Prevent Burnout

Burnout is caused by mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion usually caused by prolonged stress.  It’s a very real thing and it sucks when it happens.  I want to cover some methods for preventing burnout and what to do if you find yourself in a state of burnout.

In the comics, the superheroes usually go-go-go.  One hero that has shown signs of burnout again and again is Batman.  We get it occasionally with Spider-man.

Methods to prevent burnout:

• Stay scheduled - Sticking with a regular schedule can help prevent over-doing things.  Figure out what works for your schedule and what works for you personally.  Maybe you work full time and train at the gym a couple times a week, resulting in patrolling only 1 or 2 times a week.  If it works for you, then go with it.  You need to be able to have downtime and recovery time.  Downtime is more recreational and reduces mental and emotional fatigue.  Recovery time is time allotted to reduce physical fatigue.

• Plan different routes - You may get bored with just one patrol route.  Plan a few other routes, even if it's just your normal route backwards.  This will keep things stimulating for you.  If you get a reputation for thwarting crime, this will also keep criminals unaware of when you’ll be in the area.

• Community - It helps to have a community that you can converse with.  I try to provide that with Herocore.  There are RLSH available through social media.  You can try the subreddits, which seem to be slow to respond (in my experience).

• Firm Boundaries - When you are out on patrol, allow yourself to be out on patrol.  Don’t hangout on your phone or tucked into headphones.  Don’t bring your plainclothes significant other.  Just be an RLSH out on patrol.  That said, when you’re not doing RLSH stuff, that’s when you have time for all the other stuff in your life.  If your patrol takes you 60-90 minutes, that’s the equivalent of having your phone off for a meeting or a class and shouldn’t be a big issue.

• Help at least one person - Every time you’re out as an RLSH, aim to help at least one person.  It might be holding a door open for a person with an armful of groceries, it might be doing first aid or CPR.  This helps keep you positive.

Signs of Burnout

• Exhaustion - You feel exhausted 24 hours a day.  It runs into all parts of your life.

• Sleep Issues - You may want to sleep more than usual or you may have insomnia.

• Life Seems To Be Out Of Control - You just can’t get a handle on things like normal.

• Emotionally Compromised - You may have emotional outbursts like random crying, instant anger, or other.  This is more than what your normal is.

• Performance Issues - Training and patrolling feel like such a huge weight.  Walking a mile seems like such a feat. You'll probably feel sluggish and not as interested in being active. You might have mental performance issues such as difficulty with focus and concentration.

• Negative Attitude - You have a more negative general attitude than whatever your normal is, regarding everything.

Help, I Have Burnout.

This is a 2 week method for dealing with burnout and getting your life back.

• Take 2 weeks off - Seriously, take 2 weeks off.  No training, no RLSH work; you can go to work and/or school.  During your 2 weeks off, get out and do something that you would not normally do.  This could be dining out, getting a massage, visiting a museum or art gallery, going to a concert or sporting event, or something else.

• Regain control of your life - Burnout can have roots with lack of control.  To help regain control of your life, try the following: deep clean your living space, schedule something and follow through (haircut, massage, coffee with friends, etc), and make small progress with tying up loose ends that are affecting your life.  You can do this during your 2 weeks off. Cleaning your living space will absolutely help you reduce anxiety.

• Sleep - When you have burnout, often it affects sleep.  You may want to sleep in or you get some insomnia.  Try to stay on a normal sleep cycle.  If you are having issues falling asleep, try 5mg melatonin.  It won’t put you to sleep, but it will help your body relax - which usually helps your brain move into sleep mode.  If your alarm goes off, do not hit that snooze button.  Get up and be awake.  If you think you’re going to need an extra 30 minutes in the morning, set your alarm to reflect that.  Be on a “no snooze” policy.  This puts you in control and it helps regulate your sleep cycle.

• Peaceful Mind - I won't tell you to meditate because I don't know how many people actually do that. Instead, connect with nature and/or do something peaceful. This may be hiking, walking through a botanical garden, walking through the woods, visiting an aquarium or zoo, doing yoga, painting, drawing, or something else that calms the mind. Many people find that a connection with nature really helps with a peaceful mind.

• Communicate - Communicate with some RLSH friends. It doesn't have to be about anything in particular. Talking about things within the RLSH community will help reduce feelings of isolation, while boosting confidence and socialization. Fun fact: The number 1 way for astronauts to deal with isolation on spaceships is 2-way communication.

• Revise Training Plan - During your time off, revise your training plan. Swap out some exercises at the gym or try to fit in a new type of class. The goal here is to revitalize your training program to make you excited about it again. You may also want to add to a current gym playlist or create a whole new gym playlist.

Please feel free to sign up for the Herocore forum. It's free.

If you have questions or comments, leave them below. We could also continue this in the forum.