It’s too hot to think!
I’m currently hiding inside from the heat outdoors today; I’m not one to enjoy showers every day usually but at the moment I might even have two just to survive. Alongside this intensity of the weather, I am not feeling 100% in what I do at the moment. As a result, motivation is a little low and I feel a little lacking in purpose. I thought I’d spend today talking about taking time out and knowing when to stop working.
Not 100%
I have returned from taking a well-meaning break consisting of long walks and pub quizzes this weekend, and I feel so much better than I did on Thursday last week. Enjoying nature and friends has really benefited my mental and physical wellbeing, apart from my poor feet from walking 70k steps in three days, and I am very grateful for booking this holiday and being able to go and stay with friends for a little while, away from home and university.
I write a weekly reflection in a little notebook at the end of every week, and last week was the first time I scored it lower than a 7/10. It felt strange to be realistic and honest in my evaluation of how I really felt, as it feels so much more normal to lie and say, “I’m fine”, but it helps put into perspective what a good week looks like compared to one where things aren’t working out as much.
A combination of helping with master’s students, hot weather, couch to 5k, and trying to manage future works held me above the boiling pot last week. Weeks of meeting new people, learning new workflows and systems, adjusting to laboratory procedures, as well as learning about my own work culminated into what felt like slipping into a puddle of mud. I do enjoy balancing many aspects of my life and keeping busy, but enough was enough.
I needed a break, and good thing I planned one a while ago for last weekend. However, being honest with myself was harder than just going away: if I hadn’t made it such a thing, would I be able to allow myself to rest and relax? The answer is probably not and that’s something I have to work on. But that’s okay, because many people (me included) do not know when they are approaching burnout or how to mitigate the risks of it.
Burnout vs Stress
Burnout is defined as ‘an occupational phenomenon … a state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion’ by Mental Health UK. It isn’t the same as stress, which is short term and usually can be ignored during an activity, but repetitive and elongated high demands that exceed resources can cause someone to feel totally detached and no longer interested in what you do.
Many symptoms are listed in the link above, but I always feel more tired, have more headaches, feeling overwhelmed, more irritable, and more prone to have a pint or two more than necessary. I think exercise can either really help or hinder my feelings, as it may make me more tired, but significantly make me feel more empowered and happier. Everyone has different quick fixes and alleviations to burnout, but we need to allow ourselves to have more dead time or simple relaxation as well as ‘healthy’ or ‘productive’ ways to stress bust.
According to the Burnout Report 2025, one in five workers required time off work due to mental health struggles and 91% of UK adults reporting high or extreme levels of pressure in the past year at work. Students who are full-time were even higher with 94% reporting the same stresses! All workers and students should stand together in seeking help and finding healthy solutions and work-life balances.
What If I’m Burnt Out, and How Can I Prevent It?
I should note that I was not burnt out but merely approaching it, moving from the stress boundary towards it, but I had previously experienced burnout when I was employed at my last role. I had to take time away from many projects and slowly handover certain tasks to other team members until I felt better, but to be totally honest, this wasn’t enough. All businesses are afraid of losing productivity and value from employees taking medical time off, or even the public image of causing burnout, is what I took away from my time in industry.
Burnout needs to be treated with the causes being understood first and foremost to avoid future cases, with it being so intimate and personal to every single person. Initially, people should seek medical help via GPs and seek the source of the burnout. Most of the time it is referred to as a result of working environment, yet it can come from anywhere in someone’s life. Even so, letting your work know how you’re feeling, and your abilities professionally is very important.
There are many suggestions on the Mental Health UK website on how to prevent burnout, but it all depends on each person. For me personally, making sure I’m totally disconnected from the source and taking time out to simply read or walk around the office every now and then really helps. I also have to ensure my pillars of health - diet, sleep, exercise, happiness - are all strong and stable before even trying to start again.
Closing Remarks
Being vulnerable about my feelings and current mental state is something I strive to improve the older I get. It still feels difficult to be crystal clear about certain aspects, but having a strong support system has benefitted my mental and physical wellbeing massively. I am attending conferences next week and have a busy summer planned, but I think I’ll take the last week of August totally off with nothing booked into it as a result of this. Hopefully by then I will understand more of what my project will become and can find it easier to take a step back.
Keep it up, I’m proud of you.
J x