Early signs of burning out? Forum

[Anonymous User]

What are some early signs of burning out?

Thanks

[Anonymous User]

Spending too much time on TLS instead of working. Speaking from personal experience.

Arriving later than usual and leaving early. Especially when the excuses for leaving early because less and less compelling ("I'm tired" as opposed to "I don't feel well").

[notinbiglaw]

When you stop giving a fuck about the quality of your work.

When you’re constantly trying to figure out the minimum amount of work to keep job/get bonus.

When you actively seek out grunt work that’s mind numbingly boring but easy to accumulate billable hours with.

[TheoO]

You find it harder and harder to wake up in the morning to come to work because you feel perpetually tired. You find it harder to care about the work anymore.

I think these two of the symptoms I've noticed. You can tell when associates are getting there since they seem to have started to "check out": not responding as well to emails, coming in looking more disheveled and worn out.

[Anonymous User]

Echoing what some have said:

Waking up tired but having trouble going to sleep at night because you are thinking about work
Forgetting simple things and losing track of what you were working on
Withdrawing from hobbies because they begin to feel like chores
Work stress dreams
Past-trauma stress dreams
Increased anxiety about small tasks, like answering that one email you just couldn't bring yourself to deal with yesterday and now it is just sitting there, reproaching you
Not spending time with friends or loved ones because you feel too tired but also feel like you didn't get enough work done
Lack of interest in aspects of your work that used to excite you
Changes in eating habits while at work
Resenting others at work who seem happy to be there

[Anonymous User]

i'm just a first year and I already feel almost all of these symptoms.

what do i do? how do i un-burn out? i feel like i'm way too junior to feel this burned out/jaded but i have no idea what to do.

[The Lsat Airbender]

i'm just a first year and I already feel almost all of these symptoms.

what do i do? how do i un-burn out? i feel like i'm way too junior to feel this burned out/jaded but i have no idea what to do.

Therapy can plug the dam

[Anonymous User]

Counseling or therapy can help, but they aren't a comprehensive solution. You can look into some self-help books to help you cope, I'd recommend cognitive behavioral therapy.

However, I think the best way to unburn out is to change jobs or practice areas. You may be able to slow down the rate of burnout or reverse it to a degree, but I don't think you're ever going to love your situation.

[Anonymous User]

i'm just a first year and I already feel almost all of these symptoms.

what do i do? how do i un-burn out? i feel like i'm way too junior to feel this burned out/jaded but i have no idea what to do.

The semi-personal laundry list above is mine. I was sleep deprived, stressed, and miserable. Here are the steps I took:

I felt like I was juggling too many things at once, so I sat down and, over the course of a couple of days, after talking with friends and family, I made a list of the things I absolutely needed to be doing, then things I thought I should be doing, the things I want to be doing but am not, and the things I thought I wanted to do but now didn't. I also made a list of things that made me feel happy, health, and successful, and things that helped me feel calm.

I then started removing things that were stressing me out from the list. I quit my martial arts class that I wasn't attending and started running instead. I threw away the stack of unsent holiday cards from December 2018. I decluttered over the course of three months while watching and reading Marie Kondo. I stopped rewarding myself for working late with food that made me feel sick the next day. I went to therapy to finally deal with the nightmares about when I found my law school roommate after they attempted suicide. I uninstalled Steam and spent half an hour screen-free before bed. I turned off my al I spent an hour every Sunday afternoon in the park without my phone.

I carried this over to work, as well. If I wasn't getting something done efficiently or well, I took a step back, got a cup of tea (I went from ten cups of coffee a day to three), stepped outside for a short walk, and then came back to it. I didn't kill myself with hours in the office, and I started getting in half an hour earlier every Monday to clean out my inbox, which made me feel more in control. I planned what *I* was going to get out of each assignment before I began it (experience, greater understanding of an area of law, exposure to a new client, etc.) and kept that in mind as I worked through it.

It's been about four months since I started this and it is helping a lot. I have a super supportive fiance, a family who cares, and friends who are more than willing to lend a hand, which has made this a lot easier: I could not have done this alone. Admitting to them that I was struggling was the hardest part and it was only after I allowed myself to accept help that I made progress. Also difficult was letting things go. It felt like failing to throw away the cards or delete emails I wanted to reply to months ago or cancel my classes, but I felt SO much lighter and freer afterward.

As I got my shit together, I stepped up applying for other jobs and my interviews improved considerably when I was no longer a total wreck. I got an amazing offer yesterday and will be lateralling after I take some time off for me. I am keeping all this momentum going forward though, to make sure I exit gracefully and land with the best possible start.

[Anonymous User]

i am a rising 5th year and dealt with severe burnout earlier this year. meditation practice (there are a ton of apps - i use "simple habit"), therapy, good sleep hygiene, daily vigorous physical activity (MAKE THE TIME - TREAT IT LIKE BRUSHING YOUR TEETH), being mindful not to use food and drink as a palliative, have all helped.

it's a struggle though - this is a rough life.