Burnout | An Interview with Career & Life Design Coach Selina Barker

Let’s be honest running your own business is not all rainbows and butterflies. While it’s rewarding and I personally wouldn’t change it for the world, it’s also hard work and involves quite a bit of uncertainty at times. But no matter if you work a “normal” 9-5 job, are a freelancer or run your own business, burnout is something that can affect all of us.

Enter Selina Barker, career & life design coach, podcaster and author of the book Burnt Out. I’ve been working with Selina since 2018, creating personal branding photos for her & Project Love. When I asked her if she was up for doing an interview about burn out for this blog she didn’t hesitate and was happy to take part.

What gave you the idea to write A book ABout BurnOut?

Everyone seemed to be burning out around me - every friend, every client - just on trying to live their lives, do good work and be there for the people they loved. And what worried me even more was that there was a growing acceptance of burnout as an inevitable part of modern life. As if being stressed out and running on an adrenaline-fuelled treadmill to keep on top of your work and life, was unavoidable. And the worst part of it was how much people were suffering living that way.

So I decided that if I was going to write any book then it had to be a book that helped people break free from burnout and learn how to thrive in a fast-paced world, because not only do I know it's possible, I also believe that our bodies are designed to thrive and if they're not thriving then something is wrong and something needs to change. And there is nothing I love more than helping people change the parts of their lives that aren't working for them!

What is burn out and what are the signs of being burnt out?

Burnout is caused by prolonged workplace stress. It's essentially an energy crisis and happens when you have been running on empty for such a long time that your body and your brain finally go on strike and say STOP and demand that you a) rest and recover and b) do something to change what you're doing because what you're doing is making you ill. It's important though to recognise that when a person burns out it is not that they have failed (something that people often feel when they burnout), but rather that they have been failed by a system that tells us all that we will find our self-worth in productivity, progress, money and status and a modern approach to work that tells us that the longer we work and the more hours we put in, the more we will achieve, progress and produce and so we loyally and obediently step onto the treadmill, not getting off until we come crashing off, exhausted and burnt out.

Some of the most common signs of burnout are physical exhaustion, trouble sleeping, loss of compassion, apathy at work, loss of confidence, doubting your abilities, pessimism, procrastination, physical illness, making mistakes you wouldn't normally make, loss of focus and the feeling that you just can't cope.

What factors can influence burnt out?

There are all sorts of factors that can cause high levels of stress at work that lead to burnout - outside factors can be things like a toxic workplace, discrimination, unrealistic deadlines, bad management, lack of staff, constantly heavy workload, long hours, lack of support, but as solo-business owners will tell you, you don't necessarily need a toxic boss or discrimination in the work place to push you into burnout. I used to be in a constant cycle of mini-burnouts in my early days of business which came from a mixture of financial insecurity and a very loud inner Shitty Committee that piled pressure on me and never allowed me to stop.

What happens if you leave it untreated?

If you don't do anything to address your burnout it will just get worse and worse until it becomes so severe that you are left with no option than to address it.

How do you come back from burnout?

It's all about learning how to manage your energy so that you can thrive as you do your work and live your life. Many of us simply aren't aware of what ingredients we need in order to feel energised, grounded and focused throughout the day. Once you figure out what those are then your life will never be the same again. And it is surprisingly straightforward! In fact, my new journal and digital course 'Time to Thrive' is all about that!

What advice do you give to prevent burnout?

Learn how to manage your energy and design your life so that you are giving yourself what you need to thrive on a daily basis. Don't accept feelings of stress, overwhelm, fatigue or exhaustion as 'just a part of modern life'. You are designed to thrive. So if you're not thriving then it means something is wrong and something needs to change. And more often than not, the changes you need to make can be surprisingly small.

Selina’s book also introduced me to what she calls “your inner shitty committee”, the negative and critical voice in your head that loves to point out all the shortcomings you are making, your ideas that won’t work and all the many ways you’re bound to fail. She explains how this is most likely the fundamental reason for your burnout and how to handle it. I’d highly recommend getting this book if you any of the above things have hit home and/or you feel run down or overwhelmed. It’s also a great tool to prevent you from being burnt out in the first place.

Find out more about Selina and her work here:

Website - https://www.selinabarker.com

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/selinabarker