Page 26 - voices-2023-04

THOUGHTS FROM THE SIDELINE
Combat Burnout
Eldred Brown, DTM, IPDD
Are you on the verge of burnout? I know I
am. I’ve been in one D7 executive position
or another for almost 4 years (each of the
Trio positions plus Immediate Past District
Director). I’m more than ready to finish my
work as IPDD on June 30 and fade back to
being just a member of a club or three. How
do I combat these feelings of burnout so I
can keep my sanity long enough to finish the
job I started? How can you battle the feelings
of burnout?
First, what are the symptoms of burnout?
Do you find it hard to get out of bed in the
morning? Are you easily irritated by the most
minuscule of inconveniences? Do you often
find yourself in a mood where you don’t want
to do anything but sit on the couch and watch
TV all day? Do you frequently have trouble
concentrating(Oh, look! A squirrel!)? Have
you given up on controlling your eating or
getting enough exercise? My symptom is that
when I’m done with my wage-earning work
for the day, I really don’t want to do much
of anything else, especially if it’s related to
Toastmasters at the District level.
26 ONE COMMUNITY
How do I combat this, so I remain
an effective IPDD? The first thing I do is
maintain my commitment to a variety of
activities I enjoy. If I get too tired of working
on one project, I can switch to another project
that will take my mind off the project that’s
making me tired. Music is a huge part of
my life, so I often use music to take a break
from other tasks. I try to use an hour a day
to practice my trombone, or I may take some
time to set the texts of some of my church’s
hymns to music. Sometimes even
listening to music helps calm
my mind.
My wage-earning work for
Intel also gives me a variety
of projects to work on, which keeps my
workday filled with activities I enjoy. I’ll
often work on one project for an hour before
taking a break. After my break, I may shift
my focus to another project that needs my
attention. After alternating work on two or
three projects concurrently, I may take a
training course I’ve always wanted to take.
I’m also an outspoken advocate for breaking