Experiencing burnout for the first time is daunting, and it can happen at any stage in your academic career. I was a Postdoc when it first happened to me. A Postdoc with more than seven years of experience under my belt, and I’d worked in a number of postdoc fellowship positions. You’d think I’d feel a sense of accomplishment, right? 

But of course, it isn’t that simple. Although I was finally in a research contract that provided some stability, I knew that it was temporary and my postdoc contract would come to an end the following year. The stability and security I had worked so hard for suddenly felt very short lived, and as the end of my contract approached my stress levels kept rising with no sign of stopping. 

In an environment that values results over dedication, I knew I needed to produce data that would help me secure funding and, ultimately, would help me secure my position in academia - whether I remained a postdoc or moved up to a faculty or industry scientist position. Perhaps in part because the stakes were so high, it took me a while to admit that I wasn’t coping well. 

In the years since, and in my work with others experiencing burnout, I have recognized this pattern time and time again. For many, Burnout is hard to face and for some it feels like failure. But for most, when reality sinks in and we accept what we are experiencing, we realize it’s time to re-evaluate priorities, time to reassess what dictates our decisions, and time to find our way out of the burnout cycle and into a brighter, happier future.

Burnout is defined in ICD-11 as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, and is characterized by:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; 
• and reduced professional efficacy.

How did the work I love become the force that extinguished my fire, my passion, and my enthusiasm? It certainly didn’t happen overnight. 

Once I accepted that I was experiencing burnout during my postdoc, I took the time to assess the weeks and months leading up to that point. I was shocked to realize that I had been functioning with depleted energy resources for a while, completely unaware that I was running on fumes. At the time, I thought nothing of it - I was a postdoc! Postdocs are notoriously overworked and I was probably just tired as a result. Yes, I had less energy than usual, but I convinced myself that maybe I just needed a good night’s sleep. But, of course, I was wrong, and all that time I was inching closer to a state of full burnout, and eventually I hit rock bottom. In the end, I was running on empty and had forgotten the importance of filling up my tank. Fire needs fuel to burn and getting more sleep isn’t going to cut it. So how does one fill up their tank? What have I been doing that resulted in my running on fumes in the first place? 

The answer was simple but powerful: I was consistently putting myself and my needs in second place, and the pressure to produce at work in first. 

This realization was critical for my recovery, and today I see it as a blessing. It also helped me to see the failures of the academic system that contributed to my burnout while I was a postdoc, and it helped ease any feelings of guilt or self-blame.

The life of a PhD scientist necessitates failure - failures that we learn from and failures that tell us which avenues to pursue and which to abandon. The reality is that 90% of our experiments will fail, and that is okay. But in a publish or perish society, failure also means that you have no publishable data, you will have funding applications rejected, and you’ll be left with feelings of crushing defeat. You start to think that you’re the problem. Maybe you're doing something wrong, that you must not be focused enough or hard working enough, and thus you double down and push forward and the dominos begin to fall leading you to the possibility of developing burnout. Your Postdoc becomes your be all and end all, and your hobbies fall to the wayside. In the end, life becomes a vicious cycle of work and stress, with no moments of relief or escape.

The happy person who enjoys theatre, and being with friends, going for walks on the beach, and feeling the sea water on her skin - they too, become a distant memory. All you are is your Postdoc fellowship and your next experiment, your worth wholly dictated by the data you produce. As the days go by in a state of burnout, we forget what it feels like to be filled with excitement and enthusiasm - to have that burning fire filling you up and providing you with the energy and momentum needed to start an activity and see it through to the end.  

But now I could see the light at the end of the tunnel and I could take steps to reverse the burnout damage that had been done. I am more than just my Postdoc!

I started with an intentional practice of assessing my everyday energy levels, and actively looking for opportunities to re-energize myself and put my needs first. During that healing process I rediscovered the passions that moved me forward and implemented several essential internal changes that helped and that may help you too: 

• Identify the first signs your body gives that tell you it is time to rest – and then take the time to rest!
• Understand what motivates you in your daily job - be it as a PhD student, a Postdoc, Faculty, or an Industry Scientist - and focus more of your effort on that motivation, instead of the job itself.
• Challenge yourself to do something outside of your comfort zone that you think you will enjoy!
• Continue doing your job, but know when it is time to put a limit on the hours you’ve worked.
• Make time for yourself!

Then, I translated this growth into changes in my external world by doing the following:

• Asking for the support of your family and friends.
• Asking for psychological support. I found a good psychologist that helped me look deeply into my issues, allowing me to confront my virtues and defects and see myself in a holistic way. It’s definitely not easy, but it is worth the effort.
• Joining a meditation group and sharing my weekly challenges (or just listening to others share).
• Restarting old hobbies; for me it was theatre. 
• Turn off the news! I found the news depressing and demotivating so I eliminated it from my life.

Each of these are small actions, but in order to implement them effectively, you must make the conscious decision to prioritize your wellbeing. For me, this was the turning point in my recovery.

Finally, exploring and knowing which activities and people give you energy can make all the difference. When you are in tune with yourself, everything begins to fall into place. For me, recalling my desire to mentor others and guide them on their journeys enabled me to regain my energy and find fulfilling activities that motivate me to move forward. I was able to move past my burnout as a Postdoc and now it is an experience that helps me help others do the same.

Today, I believe a better world will emerge when we embrace our differences and create work environments that value the different ways each one of us contribute to the job being done. When we encourage all academics - students, postdocs, faculty, and industry scientists included - to fail often, to fail better, and to see our failures as valuable steps forward, we can eliminate the feelings of defeat and inadequacies that push us to put our wellbeing in second place. What energizes me, might not energize you, but really that diversity is what makes the world a beautiful place. If we keep this in mind, and empower others to do the same, we can change the status quo and prevent the burnout and overwork of the academics who follow in our footsteps.