Burnout and career break experiences

[ThinkingTank]

I’ve come to a bit of a crossroads and am hoping to get some advice from others who have been through the same.

To summarise I think I am approaching burnout due to a variety of factors personal and professional which have all added up. I am now suffering with anxiety, depression, high BP and chronic headaches and am struggling to perform in work and all areas of my life really. My job is incredibly demanding and there is a constant emphasis on professional development and working towards the next promotion. I wake up every morning feeling complete dread and am so overwhelmed that I cry multiple times a day. I wfh so can hide this from my colleagues.

I am now wondering if a 6-month career break would help. I would be really interested to hear other’s experiences.

Changing career might be the obvious choice but I don’t want to. I have already switched into this career. I also am very interested in what I do.

Thanks for reading.

Sorry to hear you're feeling like this.

Who or what creates the expectation of working towards promotion? In many workplaces it's a massive headache when too many people are vying for promotion! The people who are happy at their grade are often hugely appreciated.

I do think a break might help you to step back to remind yourself about what you like and enjoy in your work. It's brilliant you're interested in your job. Are you getting pushed, or pushing yourself, into aspects of it which stress you out for some reason? Do you have the chance to row back from those bits and do the parts you're more comfortable with, for a while? Appreciate that's not possible in all jobs to pick and choose, but if you can it might be worth considering. What will give you a break from things tiring you outside work?

Also, though, make sure you really work through what a 6 month break means for your finances. Any potential stress from money worries is not to be sniffed at!

Some companies are up or out - you always need to be working did the next promotion.

Some industries are up or out.

Is it your company or your industry?

Maybe worth trying a different company first although easier said than done if you are approaching burnout.

I think if you are still interested in your field then I would look for a different job in the same one. Maybe even a different job in the same organisation?

The trouble with 'burnout' as a label is it suggests a permanent state. I got into a full on physical and mental state in my previous job, it was awful. I identified what was going wrong (several things) and dealt with them, including a chunk of sick leave (awful but essential), antidepressants, therapy, an amazing holiday, and applied for a role in a different team in my organisation. The same field but a different emphasis, different culture and a fresh start. So far it's going well and I have a new enthusiasm for what I'm doing.

Consider if wfh is really helping you. If you would have to take sick leave if you were going into the office, perhaps you need to do that?