Dealing with burnout can be a real beyotch. My last bout with it was during the summer of 2010. I suddenly found myself doing things I’d never done before during my 7 years as a maintenance technician. I was scowling at residents as they walked by and rolling my eyes when someone would stop me to discuss their problem. I felt exhausted all of the time with a serious case of anxiety about things that were probably not going to happen. And to add a cherry on top of it all, I had a zit on my ass the size of a quarter and a bad song stuck in my head.
A nice week off is what I needed! So I thought. It only took three days after I returned from a five day vacation and that icky feeling started creeping its way back into my life. The last straw was when I started taking work orders personally. The residents were getting to me and their work orders were no longer just part of the job. It was personal damn it and they had a vendetta against me! 
I had to find something to make this go away. I was letting people steal my joy and I was desperate to feel like my old happy self again.
I remembered reading some where that morning routines set the tone for what kind of day you’re going to have. So, I started paying attention to what I did every morning. And what I discovered is that every morning I was reading the newspaper while a cable news channel played on the television. Then it hit me why I had the unshakable blues! I was loading up on wars, riots, murders, stabbings, car wrecks, robberies, beatings, disease, and tragedies. Then, I’d go out and start my day! A-ha!
I went cold turkey and cancelled my newspaper subscription. I also stopped watching all the cable news channels. Within 2 weeks I could feel the difference. Positive vibes started to flow again. Instead of scowling at “Mrs. One More Thing”, I actually stopped and fixed what she needed fixed after she said, ” Oh, there’s one more thing”. What a relief! I couldn’t believe that changing a one hour morning habit could have such a positive & dramatic impact. I was hooked and I wanted more. More vegetables for my soul please!
I decided to start reading positive and uplifting material every morning before my day began. A habit that continues to this very day. The first book that started it all was titled, ” The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari “. And from there, I never looked back. I’ll sometimes flick on a cable news channel just to see if anything’s changed in the last 7 years and it hasn’t. It’s the same old stuff. Negative stories followed by negative stories that I can do nothing about. After years of not watching it I noticed that they focus on a small percentage of the worst people in our population. That was my problem. I started every morning watching the worst of our population do harm to others and began thinking everyone was like that. Once I stopped watching for a while, I discovered that there’s more good in the world than bad.
Some ask, “But Lex, how do you know what’s going on in the world?” Trust me, if it’s bad enough someone will let you know. Either through a Facebook post or word of mouth. Now with that said, I’m not saying you have to cut the news or mindless entertainment totally out of your life. I’m just saying to not overwhelm your brain with it. Make sure your soul is getting lots of vegetables. It’s about a healthy balance.
For instance, I love gangster movies! But, I know that a gangster movie is a chocolate bar and you can’t live on chocolate bars alone. You have to make sure your soul is getting more vegetables (positive stuff) than chocolate bars (negative stuff) or you’ll slowly start feeling moody, drained, and angry.
Your brain is like a factory. You can’t keep dumping trash into your mental factory and then wonder why your life sucks. There’s a saying in all spiritual books and ancient writings that says, “As you think so shall you become.” Meaning, be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. They were warning us about the power of our thoughts 2,000 years ago in those ancient writings and it still holds true today. So, if you keep dumping negativity and drama into your mental computer every day, guess what’s going to show up in your life. Yep, you guessed it! Drama! Still want to watch that reality show where everyone screams at each other for an hour?
It’s The People Not The Work
This profound statement was said by my friend and co-worker Justin. It’s the people not the work that drives you crazy and burns you out! Justin and I like being apartment maintenance techs for a living. We enjoy the work of repairing things that keep people comfortable. But, what we don’t like are the needy, rude, and entitled people that think the Earth’s axis goes through the top of their freaking head! It’s the same 10 people that seem to have issue after issue. We call it, “The ring of fire”. Some of them take advantage of us and expect us to do their personal chores for them. For free!
Dealing with people nicely is what you have to master. And starting your day with positive books or videos will help you with this tremendously. Don’t let anyone steal your joy. It’s tough I know! It’s a battle I myself continue to fight everyday. Sometimes I have to stop and tell myself, “It’s just a job. It’s nothing personal. I get to go home to my normal happy life when I leave here”. If you live where you work, I’m sorry. 
I lived onsite once and vowed to never do it again.
