
It doesn't help that i'm quite high strung in my regular state... And don't relax easy.

Not that much hobbies or sports, got bad knees
Used to do a lot of shooting, long range, but slowly got fed up with it, to much hassle, to much driving to ranges
to much time to reload ammo and it became a drag in it's own right, so sold most my guns

[ckelly78z]

I find that stress comes more from not being able to accomplish personal chores/activities because of prior commitments. My wife and I, have alot of unfinished home projects that we can't seem to get done because of health issues, bad weather, overtime work schedules, unforseen emergencies. Pile on all the work duties, and ailing parents, along with holiday expectations, and you have a good recipe for exhaustion.

[berettafan]

great post OP. appreciate the insight.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

I find that stress comes more from not being able to accomplish personal chores/activities because of prior commitments. My wife and I, have alot of unfinished home projects that we can't seem to get done because of health issues, bad weather, overtime work schedules, unforseen emergencies. Pile on all the work duties, and ailing parents, along with holiday expectations, and you have a good recipe for exhaustion.

This is what got me, kept putting personal stuff aside, then it all started juggling across my mind in a way I couldn't stay focused with work or anything.

One of those personal things I recommend NOT setting aside if you work a mental job is something physical.

Originally Posted by svandamme

42
like my job, good coworkers and team
not really

Not that much hobbies or sports, got bad knees

Mental stress without a physical release for sustained periods drives me crazy.

My knees dislocate super easy, its super painful. I still need exercise anyway.

I don't know what your budget for activities is, or how expensive it may be in Europe, but I have a special deal with a local kart track with a rental fleet, I can show up any time they don't have a corporate event and run as much as I like all year.

I think the impulse buying comes from your brain trying to limit how many things are on the mind, so instead of normal decision making just buy it. Its a sign to offload some thoughts.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by svandamme

42
like my job, good coworkers and team
not really

I don't really do all that much hours, but it's usually high end escalations in medical computer systems.. So little room for screw ups..

I am pretty good at it, but this somehow snuck up on me..
It doesn't help that I'm quite high strung in my regular state... And don't relax easy.

Not that much hobbies or sports, got bad knees
Used to do a lot of shooting, long range, but slowly got fed up with it, to much hassle, to much driving to ranges
to much time to reload ammo and it became a drag in it's own right, so sold most my guns

Originally Posted by Tervuren

This is what got me, kept putting personal stuff aside, then it all started juggling across my mind in a way I couldn't stay focused with work or anything.

One of those personal things I recommend NOT setting aside if you work a mental job is something physical.

Mental stress without a physical release for sustained periods drives me crazy.

---snip---

Stijn,

Thanks for your reply. Based on your answers.....this sounds exactly what I went through when I was at your age and that point in my corporate career. And I bet there are many here who have BTDT and can also relate.

As Tervuren posted......not having a physical activity to provide some release is not a good situation for you. I used to do a lot of cycling - with a Trek road bike. I also had a device I could set my bike on in my den and could sit there and watch TV while I spun. Not sure with the condition of your knees if any of this is possible but might be worth looking into. Cycling is generally not very hard on the knee joints. The benefits to your head and heart though are immeasurable.

But I would also say taking some time off - as you are doing - is a very good short term solution.

At 42 you have a good 20 years ahead of you in your work life. Better to address the stress at this stage and hopefully your remedy will pay dividends down the road.

BTW..we all get burned out from work. You're in very good company!

Good luck and all the best for the holidays!

[svandamme]

yeah, I know, exercise helps in so many ways
I was cycling, knee at some point prevented cycling, just could not put load on it.
Did a lot of walking.. good for exercise and relaxation.
But the knee got progressively worse till that also went out.
pparantly no cartilege left in the knee, it's bone on bone. now.
Need to get it looked at by a specialist soon.

[ckelly78z]

I don't excersise much, but have a pretty active physical job, and a farm to keep running. I find that running the log splitter for hours on end is my therapy/excersise. I love seeing the woodpile progressively grow, and know that I will enjoy the warmth from that same firewood in the Winter.

[Deschodt]

Originally Posted by svandamme

again.

Had a run with burnout in 2006-ish.
almost 10 years later , i have to realize that i've missed the signs for to long
impulse buying
insane commute driving
to much work
angry at stupid things.

(...)
like my job, good coworkers and team
not really

I don't really do all that much hours, but it's usually high end escalations in medical computer systems.. So little room for screw ups..

It doesn't help that i'm quite high strung in my regular state.

Damn, you're my Dutch twin ! Same symptoms (did not realize that was from burnout, thanks for pointing that out), same job and medical escalations, just as high strung.. higher BP though...

I think my solution will be the same job in a different field... the patient-care aspect is too much pressure... I ued to do it in a corporate hotel chain environement, there the worst case scenario is you can't make room keys. With 5 hospitals, there's always something blowing up, or a security initiative, and a surgeon claiming his computer problem prevents him from saving people... The BS is getting hard to juggle...