“Dear Greg,
How do I keep myself from burning out?”
From, Jay
Dear Jay,
As someone who burns out every other week, there aren’t many people more qualified to speak about this topic than me. While I personally find the experience to be enlightening, most people view burning out as socially unacceptable and self-destructive.
Instead of burning out, burn brighter. While there’s clarity that comes with the flames, it’s easy to forget after a fifth of Black Velvet. So here’s some helpful advice to avoid burning out without feeling like you’re a lame sellout loser.
I cannot emphasize how important your choice of friends is. I’ve spoken before about the liability of relationships, but this is a situation where like-minded peers can help. Take a quick look at your group of friends and if you can’t identify the burnout amongst them, it’s time to leave, because it’s probably you.
Be the inspiration for people who just aren’t as good as you. You might think that surrounding yourself with responsible and dedicated individuals will inspire you to improve your life. But I’ve found that living vicariously through your out-of-control friends is a better recipe for success.
To avoid burning out is to avoid class, school and homework at all costs. But that doesn’t help us much when we’re trying to succeed and get our parents to stop calling us “parasites”.
Instead, find something that helps you relax and get your mind off it all. Pull an all-nighter playing your stupid video game, binge watch that new show on Netflix, go to a bar and have several glasses of whiskey with your irresponsible friends…
Maybe I don’t have as clear an understanding about burning out as I thought. Instead of obsessing over your poor grades, avoid your natural instinct to throw more fuel on the fire and actually do something to resolve the issue.
Looking back on life, the main reasons why I’ve burned out is that I either over thought or underthought critical situations.
Having to deal with school, work, friends and family can get overwhelming; but that’s life. Living in stupid “society” means giving up irresponsibility in favor of accountability and poise (if you don’t have poise you’re doing it wrong).
People usually burn out at the end because they’ve spent a long time reaching an indeterminate finish line. So it’s important you have a clear understanding, the finish line is death. You shouldn’t be racing, you should be enjoying the journey.
Surround yourself with optimistic friends and share in your struggles. Everyone gets stressed, so build a support network to weather the storm together. Instead of avoiding your life, embrace the challenge! Relaxation is for the dead, and now is the time to work.