Types Of People You’ll Need To Master
The whiny and ungrateful These types will be the most common threat to your attitude and sanity because they are every where. Do not, I repeat, do not let these people steal your joy. You will never make them happy and you are not responsible for anyone’s happiness. Someone could find a cure for cancer that comes drinkable from a soda can and these people would bitch about the flavor. Just do your best when you have to fix their issue, and then walk away whistling a happy tune while knowing you get to go home to your normal happy life.
The Coward Instead of asking the lazy co-workers to get their work done or they’re fired, the coward just piles more work onto the people that get the job done to make up the difference. So, the lazy continue to get away with doing nothing while the hard working rockstars get more work added to their already loaded plate. Here’s a little secret the coward forgets. Rockstars don’t put up with that for too long! They leave and go be rockstars for the competition down the road.
The coward can also be someone that’s scared to do anything that’s hard. So, they get you to do it for them in case something goes wrong. Then, they can say you did it. Not them.
The coward is also scared to tell a resident no due to possible confrontation. So, they pass the buck onto you and have you running around doing resident’s personal “to-do list” as if you didn’t have enough to do already.
Keeping a good happy attitude is how you handle “The coward.” However, if they get froggy and come at you with any attitude, you’ll need to back them down with confrontation. They hate confrontation and will fold up like a lawn chair in a CAT 5 hurricane. You’re helping them out because they’re scared to tell people no and now they want to give you attitude! I don’t think so!
An Office Full Of Youngsters In Their 20’s
Most of the time youngsters in their 20’s that I worked with were awesome and drama free. But there are times when you worry about the future of America. What helps me with this issue is reminding myself that these youngsters in their 20’s were bratty, self centered teenagers not that long ago. So, the disorganization, the drama, and the bratty tantrums are still working their way out of their system as they grow up. Just try your best to be the adult in the situation when they do what young people do best. Panic and make mountains out of mole hills. Drama!
Now, there are some exceptions. I have worked with some people in their 20’s that were old souls and had the maturity it took for their leadership position. But not often.
The Manager That Loves To Say “The Owner Is Coming!”
I once worked with a manager that loved to say, “Mr. Owner is coming and he’s on the warpath.” She loved to say it and was very sadistic about it. She’d be in a total panic and have everyone cleaning stuff that wasn’t dirty and fixing things that weren’t broken. It was very strange and unusual. Then, when the owner showed up, he’d shake my hand while smiling and we’d talk about college football for a while. Then, he’d get back into his car and leave. Wait… I was expecting a monster A-hole on the warpath. After that I never took this manager seriously again. If you run a tight ship and you know your property is in good shape, you have nothing to fear when “Mr. Owner” is coming. Don’t let a sadistic manager who seems to get off on the drama of the owner coming ruin your day and have you chasing your tail for no reason.
These are the 4 types of annoying people I come across mostly. And all you really have to do is kill’em with kindness. And if that doesn’t work, then leave! Go be a rockstar somewhere else!
Conclusion
Before I actually dealt with work related burnout, I thought it was an excuse made up by the weak and lazy. But, I realized it was a real thing when it slapped me across the face like a wet fish held by a stripper at a bachelor party. What I found is that you have to work on your mind and attitude. You cure it through positive reinforcement. You can take all the time off you want. It won’t help if you come back with the same negative mindset and you’ll be right back to feeling burned out very soon. It’s like weight loss surgery. If you don’t change your habits and your mind’s psychology about healthy eating, you’ll be back to your overweight self again.
The grass isn’t greener somewhere else. That was another issue I had to deal with. Instead of blooming where I stood and being happy where I was at, I had this nagging feeling that I was always at the wrong place and there was someplace better. Here’s a little secret. The place doesn’t exist! Annoying people with problems are everywhere. No matter where you go, nothing changes but the names and the faces. So, unless you win a million dollars and get to live a pipe dream, you might as well be happy where you are and be so good at what you do that they can’t ignore you. And remember, you’re not responsible for anyone’s happiness but your own.
Here are some of my favorite books to keep your mental gas tank full of positivity.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You : Why Skills Trump Passion In The Quest For Work You Love by Cal Newport (Click link to check it out)
You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero (click link to check it out)
The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson (click link to check it out)
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma (click link to check it out)
Battlefield Of The Mind by Joyce Meyer (click link to check it out)
7 Strategies For Wealth And Happiness by Jim Rohn (Click link to check it out)
The Success Principles by Jack Canfield (click link to check it out)
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