How Do I Deal With Burnout? With the Happy Hour Crew
Today is the last Friday of the month, and regular listeners know that on the last Friday of the month, we host the happy hour on the podcast, where we gather great friends to drink cheap drinks and talk about money topics.
Since the beginning of this podcast, which now dates back over 8 years, we always had a set group of people who joined for these episodes. Starting in 2023, we're testing rotating seats for Happy Hour. This decision has come for a few reasons; first of all, the monthly commitment required to co-host the happy hour is difficult for people to make when they have other businesses and interests, as these seats are voluntary.
Secondly, I've heard for years that many of you want to join a happy hour and share your thoughts. I'd love to listen to them because I have shared drinks with many of you in person and would love to do it virtually. Finally, this is an excellent way for us to amplify many of this community's voices and discuss topics you're passionate about.
Joining us for this month's happy hour is a long-time listener, Rebecca, and the topic she wanted to cover is one that many of us are currently feeling or experiencing, and that's burnout. Rebecca shares why and how she knew she was in a state of burnout, and we all share and discuss how we acknowledge and manage it.
What are we drinking?
Melanie Lockert - Ginger Tea
Alicia Lazarto - Coconut Margherita
Rebecca Dodge - Rooibos Tea
Shannon McLay - Big Glass of Red Wine
Podcast Notes
Rebecca is a full-time financial advisor and an MBA candidate at UC Berkeley. She wanted to talk about burnout on the show today because after going at this intense pace for the last few years, Rebecca is experiencing burnout. She was always able to manage until one day, she could not.
There was a point in her MBA program when she flew between home and school every weekend. She learned a lot throughout the process, but it was exhausting. She thought the feeling was stress but realized it was something more.
We are going on year three of these weird pandemic times. Collectively, everyone is feeling stress, and burnout is becoming more common. Part of addressing burnout is identifying it.
How do you recognize burnout versus traditional stress?
Burnout has an apathy component. Rebecca is usually very motivated, and she got to a point where she felt apathetic. She didn’t care about anything, and that was a foreign feeling. Having that motivation snapped out of you is jarring.
Some signs of burnout include exhaustion, dreading work, lack of sleep, depression, short temper, and feelings of drowning. It can also feel like you only have time for work but nothing else.
Burnout is a perfect storm of many stressors, a culmination of many factors. It can feel like an overwhelming lack of control over your situation.
How can we address burnout?
Burnout can last a long time, which makes it challenging. When you don't know when the light is coming, it's easy to spiral or feel hopeless.
If you have been feeling unwell for an extended period, check in on your health with a professional. Melanie thought she was dealing with burnout, which turned out was Celiac disease.
If these feelings are work-related, go to your manager. Allow them to find solutions and work with you to make it better. You can do a task review with your boss and assess what can be taken off your plate to help ease the stress.
Learning to say no and set boundaries is essential. You may feel like you're letting people down, but at the end of the day, you must take care of yourself as much as possible. Your health is the most important thing. Without it, we have nothing.
What are some tips to help ease the feelings of burnout or keep it from happening in the first place?
Don’t wait until you’re in deep to take action. When you’re already burned out, there can be resentment, and making decisions becomes challenging.
Journaling is a safe place to unload the stressors of the day.
Incorporate breathwork or meditation into your day.
Incorporate movement into your day. It can be a 10-minute walk, stretching in the morning, or a dance break in your home office.
Take breaks when you can. Short breaks throughout the day but also longer times away where you can fully unplug. Take advantage of paid time off if you have it.
Find what you love, and never stop trying to find what you love. Make the time for what’s important to you.
Have the confidence to speak up and speak out when you need help. You do not have to go through this alone. The short-term anxiety that comes with asking for help is better than the long-term resentment that builds on your way to burnout.
Takeaway: My biggest takeaway, which I also shared in the show, comes from the immortal words of Ice Cube and that’s to check yourself before you wreck yourself. The world has changed dramatically over the last 3 years and if you’re not taking stock of how you’re feeling and putting systems into place around your mental well-being then you run the risk of things getting worse before they get better.
Resources Mentioned:
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Amelia Nagoski & Emily Nagoski
Connect with The Happy Hour Crew
Melanie Lockert - https://melanielockert.com/
Alicia Lazarto - Chief Operations Officer
Rebecca Dodge - Connect on LinkedIn
Shannon McLay - Host, CEO, & Founder
If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Face, and let me know what you want to hear.
A recent Financial Health Network study revealed that only 31% of Americans were financially healthy. Only 23% of women and only 15% of black people were. Financial health is a crisis in the US but it doesn’t need to stay that way. At the Financial Gym, we’ve spent the last 10 years working one-on-one with our members to help them achieve their financial health goals.
With a 90% success rate and with memberships starting as low as $35 a month, Financial Gym is not only the inflation-proof source for financial wellness for anyone but also a trusted and capable partner for your financial wellness journey. Head or send friends to, financialgym.com and schedule a warm up call today. As a reminder, our warm up call team is staffed with amazing and current Financial Gym clients that can answer any of your questions about our program without any pressure to join. The call is free, so you have nothing to lose.