Millennials burnout…seriously?

We live under this shadow of understanding that seems to be hurting us all. “This is the way it is” may be the silent consensus among your co-workers, and yourself. This understanding goes something like this: As a young, recent graduate, and someone who is just now starting their career, you don’t need vacation time, days off (if at all), and relaxation as those who have been working much longer than yourself.

I agree. It’s easy to abide by with this statement because our American culture teaches us it makes sense. There are unspoken rules. Vacation time? Even if it’s a part of your benefits, why would you need it? As young people, new to our chosen career field, we put in hours to perfect our craft, help co-workers and make ourselves fully available to prove to team members and “higher-ups” that we are willing to do whatever it takes to be the best and show others how committed we are. Moreover, millennials seem more than happy to do this. I know I sure am.

To me, there is a flip side. It translates as followed: the younger you are, the less mental breaks and moments of relaxation you need and over all time to maintain or restore balance in your life. If you do anything that point towards taking time off work, you’ve shamed yourself into feeling like you’ll be looked down upon and don’t appear as serious about your career as, say, your fellow coworker. It almost seems like there are potential (and therefore fake) career risks to wanting to take breaks, whether that be a day or a week. Often times, we slowly fall into what I call “showing face.” We end up spending more hours than we need to in the office, exhausted and unproductive, slowly burning ourselves out because we think it what others want from us. And sometimes, it is.

However, what happens when you start to feel burnt out? Most of us can have experienced this at least since college, so the feeling is nothing new. So, I can tell you. When I am burnout I don’t perform at my best and I make more mistakes than usual. None of this should be a reflection of my performance at my job.

As I read Arianna Huffington’s new book Thrive, I began to really think about what this mindset and lifestyle means to millennials as a generation and community of young people. Her findings reinforced some of the thoughts I have about balance, or as Huffington puts it, the Third Metric…well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving.

Huffington specifically addresses millennials when she quotes the American Psychological Association. “Nearly 40 percent of millennials said their stress has increased over the past year, compared to 33 percent of baby boomers and 29 percent for older Americans.”

Huffington quotes people who have studied and dealt with burnout to make her case that, as Belgian philosopher Pascal Chabot calls “civilization’s disease,” is something we should all take steps to prevent. Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers alike. Burnout can also increase serious effects such as stress, sleep deprivation and exhaustion, which can lead to an increase in heart disease.

I notice that when I commit time to doing things I enjoy outside my actual job—working out, remembering to read during my train ride, occasionally leaving work early to make it to a Broadway play with a friend or another event where I am meeting new people, aiming for eight hours of sleep at night, meditating as Huffington suggests (keep an open mind, try it out, and thank me later)—I become happier. The moment I realized I had the power to make commitments to my overall well being (even if it seemed on the outside as a “career sacrifice”), positive changes in my work habits and productivity flourish. I can remain focused for longer amounts of time. I make to-do lists and can complete more by the end of my day. It seems like the more of a commitment I make to things other than my job, the better I am at my job.

I believe in working hard. It’s just …I’m convinced that if I want to perform at my highest level, I must be conscious of not just my work life, or love life, or health, but my whole life.  I want to strive in every area of my life. To me, that’s success.

If millennials set out and decide to make personal changes that help to balance our lives, could we become better employees, future leaders, CEO’s, managers, let alone people?! I say, yes. Not only would we be changing ourselves, but in return, we would be fueling the future of work culture towards a more inclusive, accepting environment. I think we should try.​

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