When I'm burnt out, I tend to zone out - I don't know if this is an introvert thing or just an Illesse thing, but it's the natural state I tend to slip into when i'm socially or mentally exhausted.
Zoned out / the Illesse definition / ~ Withdrawn; lost in thought; daydreaming; too drained to hold a conversation; closed off posture; resting b*tch face (RBF); usually hiding behind earphones.
Now, I'm aware that this isn't a good thing to do in the workplace but unfortunately it's in my nature to need time out from people. The majority of the time, I don't even realise that I have zoned out until something causes me to zone back in.
In previous roles, my zoning out had built barriers between myself and other colleagues as they associated this with disinterest. Once getting to know me however, they soon realised that this was part of my introvert nature and we were able to begin mending the relationship - my RBF even became a bit of an inside joke.
In each new team or role I come into it takes times for my colleagues to understand this, and vise versa for me to understand their needs. It's a natural part of working with new people and adapting to different personality types.
I tend to get burnt out pretty easily if my week has consisted of a lot of meetings or social interaction. The profession I have chosen allows me to hide behind a screen, which is just how I like it - however as with all roles, some meetings from time to time are necessary.
I had been feeling in a constant state of burn out at one point with evermore meetings and a growing mountain of tasks and deadlines. All I wanted to do was get my head down and concentrate, which meant that I was zoned out more often than not.
Whilst my work rate increased, my colleagues and line manager noticed that I had withdrawn into myself and regularly tried to engage me in conversation. Whilst I appreciated the gesture, this led me to become even more burnt out and seemingly stuck in a viscous cycle... I had to find some way to manage this.
*Queue my battle plan*
Step 1. Be honest with my colleagues that I really need to get my head down for a while, of course they understood as they're all lovely people.
Step 2. Only have one earphone in and engage in conversation every now and again to demonstrate that I'm still part of the team.
Step 3. Offer to do a tea round when beginning to feel zapped - my light bulb moment! This not only demonstrates to my colleagues that I appreciate them being patient with me, but also gives me a chance to escape for 5 minutes and take a breather in the kitchen, zoning out to my hearts content (just not when handling hot water obviously, safety first!)
Step 4. Apologise to my colleagues for the horrendous cuppa I have made as I had turned on autopilot whilst making it, starting a new inside joke and strengthening my relationship with my team.
The regular breaks helped me zone out less when at my desk and my battle plan helped turn a potentially negative situation into one with a positive outcome.
As introverts, we can't help who we are or that we may withdraw into ourselves sometimes. However, the way we manage this is something in our control and a well drawn out battle plan can go a long way.
So, what's your battle plan?
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