Hi Reader
Welcome to the first issue of The Art of Better. I'm glad you're here.
Let's start with something that affects over 80% of professionals, but few of us actually understand: burnout.
OBSERVE
Most people don't know what burnout actually is.
And that's not their fault.
We use the word conversationally. "I'm a little burnt out." "That project is burning everyone out." "She quit because of burnout."
But burnout isn't just being tired. It's not stress, and it's not a bad week.
Burnout is a state of chronic workplace stress that hasn't been successfully managed.
The World Health Organization defines it by three specific dimensions:
- Exhaustion: Not tired. Depleted. You can sleep 10 hours and still wake up drained.
- Cynicism: You stop caring. The work that used to matter feels pointless. You're detached, irritable, checked out.
- Reduced efficacy: You can't think clearly anymore. Simple decisions feel impossible. Your performance drops, but you can't figure out why.
Burnout happens when the demands on you exceed your capacity to meet them, for too long.
The dangerous part: by the time you realize you're burnt out, you've been running on empty for months.
So if you're reading this thinking, "I'm just tired, not burnt out," ask yourself:
→ Can I focus like I used to, or does everything feel harder?
→ Do I still care about this work, or am I just going through the motions?
→ Do I have energy for anything outside of work, or am I just surviving?
If the answer is no, you're not just tired.
PRACTICE
Try this: Glass Balls vs. Rubber Balls
This reframing exercise is a favorite amongst my coaching clients.
Imagine you're juggling five balls: work, health, family, friends, and integrity.
Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it bounces back. You can pick it up later. Projects get rescheduled. Emails wait. Deadlines shift.
But the other four? They're made of glass.
Drop your health, and it shatters. Drop your family, and those relationships crack in ways that don't always heal. Drop your friends, and they stop calling. Drop your integrity, and you lose yourself.
Here's the exercise:
Write down everything you're currently juggling. Everything on your plate right now: work projects, commitments, relationships, responsibilities.
Now ask yourself:
- Which of these are glass balls? (If I drop this, it breaks)
- Which of these are rubber balls? (If I drop this, it bounces)
Be honest. Most of what we treat as glass is actually rubber.
This week, protect one glass ball. Just one.
Say no to something rubber so you can say yes to something glass.
That's how you start rebuilding capacity.
REFLECT
From the community:
Someone wrote in asking: "If I take a proper holiday will that fix my burnout? Or do I need to quit my job?"
A holiday won't fix burnout, but it might give you enough space to see what actually needs to change.
Burnout isn't a vacation deficit. It's a mismatch between what's being asked of you and what you have the capacity to give. Over and over, for too long.
So a week off helps you rest, but if you come back to the same demands, the same pace, the same lack of boundaries... You'll be burnt out again.
You don't always need to quit. But you do need to change your system.
Maybe it's how you work. Maybe it's what you say yes to. Maybe it's the story you're telling yourself about what's required to be successful.
A holiday buys you time. What you do with that time is the real work.
Your turn:
What do you want to talk about next?
Burnout prevention? Habits of sustainable success? The performance edge of emotional intelligence?
Hit reply and let me know. I read every response.
Thanks for being here.
Bernadette
Founder, The Healthy Wealth
P.S. I have a few coaching spots left. If you want to work together beyond the newsletter, you can book a free strategy call below.
