How to experience Post-Burnout Growth
Can burnout lead to growth? The answer seems to be an emphatic ‘yes’. Here’s why — and how to make it happen.
At the time of her burnout, Alice was working in child protection in a small town. Her workplace was underfunded and drastically understaffed — and her caseload was always growing. “It was supposed to be a 8:30–4:30 job. I’d often work until 2 or 3 in the morning.”
She stayed in the job, seeing little other option. Until one day, she couldn’t go on. “I had a panic attack in my office. I was sitting at my desk with my head in my hands. It was like being trapped in an abusive relationship with an organization. I knew I had to leave.”
When she quit, Alice was in a deep burnout. Within a year, she had turned her life around. Alice quit her job and started a new one, working to support veterans. “My manager is understanding and supportive. I feel excited, I have a purpose, I have options. My kids are happier. I’m more confident. I go to the gym and have lost a few pounds. My relationships have improved.”
This turnaround — from burnt out and trapped to empowered and engaged — might seem startling. And yet the journey from workplace burnout to significant positive change is more common than you might think. So common, that in my…
