Thread by @nnja

Next up at #DjangoCon is a keynote I'm very excited about.

Here's @jesslynnrose from Mozilla talking about burnout.

Why are we talking about burnout? (Especially after talking about contributing to open source?)

Because if you're burned out you can't do your best work.

Your brain is a wet bag of meat soaked in chemicals (😂)

Your working memory and cognitive load changes day by day.

Your processes - your multi threaded thinking - takes up a lot of your cognitive load already.

Occupational burnout is -

Physical, mental, emotional exhaustion that feels inescapable.

Mirrors & exacerbates symptoms of mental illness, such as depression.

Ask yourself:
- have you become cynical? Over people?
- do you drag yourself to work & have trouble starting once there?
- irritable or impatient with customers or coworkers?
- lack the energy to be consistently productive?
- do you lack satisfaction from your achievements?

- do you feel disillusioned about your job?
- food drugs or alcohol to feel better or feel less?
- changed sleep patterns
- unexplained headaches or backaches?

Mayo clinic diagnostic on burnout.

Yes to one or more? You may have it.

What does recovery look like?

It takes a long time, longer than you think.

If you can afford to take a significant amount off time from work, do.

If you can't stop doing what you're doing?
- do less.
- rank what you have to do by how much it'll destroy you.

If they don't get done in the next 6 months without issue? Drop them.

Outsource where you can. Professionally, or through bonds of human emotion.

Pay for services.

Seek supportive people.

🚨 Say no, a lot. 🚨

Folks who do organization or community work struggle the most with saying no.

If you continue to stay burned out, you'll hit a wall and you could break down. Physically or emotionally.

If you want to help others, put on your own air mask first.

Selective emotional investment.

If you only have limited emotional energy, don't waste it.

Maybe it's not the day to tell someone they're wrong on the internet.

When you have time to recharge, do. Sign out of everything on the weekend. Read, play board games, exercise (if that's your jam).

Practice forgiveness. When you're burned out you're not necessarily actually screwing up more, you're just more hyperaware of it.

Go easy on yourself while you're getting better.

To recap, the path to recovery:

- Do less
- Dramatically reduce stressors
- Selectively invest your emotional energy

Jessica says you have a limited amount of hecks in a day.

(I love this slide 😏)

Your brain is small, and gentle, and easy to break, but remarkably resilient.

Even if things are hard in the moment, as long as you zoom out on life far enough, you'll see that things tend to work out in the end.