My Brush With Burnout

Hard Costs With Katy Widrick

This is not the first episode of Rising Tide Talents that I have recorded…but it is the first that I’ve published. And I’ll be honest with you: this one is not only much longer than future episodes will be, it’s also much more personal.

Today, I’m sharing my experience with severe burnout – and not just the fatigue, frustration and confusion that so many people face at work and at home. No, I’m talking about the kind of burnout that led me to dive into intensive therapy, that manipulated me into becoming a bit of an arsonist and setting fire to my professional path, that had my closest friends and even family members telling me that they didn’t want to be around me…

And tears. So, so, so many tears.

This episode was hard for me to record, but it’s quite easy for me to share. Because I know that if even one of you hears my experience and learns how to prevent burnout, or how to take back your life starting TODAY – it’s 100% worth it.

Thank you in advance for your kindness, your grace and for your attention. Now…here’s more on my brush with burnout.

Episode discussion points:

• What burnout felt like for me.
• How loved ones and colleagues in my life supported me (and also, didn’t), including a mini-intervention by one of my business besties and my husband.
• There is no wrong way to ask for help, even if you have to say “I don’t know what’s wrong or why I’m feeling this way or what steps to take but I don’t want to feel like this anymore.
• The traps of high performance and perfectionism.
• How social media contributes to burnout.
• The odd ways that my journalism career contributed to my burnout but also my resiliency.
• All of the things I tried to overcome burnout (and which habits I'm still engaging)!

If you are experiencing mental health challenges or are in crisis, I urge you to get help. I urge you to visit https://linktr.ee/kwidrick for some of my favorite resources.