Recovering from Burnout Series- Strategy 6: Seek Help

During college, I spent a year in China teaching 8th through 10th graders at a boarding school. When I returned, I had one semester left at Lee University, in Tennessee.  

Let me tell you, where I had lived in China was a world away from where I lived in Tennessee, and I jumped right into all the activities of the different social clubs I was in the first week back at school. My friends and I would stop at Piggly Wiggly, a convenience store, and I would buy salt and vinegar potato chips (my favorite!) and Mountain Dew to keep myself going into the wee hours of night during the social activities.  

A few weeks into this crazy routine, I realized I was not okay. I was dealing with reverse culture shock, and I was depressed much of the time. The university had counseling services, so I made an appointment. As I shared what was going on, the counselor made some practical suggestions. She recommended diet-wise, that I stay away from caffeine, salt, and sugar because these are all natural uppers, but then they let you down and let you down fast. I laughed thinking about my nightly ritual of chips and soda, and knew my body was trying to reach equilibrium, but in the wrong ways.  She also recommended some supplements to help with the depression. I met with her a few times, and this process of verbalizing to someone else the burnout and depression I was feeling helped start to make sense of what I was going through on my return to “normal” life. 

Through the years, I have had times where I have benefited from counseling and life coaches. I am also an avid reader, so I have had many “counselors” from the wise words of people who have been on similar, or different, journeys than me. Friends and family have also been lifelines when everything feels so hard. 

It is difficult when we find ourselves far down the road of being burned out to reach out to others. For me, I have realized these people are like flotation devices that can help keep us afloat when we are so tired from swimming. Sometimes we need to ask someone else to make the call for us. We are not alone. Reach out and ask for help. 

Notes in the Margins: 

1. Who is one person you will reach out to for help? 

2. What is one book or article that you want to read that might help you in what you are going through?